# 15 Best SOC 2 Auditors (2026) > Compare the 15 best SOC 2 auditors in 2026. What each firm covers, typical cost and timeline, and how to get audit-ready before you engage one. Published: 2026-10-31 Canonical: https://www.denvra.co/blog/best-soc-2-auditors Only a licensed CPA firm can perform a SOC 2 examination and sign the report. That rule, set by the AICPA, is the first thing to know about choosing an auditor, and it is why fourteen of the fifteen providers on this page are CPA firms, the best SOC 2 audit firms a mid-market buyer will shortlist. The fifteenth is not, says so in every section where it appears, and ranks first anyway. Here is why that is not a contradiction. A SOC 2 report is the end of a program, and the auditor is the last provider in it. Before the signature there are policies to write, controls to implement, evidence to collect across an observation period, and an examination to manage. Audit firms cannot do that work for you, by rule: a CPA firm that implements your controls generally cannot attest to them, so the readiness assessments auditors sell are bounded to gap-finding and the fixing is yours. The buyer who searches for the best SOC 2 auditors is usually looking for the whole path to a signed report, and only part of it is the signature. So this guide ranks 15 providers on how well they get a buyer from where they are to a signed SOC 2 report, using the same seven criteria and the same weights as every page in this series: who performs the work, pricing clarity, timeline commitment, who signs and how independence is documented, framework reuse, environment fit and evidence an auditor will accept. Fourteen are licensed CPA firms, described from their own published material, that sign the report. One is a readiness service that performs the work before the auditor and never signs. Each is labeled by role in every table and every entry, so no reader mistakes one for the other. We built that readiness service, EasyAudit, so read its entry knowing that. EasyAudit is not an auditor, does not sign, issue or attest to any report, and coordinates the licensed CPA firm you choose from this list. It ranks first because the criteria weight the work that gets you to the auditor, and an auditor cannot do that work for you. The verdict in a nutshell: EasyAudit is the best overall path to a signed SOC 2 report for a regulated company that wants the readiness work performed by a committed date and a clean choice of auditor afterward; the free [Compliance Simulation](https://www.denvra.co/compliance-simulation) runs on your real environment in about 75 minutes of scheduled time across two calls, and the report is yours either way. Among the auditors, A-LIGN is the best SOC 2 auditor overall for volume, platform compatibility and ISO accreditation in one licensed firm; Schellman is the pick when SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are examined concurrently; Prescient Assurance and Johanson Group are the value picks for platform-based programs; and PwC leads the Big Four on SOC 2+ combined reporting. | **Best Overall Path to a Signed Report** | **Best SOC 2 Auditor Overall** | **Best Auditor for Concurrent SOC 2 and ISO 27001** | **Best Value Auditor for Platform-Based Programs** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | EasyAudit | A-LIGN | Schellman | Prescient Assurance | ## Top SOC 2 Audit Companies: Comparison Chart | **Provider** | **Best For** | **Role** | **What They Do** | **Independence Posture** | **Pricing** | **Schedulingand Turnaround** | **Score** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | EasyAudit | Best Overall Path to a Signed Report (not an auditor) | Readiness service, does not sign | Readiness service: policies written, controlsimplemented, evidence collected, examinationcoordinated with the CPA firm you choose. Never signs. | Cleanestpossible: EasyAudit never signs, so the auditor is independent of whoever prepared you by construction. | Fixed at signature, from the free Simulation. Auditor fee separate. | Readinessdate locked at signaturewith fee at risk; the auditor setsfieldworkand report dates. | 9.3 | | Thoropass | Best Platform-Integrated Audit | Platform-affiliated CPA firm | Licensed CPA firm inside the Thoropassorganization; audits delivered inside its platform. | Platform, readiness guidance and audit from affiliated entities; independencedocumentationessential. | AWS Marketplacefloor about $5,800 per year for the SOC 2 auditsubscription (UnderDefense, July 2026). | Own claim: fasterbecauseevidencereviewhappensin-platform. | 7.9 | | A-LIGN | Best SOC 2 Auditor Overall | Specialist, national | 3,500+ SOC 2 assessments; 100+ SOC 2 auditors; claims top SOC 2 issuer worldwide. | Same firm offers readiness; ask for the independenceconclusion in writing. | Quote only; A-SCENDevidenceplatform has a free tier. | Own claim: audits in half the time via A-SCEND; peak-seasonlead time. | 7.7 | | Coalfire | Best Auditor for Cloud Service Providers | Specialist, national | 500+ SOC reports a year through the Coalfire Controls CPA affiliate. | Readiness from Coalfire, attestation from the affiliate; ask how documented. | Quote only. | Scoped perengagement; combined SOC 2 with HIPAA or CSA STARavailable. | 7.5 | | Schellman | Best Auditor for Concurrent SOC 2 and ISO 27001 | Specialist, national | 2,000+ SOC reports a year; PCAOB-registered. | Schellman Compliance (non-attest) and Schellman & Company (attest) are separate entities. | Quote only. | Plan ahead for Q4 and Q1 peak; concurrent SOC 2 and ISO 27001 by one team. | 7.4 | | PwC | Best Big Four Auditor for SOC 2+ Combined Reports | Big Four | Big Four assurance practice; SOC 1, 2, 3 and SOC 2+ combined reports. | Readinessassessment and examination from the same firm; ask for the conclusion in writing. | Quote only. | Enterprisescheduling; scopedesigned to expand over time. | 6.6 | | BDO | Best National Firm With an Estimate Before a Proposal | National CPA firm | National CPA firm issuing SOC 1, 2, 2+ and 3 under SSAE 18. | Readinessassessment and report from the same firm; ask how documented. | Quote; freeconsultationand report estimate first. | National-firmscheduling. | 6.6 | | Johanson Group | Fastest Boutique Turnaround | Specialist, boutique | Boutique CPA firm led by Ryan Johanson, CPA; SOC 1, 2, 3 and ISO practice. | Offers readinessassessments; ask how separated from the examination. | Quote; third-partydirectoriesreport Type II commonly $6,000 to $30,000. | Own target: final report within 4 to 6 weeks of audit start. | 6.6 | | Prescient Assurance | Best Value Auditor for Platform-Based Programs | Specialist, boutique | Combinedcybersecurityand CPA firm; high-volume B2B SaaS practice. | Readiness and audit from affiliated entities; ask how documented. | Quote; third-partydirectoriesreport Type II commonly $7,000 to $30,000. | Third-partydirectory: 2 to 6 weeks to start. | 6.5 | | Insight Assurance | Best Boutique With Big Four Pedigree | Specialist, boutique | 3,500+ engagements and 97 percent retention by its own figures; founded 2019 by former Big Fourprofessionals. | CPA-licensedaudit LLC plus a separateconsulting arm. | Quote only; positions ontransparency. | Boutiquescheduling; auditorsaverage 10+ yearsexperience. | 6.4 | | Deloitte | Best Big Four Auditor for Enterprise Procurement | Big Four | Big Four third-partyassurancepractice; SOC 1 and 2 with FedRAMP and HITRUST. | Readinessservices and attestation from the same firm; ask for the conclusion in writing. | Quote only. | Enterprisescheduling. | 6.4 | | KPMG | Best Big Four Auditor for Regulated Financial Services | Big Four | Big Four IT attestationpractice; SOC 1, 2 and 3. | Workshop-basedreadiness review keepsimplementationwith the client; ask for the conclusion. | Quote only. | Enterprisescheduling; workshopseries beforefieldwork. | 6.3 | | Linford & Co | Best for a Partner-Led Examination | Specialist, boutique | CPA firm focused primarily on SOC examinations and IT attestation. | Attestation-focused; advice on which report type you need. | Quote only. | Boutiquescheduling; partner-led. | 6.2 | | EY | Best Big Four Auditor With ISO Certification Alongside | Big Four | 3,000+ SOC reports to 900+ clients a year by its own figures. | Readinessassessment and examination from the same firm; EY CertifyPointseparate for ISO. | Quote only. | Enterprisescheduling. | 6.2 | | BARR Advisory | Best for Cloud-Native Fieldwork | Specialist, boutique | Cloud-focusedcybersecurityand compliance firm with a growing SOC 2 practice. | Offers advisory and attestation; ask how separated. | Quote; third-partydirectoryreports $15,000 to $50,000. | Third-partydirectory: 8 to 16 weeks to start. | 5.9 | _Role: every provider marked as a CPA firm is licensed to perform SOC 2 examinations and signs the report._ _EasyAudit is a readiness service: it performs the work before the examination, coordinates the auditor you_ _choose, and never signs, issues or attests to a report. Data current as of October 2026. Firm descriptions come_ _from each firm's own published material. Fee bands marked as third-party come from independent auditor_ _directories (SOC2Auditors.org, BD Emerson) and are observed ranges, not quotes. Turnaround figures are the_ _firms' own claims or directory-reported ranges and will vary with scope and season._ ## How We Evaluated These SOC 2 Auditors Every provider on this page is scored on the same seven criteria and weights used across this series, and every provider carries the same scores it carries on any other page. That matters here because the first criterion, work performed for you, is one an audit firm cannot score highly on by rule: an auditor examines and signs, and the AICPA independence rules keep it from implementing what it examines. So the CPA firms land where audit firms should on a readiness criterion, and the one provider that performs the readiness work lands first. The auditor-specific comparison a buyer also needs, volume, independence structure, fees and turnaround, is in the chart above and in each entry. ### Our Scoring Methodology | **Criterion** | **Weight** | **What we looked for** | | --- | --- | --- | | Work performed for you versus work left on your team | 25% | Who writes the policies, implements the controls, collects the evidence and manages the examination. An audit firm examines rather than implements, by rule, so this criterion measures who does the work that gets you to the signature. | | Pricing clarity and commitment terms | 20% | Whether a buyer can see fees before signing, whether Type I and Type II are fixed-fee, and what happens at renewal or when scope changes. | | Timeline certainty and consequence if missed | 15% | Whether the provider commits to a date, for readiness or for fieldwork and report delivery, and what it costs the provider if the date slips. | | Assurance handling and independence | 15% | Who signs the report, whether that party is a licensed CPA firm, whether the provider that prepared you can also sign, and how independence is documented. | | Multi-framework reuse | 10% | Whether the same provider can carry you into ISO 27001, HITRUST or FedRAMP, and whether the controls and evidence carry over or start a new project. | | Environment fit | 10% | Microsoft-heavy estates, on-prem systems, data center and contact center floors, and other operations that cloud-native tooling and cloud-focused auditors were not built for. | | Evidence a third party will accept | 5% | Approvals recorded with who and when, an audit trail the application cannot bypass, and read-only access for the auditor. | Work performed carries the heaviest weight because it is where SOC 2 programs stall: the auditor is booked, the observation period is running, and the controls the examination will test are still unimplemented on someone's list. Among the auditors themselves, experience, independence structure, fee transparency and turnaround are what separate them, and those are called out in every entry. | **Provider** | **Work (25%)** | **Pricing (20%)** | **Timeline (15%)** | **Assurance (15%)** | **Multi-framework (10%)** | **Environment (10%)** | **Evidence (5%)** | **Weighted** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | EasyAudit | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9.3 | | Thoropass | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7.9 | | A-LIGN | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7.7 | | Coalfire | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7.5 | | Schellman | 6 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7.4 | | PwC | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6.6 | | BDO | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6.6 | | Johanson Group | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6.6 | | Prescient Assurance | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6.5 | | Insight Assurance | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6.4 | | Deloitte | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 6.4 | | KPMG | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 6.3 | | Linford & Co | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6.2 | | EY | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 6.2 | | BARR Advisory | 4 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 5.9 | _Weighted totals are rounded to one decimal. The score on each firm's entry, the score in the comparison chart,_ _and this table reconcile. Ties are broken on the first criterion, then the second. Every provider carries identical_ _scores on every page of this series; EasyAudit is scored here as what it is, a readiness service, and its score_ _does not reflect any auditing capability, because it has none._ ## 15 Best SOC 2 Auditors in 2026 Reviewed Who are the best SOC 2 auditors? For the signature itself, the licensed CPA firm that has issued the most reports for organizations like yours, will document its independence from whoever prepared you, works inside the evidence you already have, and can start when the observation period ends. For the path to that signature, the provider that performs the work and never signs. Here is how the top SOC 2 audit companies and the one readiness service of 2026 compare, ranked by the score above, with each provider's role stated. ### 1. EasyAudit ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x769/098cc66a65/best-pwc-competitors-01-easyaudit.webp) **Best for:** regulated companies that want the readiness work performed by a committed date and a clean choice of any auditor on this list afterward. **Compliance Service Score:** 9.3/10 #### Service Overview EasyAudit is not an auditor. It never signs, issues or attests to a SOC 2 report; a licensed CPA firm you choose, from this list or elsewhere, performs the examination and signs. EasyAudit is a compliance service for organizations that have to be compliant and do not want to run compliance, and it performs the work before the auditor and coordinates the firm you choose. ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/2880x1800/ea5ad91373/01-simulation-report-pwc-alternatives-companies-like-deloitte-2x.png) A named human compliance expert leads your engagement from start to finish, the AI Compliance Officer executes the recurring work, and the platform is the shared foundation and memory both work from. One service, not three products. Where the fourteen firms below sign the report, EasyAudit gets you to the signature: policies written from your environment, controls implemented, evidence collected across the observation period, and the auditor you choose coordinated directly. If a customer has made a SOC 2 report a condition of signing, and the people who would otherwise write the policies and close the findings before the auditor arrives are your security, engineering and legal staff, we built it for you, and we built it for regulated companies: the ones whose customers, regulators, insurers or contracts require proof, in whatever industry that pressure arrives. Two things set us apart on this page: 1. We never sign, so the independence question disappears. Choose any auditor on this list on its merits; the firm examining you is independent of whoever prepared you by construction, and it gets a read-only view of the evidence. 2. The readiness date is locked at signature with our fee behind it, and the free Compliance Simulation scores your readiness on your real environment before you engage anyone, including the auditor. ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/2880x1800/1eb3a13991/02-the-record-pwc-competitors-deloitte-alternatives-nist-soc-2-iso-27001-2x.png) #### The 3 Problems We Solve Before the Auditor Arrives #### The auditor cannot fix what it finds Every firm on this list is bound by the AICPA independence rules: a CPA firm that designs and implements your controls generally cannot attest to those same controls. That is why their readiness assessments stop at the gap list and why the remediation comes back to your team, however good the firm is. We perform the remediation. Our AI Compliance Officer drafts the policies from your environment, implements and maps the controls, collects the evidence and prescribes the exact fix for every gap. Our named compliance expert reviews every piece of work and coordinates your auditor directly. Your team reviews and signs. The auditor arrives to controls that operated, not to a plan. ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/2880x1800/0ac41fd42c/03-generated-policy-pwc-nist-csf-services-soc-2-solutions-iso-27001-services-2x.png) #### The readiness assessment auditors sell is a paid gap list Most firms here offer a readiness assessment ahead of the examination, scoped and priced as its own engagement and bounded by independence to finding gaps rather than fixing them. The buyer pays to learn how far from ready they are, then pays the same firm or another to examine the result. The Compliance Simulation does the diagnostic work free. Two 30-minute calls, about 75 minutes of scheduled time, read-only connections to your real systems, and a report with your readiness, your gaps, your price and your date. The report is yours either way, including if you take it straight to a Big Four firm. Diagnose first, commit second. ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/2880x1800/e7d07fc28f/05-nist-csf-2-0-monitoring-nist-csf-assessment-2x.png) #### Nobody's fee depends on your date except ours Audit fees are earned when the examination is performed. Readiness fees are earned when the assessment is delivered. Whether the controls were ready when the deal needed the report is on neither invoice, and the auditor can only examine what is there when fieldwork begins. Ours is. Audit-ready and submitted to the independent auditor you choose by the date committed at signature, or you do not pay. The [Audit-Ready Guarantee](https://www.denvra.co/audit-ready-guarantee) applies to eligible engagements and covers readiness and submission. The auditor alone determines the opinion, and that boundary sits beside the guarantee every time we state it. #### Interactive Product Demo #### Frameworks Covered SOC 1, [SOC 2](https://www.denvra.co/frameworks/soc-2), ISO 27001, ISO 42001, ISO 9001, NIST CSF 2.0 and CMMC, on one control library. Several auditors on this list can also certify ISO 27001 or assess HITRUST and FedRAMP; EasyAudit prepares you for those too, on the same controls. One control satisfies up to seven frameworks, one evidence set covers all mappings, and the program carries 60 to 70 percent fewer controls than running frameworks in parallel. #### Working With the Auditor You Choose Choose any firm on this list. We coordinate the engagement, prepare the evidence the auditor will test, and give the auditor a read-only view of the Record so the examiner looks through but cannot touch. Approvals are recorded with who and when, and the audit trail is enforced at the database level so the application cannot bypass it. Independent CPA auditors co-designed the evidence standards and control architecture. The firm signs; we never do. #### Pricing The investment is fixed at signature, from the Compliance Simulation run on your own environment, and covers the readiness program. The auditor's fee is separate and is negotiated with the firm you choose; nothing on this page changes that. For a directional figure before the Simulation, use the [cost calculator](https://www.denvra.co/compliance-calculator). The comparison that holds is against what readiness costs with an audit firm or a platform: the paid readiness assessment, the remediation hours, the internal time across the observation period, and the second framework scoped as a second project. We replace all of that. We do not replace the auditor, and we are not the lowest-priced option here; the Tradeoffs section says so. #### What Stays On Your Team Business knowledge, review of key decisions, and signatures where your authority is required. Under ten hours a year in steady state, because the recurring work transfers to us instead of shrinking on your calendar. We write the policies; your team reviews and signs. Controls are accepted in one click with who approved and when recorded. A 15-minute meeting closes three to four evidence items. Signed-statement templates mean you never hit a dead end. #### Setup A mutual NDA the same day. Documents dropped into a workspace without cleanup. A scoping questionnaire. Read-only connections, with temporary credentials and OAuth, live on the first 30-minute call. The environment is pre-built before your decision makers join the second call, where they see readiness, gaps, scope, price and the committed date on their own data. About 75 minutes of scheduled time, before any auditor is engaged. #### Tradeoffs We are not an auditor and never will be, so a buyer who wants readiness and the signed report from one organization will look at A-LIGN, Coalfire, Thoropass or the Big Four and should ask how the two are separated. A company with a mature program that only needs the examination should go straight to a firm below. A GRC team that wants to run readiness itself is better served by a platform. We are not built for a 1 to 10 person company with no external pressure. We cost more than a software seat, and the guarantee covers readiness and submission by the committed date for eligible engagements, not the auditor's opinion. #### Support One named compliance expert owns your program end to end: sets the plan, checks every piece of work, deals with the auditor you choose directly through fieldwork, and checks in with you every two days. Where controls require it, they attend your facility. You never have to log in; you always can. #### Mini Case Study Finsider runs an AI due diligence platform for private equity firms, investors and auditors, so every engagement carries highly sensitive financial data. Enterprise risk, legal and compliance teams began requesting security audits, and procurement slowed while the questions went unanswered. We ran the SOC 2 program, from the risk assessment and the policies written for Finsider's environment through evidence collection, and coordinated the CPA firm that performed the examination and signed the report, while Finsider's team stayed on its clients. [Read the](https://www.denvra.co/case-studies/finsider) [Finsider story](https://www.denvra.co/case-studies/finsider) ### The Auditors Every provider from here on is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report; each entry says so in its first line. ### 2. Thoropass ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x765/cf7c2cc0aa/best-iso-27001-compliance-services-03-thoropass.webp) **Best for:** teams already on the Thoropass platform that want the audit delivered inside it. **Compliance Service Score:** 7.9/10 Thoropass delivers SOC 2 audits through a licensed CPA firm inside its own organization, with the examination performed inside the Thoropass platform. For a team already running its program on Thoropass, that integration is the reason to choose it; for everyone else it is a bundle to evaluate carefully. #### Service Overview Thoropass is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 2 Type I and Type II examinations, with the platform handling evidence collection and review and a Compliance Architect guiding readiness on the higher tiers. Thoropass claims audits complete faster because evidence review happens in the same system. #### Pricing Thoropass's AWS Marketplace listing shows a floor of roughly $5,800 per year for the SOC 2 audit subscription alongside about $8,700 for the platform, per UnderDefense's July 2026 pricing guide, which reports bundled engagements between $35,000 and $80,000 by headcount and advisory tier. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Platform, readiness guidance and audit come from affiliated entities within one organization. Under the AICPA independence rules, a firm that designs and implements controls generally cannot attest to those same controls where doing so impairs independence; Thoropass structures the audit through a separate CPA entity, so ask for the independence conclusion in writing before you scope. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Thoropass's own claim is faster completion through in-platform evidence review; third-party reviews cite expedited paths at a premium. #### Tradeoffs Thoropass is the pick if you want one vendor for platform and audit and your procurement team is comfortable with the independence documentation. It is not the choice for a buyer who wants an auditor chosen on its own merits, separate from the tooling. ### 3. A-LIGN ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x767/8026d70a21/best-pwc-competitors-02-a-lign.webp) **Best for:** organizations that want the highest-volume SOC 2 practice, an evidence platform and ISO accreditation in one licensed firm. **Compliance Service Score:** 7.7/10 A-LIGN describes itself as the top SOC 2 issuer in the world, with more than 3,500 SOC 2 assessments completed and over 100 SOC 2 auditors, and it is accredited as an ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 22301 certification body alongside its CPA practice. For a buyer weighing experience, platform fit and framework breadth in one firm, it is the strongest overall choice. #### Service Overview A-LIGN is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. A-LIGN performs SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 examinations, ISO 27001 certification audits, HITRUST, FedRAMP, PCI DSS and CMMC assessments. Its A-SCEND platform centralizes evidence and audit requests and lets submissions be reused across frameworks, and A-LIGN partners with the major compliance platforms so customers can bring their own tooling. A readiness assessment is recommended for first-time candidates. #### Pricing Quote only; A-LIGN publishes no fees. A-SCEND's automation and audit-readiness features are offered on a free tier, with the examination priced separately. A Gartner Peer Insights reviewer described pricing as reasonable; another criticized billing practices on a disputed audit date. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. A-LIGN offers readiness assessments and examinations from the same firm. Ask for the independence conclusion in writing for your combination of services, which AICPA rules and ISO accreditation require A-LIGN to be able to produce. #### Scheduling and Turnaround A-LIGN's own claim is audits completed in half the time through A-SCEND. Expect scheduling lead time in peak season, and ask when fieldwork can begin relative to the end of your observation period. #### Tradeoffs The scale that makes A-LIGN credible to enterprise procurement also means a less partner-led experience than the boutiques, and the free platform tier pulls customers toward A-SCEND whether or not they need it. The independence question is live whenever the same firm advises and attests. ### 4. Coalfire ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x763/92dc6e1b29/best-pwc-competitors-03-coalfire.webp) **Best for:** cloud service providers and organizations wanting combined SOC 2 reports with HIPAA or CSA STAR. **Compliance Service Score:** 7.5/10 Coalfire Controls is the licensed CPA affiliate through which Coalfire delivers more than 500 SOC reports a year, three quarters of them for cloud service providers by Coalfire's own figures. The affiliate structure separates attestation from Coalfire's readiness and advisory work. #### Service Overview Coalfire is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 examinations, with combined reports such as SOC 2 with HIPAA or CSA STAR to reduce audit fatigue. Coalfire's Compliance Essentials platform coordinates evidence, and Coalfire Certification, a separate accredited body, handles ISO. Coalfire also sells bundled accelerators with Vanta and Drata. #### Pricing Quote only, scoped by engagement; Coalfire publishes no rates and its AWS Marketplace listings require a quote. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Readiness comes from Coalfire; attestation from Coalfire Controls. Ask which entity signs and how the independence conclusion is documented where the same organization advises and attests. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Scoped per engagement. Coalfire reports SOC 2 Type II delivery within six months on at least one published engagement. #### Tradeoffs Coalfire Controls is strongest for cloud service providers and organizations that want combined reports. For a mid-market company outside that profile, the depth costs more than needed, and the affiliate structure is a question to ask rather than a guarantee. ### 5. Schellman ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x768/b61f7595c7/best-pwc-competitors-04-schellman.webp) **Best for:** organizations examining SOC 2 and ISO 27001 concurrently that want independence handled by corporate structure. **Compliance Service Score:** 7.4/10 Schellman is one of the largest independent SOC examination providers in the United States, issuing more than 2,000 SOC reports a year, and it is PCAOB-registered and ANAB and UKAS accredited for ISO 27001. Its distinguishing feature is structural: Schellman Compliance handles non-attest readiness and advisory, Schellman & Company handles attestation and certification, so independence is built into the corporate form rather than scoped engagement by engagement. #### Service Overview Schellman is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 examinations, ISO 27001 and companion certifications, PCI DSS, HITRUST, FedRAMP and ISO 42001, where Schellman was the first ANAB-accredited body. A single-assessor approach lets one team examine SOC 2 and audit ISO 27001 concurrently. Schellman sells no platform and works with all the major ones. #### Pricing Quote only, scoped to the Trust Services Criteria selected, the report type and the environment's size. Schellman publishes no rates; third-party guides place specialized national firms below Big Four pricing for an identical deliverable. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. The two-entity structure is the independence documentation; ask for it as it applies to your engagement. Readiness through Schellman Compliance is advice on gaps, not implementation. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Engagements are scheduled in advance, with planning recommended during Q4 and Q1 peak season. A Type II observation window of three to twelve months precedes the report. #### Tradeoffs Schellman is the firm to shortlist when the letterhead matters and SOC 2 and ISO 27001 run together. It is not the cheapest route to a report, scheduling requires foresight, and a buyer looking for hands-on readiness help will need to source it elsewhere or accept guidance only. ### 6. PwC ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x773/8272917062/best-deloitte-competitors-06-pwc.webp) **Best for:** organizations that need a Big Four letterhead and a SOC 2+ report folding NIST, HITRUST or GDPR criteria into one examination. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.6/10 PwC's SOC reporting practice sits inside its audit and assurance business and publishes more detail than most of its peers: SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 reports, SOC 2+ combined reports that fold NIST, HITRUST or GDPR criteria into one examination, and a readiness assessment ahead of the examination. #### Service Overview PwC is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC examinations across all three report types, with SOC 2+ as the distinctive option and a recommendation to start with the controls that matter most to customers and expand scope over time. #### Pricing Quote only; PwC publishes no rates. Vanta's own SOC 2 cost guide notes that large enterprises working with a Big Four firm can pay low six figures for the audit alone. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Readiness assessment and examination from the same firm. Ask for the independence conclusion in writing for your combination of services. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Enterprise scheduling, scoped by engagement. Ask when fieldwork can begin and how the readiness assessment and examination are sequenced. #### Tradeoffs PwC is the right choice when procurement requires a Big Four letterhead, when PwC already audits your financials, or when SOC 2+ combined reporting fits. The engagement is built for enterprise scale and priced accordingly, and scope is designed to grow over time. ### 7. BDO ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x766/669b337ab2/best-pwc-competitors-06-bdo.webp) **Best for:** organizations that want a national CPA firm and an estimate before a proposal. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.6/10 BDO is a national CPA firm whose SOC practice issues SOC 1, 2, 2+ and 3 reports under SSAE 18 and its Canadian equivalent, and whose own pages offer a free compliance consultation and a report estimate before the paid steps begin. #### Service Overview BDO is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC examinations across report types, with a readiness assessment to identify and plan the rectification of gaps before the examination, evaluating systems across security, privacy, confidentiality, availability and processing integrity. #### Pricing Quote, with a free initial consultation and a SOC 2 report estimate published as the first step, which is more than most firms here offer. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Readiness assessment and report from the same firm. Ask how the two are staffed and how independence is documented. #### Scheduling and Turnaround National-firm scheduling. Ask when fieldwork can begin and how the Type II observation period is sequenced. #### Tradeoffs BDO fits a buyer who wants a national CPA name without Big Four scale and a number before a proposal. Platform compatibility and framework breadth are narrower than the specialist firms, and ISO 27001 certification is not described on the pages reviewed. ### 8. Johanson Group ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1902x913/fd28403d76/johanson-group.png) **Best for:** smaller organizations on Vanta or Drata that want a fast, partner-involved examination at boutique pricing. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.6/10 Johanson Group LLP is a boutique CPA firm founded and led by Ryan Johanson, MBA, CPA, with a reputation for hands-on partner involvement and a stated target of delivering final reports within four to six weeks of audit start. It became one of the most common names on the Vanta and Drata marketplaces by being quick, inexpensive and low-friction. #### Service Overview Johanson Group is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 examinations, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, 27018 and 27701, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA and NIST assessments, run through a defined workflow from scoping and proposal through audit execution to report delivery. Readiness assessments are offered. #### Pricing Quote; third-party directories report Type II fees commonly in the $6,000 to $15,000 band, with one placing the range at $15,000 to $30,000. Confirm which applies to your scope. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Readiness assessments and examinations come from the same small firm. Ask how the two are staffed and how independence is documented. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Johanson's own target is a final report within four to six weeks of audit start; one directory reports one to three weeks to begin. The fastest published turnaround on this list. #### Tradeoffs Johanson is the right choice for a smaller organization on a platform that wants a legitimate report at the lowest cash cost and the shortest wait. The letterhead carries less weight with enterprise procurement than the national firms, and the boutique's capacity is finite in peak season. ### 9. Prescient Assurance ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1905x915/1152284a1b/prescient-assurance.png) **Best for:** B2B software companies running a compliance platform that want a competent, competitively priced Type II. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.5/10 Prescient Security LLC and Prescient Assurance LLC operate as a combined cybersecurity and CPA firm, with the CPA entity issuing SOC reports and the security entity offering penetration testing. The practice is built around B2B software companies, most of them running a compliance platform, and it is one of the most common names on those platforms' auditor marketplaces. #### Service Overview Prescient Assurance is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 2 Type I and Type II examinations, ISO 27001 and related cybersecurity attestations, with penetration testing from the affiliated security firm. Prescient positions itself on cloud technology and modern application security expertise alongside SOC 2, and on satisfying enterprise clients of its B2B SaaS customers. #### Pricing Quote; third-party auditor directories report Type II engagements commonly between $7,000 and $30,000, with one placing the typical band at $8,000 to $20,000. Confirm fixed-fee terms directly. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Audit and security services come from affiliated entities, and readiness guidance is available. Ask how the CPA entity documents independence from any advisory work performed for you. #### Scheduling and Turnaround A third-party directory reports two to six weeks to start, with fast turnarounds and heavy integration with compliance platforms cited as the practice's pattern. #### Tradeoffs Prescient is the value pick for a platform-based program and a competent examination, and the enterprise-procurement weight of its letterhead is lighter than the national firms'. A buyer with a Microsoft-heavy or physical environment should confirm the team's depth outside cloud-native stacks. ### 10. Insight Assurance ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1902x912/4b547b43f4/insight-assurance.png) **Best for:** organizations that want boutique attention from auditors with Big Four backgrounds and a separate consulting arm. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.4/10 Insight Assurance is a Tampa-based SOC and cybersecurity audit firm founded in 2019 by former Big Four professionals, operating through a CPA-licensed audit LLC and a separate consulting arm. By its own figures it has completed more than 3,500 compliance engagements with a 97 percent client retention rate, and its auditors average more than ten years of experience. #### Service Overview Insight Assurance is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 examinations alongside other compliance audits, delivered by a team recruited from large firms. The consulting arm is separate from the audit entity. #### Pricing Quote only; Insight positions on transparency but publishes no fee schedule. Ask for fixed-fee terms for Type I and Type II. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. The audit LLC and the consulting arm are separate entities. Ask how work from the consulting arm is kept from impairing the audit entity's independence on your engagement. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Boutique scheduling with experienced auditors; ask when fieldwork can begin and how long the report takes after the observation period ends. #### Tradeoffs Insight Assurance offers Big Four backgrounds at boutique scale, which is the right trade for many mid-market buyers. The firm is young, its letterhead is less recognized than the national firms', and the published detail on pricing is thinner than its positioning suggests. ### 11. Deloitte ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x768/9ad2a14d04/best-pwc-competitors-07-deloitte.webp) **Best for:** organizations whose procurement names Deloitte, or whose financial auditor is Deloitte, with FedRAMP or HITRUST alongside. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.4/10 Deloitte's third-party assurance practice performs SOC 1 and SOC 2 attestation engagements and offers readiness services ahead of them, with FedRAMP and HITRUST assessments alongside, as part of what its page describes as a broader compliance and conformance program. #### Service Overview Deloitte is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 1 and SOC 2 examinations, readiness advising on control effectiveness, and FedRAMP and HITRUST assessments. ISO 27001 work is published by regional member firms. #### Pricing Quote only; Deloitte publishes no rates. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Readiness services and attestation from the same firm. Ask for the independence conclusion in writing. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Enterprise scheduling, scoped by engagement. #### Tradeoffs Deloitte is the letterhead procurement-heavy organizations name unprompted, and choosing it is legitimate where Deloitte already audits your financials or FedRAMP and HITRUST accompany SOC 2. Its SOC offering is described in less detail than PwC's or KPMG's, and the practice is built for enterprise engagements. ### 12. ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x769/6f82aaa79f/best-pwc-competitors-08-kpmg.webp) **Best for:** regulated financial services and insurance organizations whose board already knows the firm. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.3/10 KPMG's IT attestation practice performs SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 examinations, and its published readiness review is the most detailed of any Big Four firm's: workshops, interviews, documentation review, sample controls, a mapping to ISO 27001, a review of the client's control proposal and a management report with a roadmap. #### Service Overview KPMG is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC examinations across all three report types, with a workshop-based readiness review that keeps control design and implementation explicitly with the client. #### Pricing Quote only; KPMG publishes no rates. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. The readiness review leaves implementation with the client, which keeps the firm on the right side of the independence line. Ask for the conclusion in writing for your engagement. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Enterprise scheduling, with a workshop series ahead of fieldwork when the readiness review is engaged. #### Tradeoffs KPMG fits regulated financial services and insurance organizations whose board already knows the firm and wants the readiness roadmap and the examination from one name. The engagement is enterprise-scale, and the roadmap is yours to build before the examination begins. ### 13. Linford & Co ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1903x913/5fbab15bfb/linford-co.png) **Best for:** organizations that want a partner-led examination from a firm focused almost entirely on SOC and IT attestation. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.2/10 Linford & Company LLP is a CPA firm focused primarily on SOC examinations and other IT attestation services, with a partner-led model and a reputation for responsiveness and for helping clients decide which report type they actually need. #### Service Overview Linford & Co is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 examinations and related IT attestation, with advice on report type, timelines and control improvements as part of the engagement. #### Pricing Quote only; Linford publishes no fee schedule. Ask for fixed-fee terms. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Linford is attestation-focused; its advice on report type and control recommendations is delivered within the audit relationship. Ask how any advisory recommendations are kept from impairing independence. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Boutique, partner-led scheduling. Ask for start dates relative to your observation period and the report delivery window. #### Tradeoffs Linford suits a buyer who wants a partner on the engagement rather than a rotating team and whose program is mature enough not to need readiness help. Framework breadth is narrower than the national firms, and the letterhead is less known to enterprise procurement. ### 14. EY ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1600x768/09582465cb/best-pwc-competitors-09-ey.webp) **Best for:** organizations that want a Big Four SOC report with ISO 27001 certification available from the same firm's accredited body. **Compliance Service Score:** 6.2/10 EY issues more than 3,000 SOC reports to more than 900 clients a year by its own figures, and it operates a dedicated, globally accredited ISO certification body, EY CertifyPoint, which makes it the Big Four option for a buyer who wants the SOC report and an ISO 27001 certificate coordinated through one firm. #### Service Overview EY is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 1, SOC 2 and ISAE 3402 examinations through the attestation practice, a readiness assessment covering control review, gap analysis, documentation evaluation and recommendations, and ISO management system certification through EY CertifyPoint. #### Pricing Quote only; EY publishes no rates. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. Readiness assessment and examination from the same firm, with CertifyPoint a separate accredited body. Ask how independence is documented for the attestation practice and, separately, for CertifyPoint. #### Scheduling and Turnaround Enterprise scheduling. Ask how the readiness assessment, the examination and any CertifyPoint audit are sequenced and staffed. #### Tradeoffs EY fits an organization that wants the SOC report and the ISO certificate from one Big Four name. The readiness deliverable is advice, the engagement is enterprise-scale, and two independence conclusions are needed rather than one. ### 15. BARR Advisory ![](https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1022609/1902x911/b561a1ea74/barr-advisory.png) **Best for:** cloud-native companies on AWS, Azure or GCP that want fieldwork from a cloud-focused firm. **Compliance Service Score:** 5.9/10 BARR Advisory is a cloud-focused cybersecurity and compliance firm with a growing SOC 2 practice and a collaborative, practical approach that it says reduces internal time spent on an audit by 75 percent. #### Service Overview BARR Advisory is a licensed CPA firm that performs SOC 2 examinations and signs the report. SOC 2 examinations for companies on AWS, Azure and GCP, alongside advisory work, with fieldwork oriented to cloud-native architectures. #### Pricing Quote; a third-party directory reports $15,000 to $50,000 for Type II engagements. #### What Stays On Your Team The readiness work: writing the policies, implementing the controls, collecting the evidence across the observation period and managing the examination. An audit firm examines what you built; it cannot, by rule, build it for you. BARR offers advisory and attestation. Ask how the two are separated and how independence is documented for your engagement. #### Scheduling and Turnaround A third-party directory reports eight to sixteen weeks to start, the longest lead time among the boutiques on this list. #### Tradeoffs BARR is a good match for a cloud-native company that wants an auditor fluent in its stack. The lead time is long, the 75 percent claim is BARR's own, and a Microsoft-heavy or physical environment is outside its center of gravity. ## How We Built This Guide We started from the rule that decides the category: only a licensed CPA firm can issue a SOC 2 report. Every firm on this page is one, and each is described from its own published material, read in October 2026, with third-party fee bands and lead times attributed to the independent auditor directories that publish them. Where a fact could not be sourced, we turned it into a question to put to the firm. The criteria are the same seven used across this series, so the one readiness provider on the page is scored the same way it is scored everywhere else and the audit firms are scored on a criterion, work performed, that the independence rules keep them from winning. We think that is the honest picture: an auditor's value is the signature, and the signature is one step in a program. EasyAudit is labeled as a readiness service in every table and entry and is never described as an auditor, because it is not one. ## How To Choose a SOC 2 Auditor Six steps, each specific enough to run this week. ### Step 1: Confirm the Firm Is a Licensed CPA Firm Only a licensed CPA firm can perform a SOC 2 examination and sign the report. Ask for the firm's license and its most recent AICPA peer review report; every legitimate firm undergoes peer review roughly every three years and can produce it. A firm that hesitates has answered your question, and no platform, consultancy or readiness service belongs on this step. ### Step 2: Check Whether You Are Ready to Be Audited The auditor examines controls that have operated over a period. If the policies are unwritten, the controls are unimplemented or the evidence is not being collected, you are not ready, and engaging the firm now means paying it to tell you so. Settle who performs the readiness work first: your team on a platform, a consultant's gap list, or a readiness service that performs it and never signs. The free Compliance Simulation scores readiness on your real environment before you engage anyone. ### Step 3: Match the Firm to Your Industry and Environment Ask the customers requesting your report which firms they have seen before; buy the letterhead they need, not the one the firm sells. Then ask the firm about environments like yours: Microsoft-heavy estates, on-prem systems, data center or contact center floors. Cloud-native boutiques and enterprise-scale practices suit different buyers, and the best SOC 2 auditors for your organization are the ones who have examined one like it. ### Step 4: Agree Scope, Trust Services Criteria and the Observation Window Agree in the engagement letter which systems are in scope, which Trust Services Criteria beyond Security apply, whether you need a Type I or a Type II, and how long the observation window runs; three to twelve months is typical. Scope decides the fee and the date, and changing it mid-engagement changes both. ### Step 5: Ask How Evidence Is Requested and Reviewed Ask whether the firm works inside the compliance platform you already use and accepts system-generated evidence, or asks your team to re-collect it into the firm's own portal. Ask for a read-only view so the examiner looks through but cannot alter or approve, and ask whether approvals in your record show who accepted a control and when. Paying twice for the same evidence is the most common hidden cost of an audit. ### Step 6: Compare Cost Against the Full Multi-Year Cycle A SOC 2 Type II renews every year. Ask for fixed fees on Type I and Type II, the conditions that change them, the renewal price, and when fieldwork can begin relative to the end of your observation period. Then add what readiness costs each year with whichever model you chose in Step 2. The audit fee is one line; the program is the budget. ## SOC 2 Audit Pricing and Costs in 2026 No audit firm on this page publishes a fee schedule, so the figures below are observed bands from independent auditor directories and cost guides, attributed as such. Three tiers appear. **Boutique and specialist SOC firms.** Directories report Type II engagements commonly between $6,000 and $30,000 depending on scope and firm: Johanson Group in the $6,000 to $15,000 band on one directory and $15,000 to $30,000 on another, Prescient Assurance between $7,000 and $30,000, BARR Advisory between $15,000 and $50,000. Fixed fees are common. **Specialist national firms.** A-LIGN, Schellman and Coalfire Controls quote by engagement; third-party guides place them below Big Four pricing for an identical deliverable, with a general Type II range of $15,000 to $50,000 or more. **Big Four and national CPA firms.** PwC, EY, Deloitte, KPMG and BDO quote by engagement. Vanta's own SOC 2 cost guide notes that large enterprises working with a Big Four firm can pay low six figures for the audit alone. BDO offers a free consultation and estimate before scoping. **Readiness, priced separately from the audit.** A paid readiness assessment from an audit or consulting firm runs $10,000 to $40,000 on third-party estimates before any remediation; a compliance platform runs from about $7,500 to more than $100,000 a year and leaves the work with your team. EasyAudit's Compliance Simulation does the diagnostic work free and fixes the readiness investment at signature, with the audit fee you negotiate with your chosen firm remaining separate. ### SOC 2 Auditor Pricing Comparison | **Provider** | **Fees** | **Role** | **SOC 2 Type I and II** | **ISO 27001 or othercertification** | **Platformcompatibility** | **Readinessandattestation** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | EasyAudit | Fixed at signature from the free Simulation; auditor fee separate | Readinessservice, does not sign | Preparesyou foreither; neversigns | Preparesyou; nevercertifies | Any auditor; read-onlyview of the Record | Never signs, so no conflict | | Thoropass | About $5,800 per year audit subscription (AWS) | Platform-affiliated | ✓ | ✓ | Ownplatform | Affiliatedentities; ask | | A-LIGN | Quote only; A-SCEND free tier | Specialist, national | ✓ | ✓ | Ownplatformpluspartners | Same firm; ask | | Coalfire | Quote only | Specialist, national | ✓ | ✓ | Ownplatformplus Vanta and Dratabundles | Affiliate; ask | | Schellman | Quote only | Specialist, national | ✓ | ✓ | Platform-agnostic | Separateentities | | PwC | Quote only; low six figures for large enterprises (Vanta guide) | Big Four | ✓ | ✓ | Platform-agnostic | Same firm; ask | | BDO | Quote; free consultation and estimate | National CPA firm | ✓ | – | Platform-agnostic | Same firm; ask | | Johanson Group | Third-party bands $6,000 to $30,000 (Type II) | Specialist, boutique | ✓ | ✓ | Platformmarketplaces | Same firm; ask | | Prescient Assurance | Third-party band $7,000 to $30,000 (Type II) | Specialist, boutique | ✓ | ✓ | Platformmarketplaces | Affiliatedentities; ask | | Insight Assurance | Quote only | Specialist, boutique | ✓ | – | Platform-agnostic | Separateconsultingarm | | Deloitte | Quote only | Big Four | ✓ | – | Platform-agnostic | Same firm; ask | | KPMG | Quote only | Big Four | ✓ | ✓ | Platform-agnostic | Implementation stays with client | | Linford & Co | Quote only | Specialist, boutique | ✓ | – | Platform-agnostic | Attestation-focused | | EY | Quote only | Big Four | ✓ | ✓ | Platform-agnostic | Same firm; CertifyPointseparate | | BARR Advisory | Third-party band $15,000 to $50,000 (Type II) | Specialist, boutique | ✓ | – | Cloud-nativefocus | Same firm; ask | _As of October 2026. Fee bands are observed ranges from independent auditor directories and cost guides,_ _attributed in each entry; no firm here publishes a fee schedule. "Same firm; ask" means the firm offers_ _readiness and attestation and the buyer should request the independence conclusion in writing. EasyAudit is a_ _readiness service, not an audit firm: it never signs, issues or attests to any report, and its row describes_ _preparation for the examination, not the examination._ ## Questions To Ask Before You Choose a SOC 2 Auditor Six questions. Ask every firm the same six and compare the answers side by side. 1. **May we see your CPA license and your most recent peer review report?** Every legitimate firm has both. 2. **If you also helped us prepare, how is your independence documented?** Ask for the conclusion in writing for your combination of services. 3. **What are the fixed fees for Type I and Type II, and what changes them?** Observation period length, scope changes, additional Trust Services Criteria. 4. **When can fieldwork begin after our observation period ends, and how long until the** **report?** Get both dates in the engagement letter. 5. **Will you work inside our platform and accept system-generated evidence?** Or will your team re-collect it in your own portal. 6. **May we speak with two clients of our size who received a Type II from you in the** **past year?** A firm that hesitates has answered. ## What To Verify Before You Sign the Engagement Letter Audit engagements go wrong at the handoff from readiness to examination. The buyer discovers in fieldwork that the auditor will not accept the platform's evidence exports, that the firm that wrote the policies is now examining them without a documented independence conclusion, or that the report will land six weeks after the deal needed it. Verification is how you catch those before the letter is signed. **Critical checks:** - The firm's CPA licensure and most recent AICPA peer review report, in hand. - The independence conclusion, in writing, from any firm that performed readiness, advisory or implementation work for you. - Fixed fees for Type I and Type II and the conditions that change them, in the engagement letter. - Fieldwork start and report delivery dates relative to your observation period, in the engagement letter. - Confirmation that the auditor will accept evidence from your systems or platform, with a read-only view rather than re-collection, and that the auditor can look through but cannot alter or approve anything. - Two references from clients of your size who received a Type II in the past year. ## Key Things to Look for in a SOC 2 Auditor ### 1. A Dedicated SOC Practice, Not a Side Service If SOC reports are a small line in a general accounting practice, your examination is being learned on. Look for a firm that issues SOC reports as its core attestation work, with a bench of auditors who do only this and a volume your customers' procurement teams will recognize. ### 2. Independence You Can Document If the firm advised you and will now examine you, the independence conclusion must exist in writing before fieldwork. Look for firms that separate the two by structure, scope readiness narrowly, or decline to do both; and consider a readiness provider that never signs, which removes the question. ### 3. Fixed Fees for Both Report Types If the fee is "starting at," the fee is unknown. Look for fixed Type I and Type II fees tied to a defined scope, with the conditions that change them stated. ### 4. Published or Committed Turnaround If the firm cannot say when fieldwork starts and when the report lands, your deal cannot be dated. Look for a stated start window relative to the end of your observation period and a stated delivery window after fieldwork. ### 5. Evidence Taken From Your Systems, Not Re-Collected If the auditor asks for screenshots of what your platform already proves, you are paying twice for the same evidence. Look for firms that work inside the major compliance platforms, accept system-generated evidence, and take a read-only view of the record rather than asking your team to export it. ### 6. A Letterhead Your Customers Recognize If your enterprise customers have never seen the firm, some will ask questions a boutique report should not have to answer. Look at who is asking for your report and buy the recognition they need, no more. ## Which SOC 2 Auditor Is Right for Your Organization? If you run your program on a compliance platform and your customers are mid-market, Prescient Assurance or Johanson Group gets you a legitimate Type II at the lowest cash cost and the shortest wait, and Insight Assurance or Linford & Co if you want more partner attention. If you are cloud-native on AWS, Azure or GCP, BARR Advisory speaks the stack. If your customers scrutinize the letterhead or you need SOC 2 and ISO 27001 examined together, A-LIGN or Schellman, with Schellman when independence by structure matters and A-LIGN when the evidence platform and ISO accreditation in one firm matter. Coalfire Controls if you are a cloud service provider or want combined reports. If procurement requires a Big Four name or your financial auditor is one, PwC for SOC 2+ combined reporting, EY for ISO certification alongside, Deloitte where the name is required, KPMG for regulated financial services, and BDO for a national firm with an estimate before a proposal. Whichever firm you choose for the signature, settle readiness first. If nobody internal is going to write the policies, implement the controls and collect the evidence the auditor will examine, choose the provider that performs that work, never signs, and puts its fee behind the date, then pick your auditor from this list on its merits. That is EasyAudit. [Request a Demo](https://www.denvra.co/demo) and decide from your own numbers. "Our clients trust us with sensitive financial data during their most critical decisions. Now we can show them, with third-party validation, that their trust is well placed." Mitch Petracca, Founder and CEO, Finsider, EasyAudit customer. ## FAQs ### Who is allowed to perform a SOC 2 audit? Only a licensed CPA firm, under AICPA attestation standards. The firm signs an opinion your customers rely on, and the signature is what they are buying. Compliance platforms, consultancies and readiness services, EasyAudit included, cannot issue a SOC 2 report; they prepare you for the firm that does. ### What is the difference between SOC 2 readiness and the SOC 2 audit? Readiness is the work before the signature: policies written, controls implemented, evidence collected across the observation period. The audit is the licensed CPA firm's examination of that work and its signed opinion. They are different purchases, and a firm that performs readiness generally cannot sign the result where independence is impaired. ### How much does a SOC 2 audit cost in 2026? No firm publishes a fee schedule. Independent directories report boutique Type II engagements commonly between $6,000 and $30,000, specialist national firms higher, and Big Four audits for large enterprises in the low six figures. Readiness is priced separately, from free with EasyAudit's Simulation to $10,000 to $40,000 for a consultant. ### Can the firm that prepares us also issue our SOC 2 report? Within limits. A CPA firm that designs and implements controls generally cannot attest to those same controls where doing so impairs its independence, so readiness scope must be bounded and the conclusion documented. Ask for it in writing. A readiness provider that never signs, such as EasyAudit, removes the question. ### How do we know we are ready to engage an auditor? When the controls in scope have operated long enough to cover the observation window, the policies are signed, and evidence is collected from systems rather than assembled by hand. If you cannot say that today, score readiness first; the Compliance Simulation does it free on your real environment and dates the path. ## Next steps - [Run the free Compliance Simulation](https://www.denvra.co/compliance-simulation) - [Estimate your cost with the Compliance Cost Calculator](https://www.denvra.co/compliance-calculator) - [Request a demo](https://www.denvra.co/demo) ## Legal and trust - [Privacy Policy](https://www.denvra.co/privacy-policy) - [Terms of Service](https://www.denvra.co/terms-of-service) - [Responsible Disclosure Policy](https://www.denvra.co/responsible-disclosure) - [Security & Trust Center](https://trust.denvra.co)