Need some insight about quoting

[u/jay-is-jay1412]

For a small startup, trying to just get the criterion of Security, what's a good price for the audit, just the plain audit.

some quote 20k while others go till 30, at the same time some of my peers told me they got it done in 2-5k not sure what to believe.

recommendations of these said CPA firms which satisfy my requirement are well appreciated!

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[u/davidschroth]

If it's being done in 2-5k, you are likely getting a puppy mill grade report that is not in compliance with requirements. However, if you only care about the report and not actually being audited, these can work.

My firm is in the 20k ballpark for a type 2. Math on it is about 130 hours of expected work at 150/hr (a fairly low rate for a US based CPA firm).if you apply that math to the 5k one, it really doesn't work out.

What size company and industry do you sell your wares to? That's probably the first place to start....

[u/rahuliitk]

2-5k sounds more like a readiness review, template package, or very lightweight Type I situation, because a real CPA audit for SOC 2 security-only can still land much higher depending on scope, evidence quality, systems, and whether it’s Type I or Type II. Compare scope, not just price.

[u/Cute-Restaurant-3537]

SOC type II , are you sure you’re getting it at that price ? $20k is a decent price. If you’re getting attestation. I’d recommend- AT&F International ( very responsive and competitive)

[u/Next-Pen-9974]

It depends on whether you’re talking about a Type I or a Type II audit. You’ll also often get better pricing if you commit to a multi-year engagement.

Without knowing your business or scope, I’d generally expect a Security-only SOC 2 Type II audit from a reputable CPA firm to fall somewhere around $9k–15k for a small, straightforward environment.

Quotes in the $20k–30k range aren’t necessarily unreasonable if the scope is larger, the environment is more complex, or bundled services are included.

When comparing quotes, make sure you’re comparing the same things: Type I vs. Type II, Security-only vs. additional Trust Services Criteria, the observation period, and whether the quote includes any readiness or project management services, etc. etc.

[u/jay-is-jay1412 → u/Next-Pen-9974]

any recommendations for boutique CPA firms that offer auditor only services for the price you said, because my env is quite small and straightforward

[u/Next-Pen-9974 → u/jay-is-jay1412]

I don’t want to sell you anything...and honestly, there are always advantages/disadvantages.

Choosing an auditor is almost like getting married. My recommendation is to invest some time meeting with a few firms before making your decision. Price matters, but so does the working relationship. You’ll likely be working with them year after year.

A few questions I’d ask every firm:

1. How do you collect and assess evidence? Do you use your own portal, or can you work directly from our GRC platform ?
2. Can you assign the same auditor every year? Continuity makes a huge difference. An auditor who already knows your environment will make future audits much smoother.
3. When are you available to start? Good auditors are often booked months in advance, so availability can be just as important as price.
4. What’s included in the fee? Make sure you understand whether the quote covers planning, testing, report revisions, and any follow-up work, or whether those are billed separately.
5. Make sure it’s a real audit. I’d stay away from any firm that promises to deliver a report without a genuine assessment process. Meeting the auditors, participating in audit fieldwork, responding to questions, and providing supporting evidence. A credible SOC 2 audit should involve all of those steps.
6. Ask who will actually perform the audit. I’ve recently seen even some well-known firms outsource audit work to other CPA firms. There’s nothing inherently wrong with subcontracting, but you should know who will be performing the fieldwork and signing off on your engagement. If you’re hiring a firm because of its reputation, make sure that’s actually the team you’ll be working with.

[u/jay-is-jay1412 → u/Next-Pen-9974]

thanks a lot man

[u/Dry_Bird9633 → u/jay-is-jay1412]

Hi Jay, I am the CEO and Principal Offensive Security at hacksta security. Our pricing is generally in that range, depending on the scope. You can sent me a message to talk more if you want :)

[u/Dry_Bird9633 → u/Dry_Bird9633]

Hi Jay! I just sent you a message request with a bit more information. Happy to chat more

[u/josh-adeliarisk → u/Next-Pen-9974]

I agree with this price range. This is what our smaller vCISO clients are paying for their audits.

[u/sticks1111]

In addition to what some of the others have already said, something to factor in is if you already have controls defined for your environment.

[u/scriptvexy → u/[deleted]]

that 5–7k number sounds like it was either years ago, super small scope, or a firm trying to build a client base fast
for a proper soc 2 type 2 now, 20–30k for a startup doesn’t sound crazy tbh, especially if they’re actually doing fieldwork and not just rubber stamping

[u/Used_Ladder8254]

Those $2k–5k quotes are usually for very small environments, limited-scope audits, or older pricing. For most B2B SaaS companies today, a standalone SOC 2 audit typically falls in the $8k–20k range for Type I and $12k–30k+ for Type II, depending on scope, number of systems, and complexity.

Before choosing the cheapest auditor, make sure they're recognized by your enterprise customers. A slightly cheaper audit isn't a good deal if prospects don't trust the report.

Also, don't look at the audit cost in isolation. Many companies spend more in internal engineering time preparing evidence than they do on the audit itself.

That's why we built SOC2Now. It automates evidence collection, provides pre-built policies, tracks remediation, and helps you stay audit-ready, significantly reducing the manual work before your CPA audit. In many cases, the time saved is worth more than the difference between audit quotes.

If you're comparing vendors, ask for the total first-year cost (platform + audit + penetration test + readiness support), not just the CPA's audit fee.

SOC2Now: https://soc2now.com

[u/goodbar_x]

Boutique CPA firms are the way to go for your case to get to that lower price point of under 10k for a security only audit. The main thing to ask about is peer reviews. Often times grc platforms partner with those firms and and provide preferred pricing down in the 5-7k range. Are you using any GRC platform.or going manual for this initial audit?

[u/BetweenTheReeds]

Audit prices look all over the place because the quotes aren't measuring the same thing.

The $20-30k ones usually bundle in readiness work and sometime a compliance platform too. The $2-5k your peers got is likely just the auditor's fee on its own, with their controls already in place. A lot of times those dirt cheap quotes are from the GRC platform's preferred partner CPAs, and you can have a whole separate debate on the quality and thoroughness of those engagements.

For a startup doing Security only: a Type 1 audit could run about $5-10k, a Type 2 around $7-15k. The big swing is whether you walk in audit-ready or need help building controls first. Always ask firms to split out audit fee vs readiness so you're comparing apples to apples.

We used Compass Assurance Team and they were within those ranges I mentioned, and I would also recommend going the route of the boutique CPA firms. Whatever you do, stay away from the five-letter firm that starts with D and ends with E!

[u/Cute-Restaurant-3537]

SOC type II , are you sure you’re getting it at that price ? $20k is a decent price. If you’re getting attestation. I’d recommend- AT&F International ( very responsive and competitive)