What is SOC2 cost?

SOC 2 has become a must-have for many businesses. Whether or not you agree with it, you’ll probably need it. But it doesn’t have to be painful or absurdly expensive.

Here’s what you actually need to budget for and where you can avoid unnecessary spending.

What the SOC 2 process looks like

1. Compare the SOC 2 framework to what you’re already doing.
2. Implement what’s missing—this could mean adding security measures (e.g., 2FA), policies (e.g., third-party management), or processes (e.g., access reviews).
3. Hire a third-party auditor to assess your compliance.

Sounds simple. But costs can stack up fast.

How much the audit costs

The SOC 2 audit is your official proof of compliance. Costs depend on the scope:

• Type 1 Audit – A one-time snapshot of your security controls. Faster, cheaper.
• Type 2 Audit – Assesses your security over a period (3-12 months). Takes longer, costs more.

Budget: For a small business, $6,000–$7,000 is a reasonable budget.

The hidden cost of implementation

Before the audit, you need to put policies, controls, and security measures in place. That takes time, effort, and someone to own it.

Who’s doing the work?

• Your team: Expect at least 6 months of effort—often a full-time job.
• A consultant: That’ll run you $50,000+ (and you’ll still have to do a ton of work).
• An automation platform: Brings costs down to $10,000 but still requires oversight.

Budget: For small businesses, less than $3,000 should go toward content—the real cost is in execution.

Budget-friendly option: Open-source tools like Probo or Comply (from StrongDM) let you access knowledge for free and cut costs.

What’s worth paying for

Not everything the compliance industry pushes is necessary.

Penetration testing

SOC 2 doesn’t require penetration testing. For early-stage startups, it might not even be useful—your product is still evolving, and security testing makes more sense once it stabilizes.

If you do go for it, manual testing is worth it.

Budget: A proper penetration test starts at $5,000.

Security training

Security training for employees is a good investment, but don’t overpay. Plenty of free resources exist, and some vendors offer free tiers for startups.

Budget: $100/month is more than enough.

Keeping SOC 2 costs low every year

Once you get your SOC 2 report, you’ll need to maintain compliance annually. But that doesn’t mean bloated processes or expensive tools.

Example: Instead of a complex ticketing system for access management, a simple Slack channel with timestamped approvals works just fine.

Budget: No need to scale expenses unnecessarily, stick to the same costs as your first year.

The bottom line

SOC 2 compliance doesn’t need to cost six figures. With a lean approach, small businesses can stay compliant for around $10,000 per year, without wasting time or money on unnecessary complexity, so they can focus on what truly matters: building their business.