How much does Vanta cost for a startup?
Vanta does not publish prices. Vendr's buyer data puts companies with 1 to 50 employees at $12,000–$28,000 a year for one framework; Vanta's own AWS Marketplace listing lists Essentials at $14,000 for 1 to 20 employees. The audit is a separate purchase from a CPA firm: a Type 1 starts at $5,000 and a Type 2 at $7,500 with our audit partner (SimpleAudit pricing); startup quotes run to about $25,000 (SOC 2 cost guide). A startup's first year on Vanta typically lands between $17,000 and $63,000, depending on the audit type and whether a penetration test is required.
What drives the price
Every Vanta quote is custom, but the inputs are consistent across the buyer data and Vanta's own published listings. These are the five that move the number most.
Employee count
Vanta prices by headcount band. Its AWS Marketplace listing says "Pricing is tiered based on company size and program complexity", and the prices it lists there are starting costs for 1 to 20 employees. Vendr's buyer data shows the next band, 51 to 200 employees on one or two frameworks, at $25,000–$55,000 a year. Vendr also reports that crossing a headcount threshold mid-contract can mean overage fees or a forced tier upgrade, so ask how your contract handles hiring before you sign.
Number of frameworks
The Essentials package includes one compliance framework, according to Vanta's pricing page. Each additional framework is an add-on: Vanta's Y Combinator deal page lists it at $5,000 per framework, and Vendr's buyer data puts companies on two or three frameworks with 50 to 200 employees at $30,000–$70,000 a year. A startup that needs only SOC 2 should confirm its quote covers exactly one framework.
Add-on modules
Trust Center, questionnaire automation and vendor risk management are sold separately. On its AWS Marketplace listing, Vanta lists its Trust Center module at $6,000, Questionnaire Automation (144 questionnaires a year) at $10,000 and Third Party Risk Management (up to 50 vendors) at $13,600, each for 12 months at 1 to 20 employees. Vendr reports add-ons typically adding $3,000–$15,000+ a year, and that modules bought mid-contract are priced higher than modules bundled at signing.
Annual versus multi-year, and discounts
Annual prepayment is the standard term in Vendr's buyer data. Two- to three-year commitments are reported to unlock 10–25% discounts, while buyers who want quarterly or monthly billing typically pay a 5–10% premium. Startups under 50 employees are reported to receive 20–40% off initial quotes when they ask. Vanta also publishes a startup rate on its Y Combinator deal page: the Essentials package at $7,200 and $9,000 for the first year, split at $1M ARR or 20 people, and the Plus package at $9,600 and $12,000 on the same split.
Renewal increases and implementation fees
Vendr reports that Vanta contracts commonly include annual price escalation clauses of 5–10% a year, and that renewal quotes often arrive 10–20% higher unless the buyer renegotiates. It also lists implementation and onboarding fees of $2,000–$10,000, which it describes as often negotiable or waivable. Budget for year two before you sign year one.
The full first-year cost for a startup
The platform subscription is the number most "Vanta pricing" pages stop at. A startup pays for three things: the platform, the CPA firm that signs the report, and any testing the auditor expects. The ranges below are for a company with 1 to 50 employees on one framework.
Vanta platform, one framework
- Low end
- $12,000
- High end
- $28,000
- Source
- Vendr buyer data, 1–50 employees; Vanta's AWS Marketplace listing starts Essentials at $14,000 for 1–20 employees
Auditor fee, SOC 2 Type 1
- Low end
- $5,000
- High end
- Varies by firm; usually below a Type 2
- Source
- MJD Advisors, SimpleAudit's audit partner; see how to choose an auditor
Auditor fee, SOC 2 Type 2
- Low end
- $7,500
- High end
- $25,000
- Source
- MJD Advisors starting price; startup quotes in our SOC 2 cost guide
Penetration test, if your auditor expects one
- Low end
- $99 (agentic test via SimpleAudit partners)
- High end
- $3,000–$10,000+ per traditional test
- Source
- Vendr buyer data; lean options in our SOC 2 cost guide
First-year total
- Low end
- $17,000 (platform low end plus a Type 1)
- High end
- $63,000 (platform high end, a Type 2 and a traditional pen test)
- Source
- Sum of the rows above; run your own in the SOC 2 cost calculator
| Cost | Low end | High end | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanta platform, one framework | $12,000 | $28,000 | Vendr buyer data, 1–50 employees; Vanta's AWS Marketplace listing starts Essentials at $14,000 for 1–20 employees |
| Auditor fee, SOC 2 Type 1 | $5,000 | Varies by firm; usually below a Type 2 | MJD Advisors, SimpleAudit's audit partner; see how to choose an auditor |
| Auditor fee, SOC 2 Type 2 | $7,500 | $25,000 | MJD Advisors starting price; startup quotes in our SOC 2 cost guide |
| Penetration test, if your auditor expects one | $99 (agentic test via SimpleAudit partners) | $3,000–$10,000+ per traditional test | Vendr buyer data; lean options in our SOC 2 cost guide |
| First-year total | $17,000 (platform low end plus a Type 1) | $63,000 (platform high end, a Type 2 and a traditional pen test) | Sum of the rows above; run your own in the SOC 2 cost calculator |
Vendr's median Vanta contract across all company sizes is about $20,000 a year. Add-ons, extra frameworks and headcount growth push a quote above the platform range shown here. Run your own numbers in the SOC 2 cost calculator.
Who Vanta is a good fit for
Vanta is a strong product for a company that has someone to run it. If you have a security or GRC owner, need several frameworks at once (SOC 2 plus ISO 27001, HIPAA or PCI DSS), sell into enterprises that send a steady stream of security questionnaires, or have grown past roughly 50 people, the automation and the add-on modules start to pay for themselves.
It also brings two things a smaller tool cannot: a very large integrations catalog for automated evidence collection, and a brand that auditors and enterprise procurement teams already recognize. For a team at Series A and beyond, those are often worth the price.
Who usually does not need it yet
The typical startup asking "how much does Vanta cost" is a small company with no dedicated security person, one framework to satisfy (SOC 2), a prospect or investor asking for a report, and a budget that does not stretch to a five-figure platform plus a five-figure audit. Nobody on the team has compliance as their job; the founder or an engineering lead is carrying it alongside everything else.
For that team, most of what a Vanta subscription buys, continuous monitoring across hundreds of integrations, multi-framework mapping, questionnaire automation at volume, is capacity you will not use this year. What you need is the policies, the risk register, the evidence and a clear path to an auditor, which is the problem SimpleAudit is built around. See SOC 2 when nobody on your team is a security person and the seed-stage SOC 2 guide.
SimpleAudit pricing next to the reported Vanta range
From $40/mo (Starter, billed annually at $480). Essentials is $199/mo billed annually. Every SimpleAudit plan shows its price before you talk to anyone, and none of them includes the audit either. Full details are on the pricing page; the feature-by-feature comparison is on SimpleAudit vs Vanta.
Starter
- Price
- $480 a year ($40/mo, annual only)
- Trial
- 3-day free trial, no credit card
- What is included
- Security criteria only, one user, one audit preparation; you hand evidence to the auditor yourself
Essentials
- Price
- $2,388 a year ($199/mo billed annually)
- Trial
- 7-day free trial, no credit card
- What is included
- The full SOC 2 program plus the audit tools: audit window tracking, audit package export, auditor fields and a Trust Center
Pro
- Price
- $4,788 a year ($399/mo billed annually)
- Trial
- 7-day free trial, no credit card
- What is included
- Everything in Essentials plus nightly policy-versus-proof re-checks, unlimited questionnaires and contract checks, tabletop exercises and API access
Partner
- Price
- $7,188 a year ($599/mo billed annually)
- Trial
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- What is included
- For compliance consultancies and vCISOs managing client workspaces
Vanta (reported)
- Price
- $12,000–$28,000 a year for 1–50 employees, one framework (Vendr); $14,000 list price for Essentials at 1–20 employees (AWS Marketplace listing)
- Trial
- No free trial listed on Vanta's pricing page; a demo, then a custom quote
- What is included
- One framework on Essentials; Trust Center, questionnaire automation and vendor risk sold as add-ons (Vanta's pricing page)
| Plan | Price | Trial | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $480 a year ($40/mo, annual only) | 3-day free trial, no credit card | Security criteria only, one user, one audit preparation; you hand evidence to the auditor yourself |
| Essentials | $2,388 a year ($199/mo billed annually) | 7-day free trial, no credit card | The full SOC 2 program plus the audit tools: audit window tracking, audit package export, auditor fields and a Trust Center |
| Pro | $4,788 a year ($399/mo billed annually) | 7-day free trial, no credit card | Everything in Essentials plus nightly policy-versus-proof re-checks, unlimited questionnaires and contract checks, tabletop exercises and API access |
| Partner | $7,188 a year ($599/mo billed annually) | 14-day free trial, no credit card | For compliance consultancies and vCISOs managing client workspaces |
| Vanta (reported) | $12,000–$28,000 a year for 1–50 employees, one framework (Vendr); $14,000 list price for Essentials at 1–20 employees (AWS Marketplace listing) | No free trial listed on Vanta's pricing page; a demo, then a custom quote | One framework on Essentials; Trust Center, questionnaire automation and vendor risk sold as add-ons (Vanta's pricing page) |
Frequently asked questions
How much does Vanta cost for startups?
Vanta does not publish a price list. Vendr's buyer data puts companies with 1 to 50 employees at $12,000–$28,000 a year for one framework, and Vanta's own AWS Marketplace listing starts the Essentials package at $14,000 a year for 1 to 20 employees. Y Combinator companies are offered a first-year Essentials rate of $7,200 and $9,000, split at $1M ARR or 20 people (Y Combinator deal page). Add-ons, extra frameworks and headcount growth raise the number; the audit is extra on top.
Does Vanta's price include the audit?
No. Vanta prepares you for the audit and connects you with auditors, but the CPA firm that signs your SOC 2 report is a separate contract. With SimpleAudit's audit partner, MJD Advisors, a Type 1 starts at $5,000 and a security-only Type 2 at $7,500 (SimpleAudit pricing); startup quotes from other firms run up to about $25,000 (SOC 2 cost guide).
Does Vanta have a free plan or free trial?
Vanta's pricing page lists four packages, Essentials, Plus, Professional and Enterprise, with no prices and no free plan or trial; each package leads to a demo request. SimpleAudit's plans each start with a free trial and no credit card (SimpleAudit pricing).
Why doesn't Vanta publish pricing?
Vanta prices each contract on company size, number of frameworks and add-on modules, so the same package costs different amounts for different buyers. Its AWS Marketplace listing describes pricing as "tiered based on company size and program complexity". Quote-based pricing also leaves room to negotiate: Vendr reports startups under 50 employees often receiving 20–40% off initial quotes.
What are startup-friendly alternatives to Vanta that lock in pricing?
The direct way to lock in a price is to buy from a vendor that publishes one. From $40/mo (Starter, billed annually at $480). Essentials is $199/mo billed annually. Both show the price before you sign up (SimpleAudit pricing), with no sales call and a free trial, and if you want Vanta specifically, Vendr's buyer data suggests a multi-year term with a capped escalator is the way to hold a quote; see SimpleAudit vs Vanta for the feature comparison.
How much does a SOC 2 audit cost on top of the platform?
Expect a separate line item from a licensed CPA firm. Our audit partner prices a Type 1 from $5,000 and a security-only Type 2 with a 3-month observation window from $7,500 (SimpleAudit pricing); quotes at startups run up to about $25,000. Add a penetration test if your auditor expects one. The SOC 2 cost guide breaks every line down by company size, and how to choose a SOC 2 auditor explains how to compare quotes on identical terms.
Does Vanta raise prices at renewal?
Vendr reports that Vanta contracts commonly carry annual escalation clauses of 5–10%, and that renewal quotes often come in 10–20% higher unless the buyer renegotiates. Ask for a capped or flat renewal in writing before you sign.
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