How Much Does a SOC 2 Audit Cost in 2026?
Published SOC 2 cost ranges from six real sources: audit fees, readiness, tooling, and the internal time nobody quotes you.
- The short answer
- Audit fees by report type
- The costs around the audit
- What moves you up or down the range
- How to budget
The short answer
Across six published 2025–2026 sources, a SOC 2 Type 2 audit fee lands between $7,000 and $100,000, with most small-to-mid-size companies quoted $15,000–$60,000. The first-year all-in cost — audit plus readiness, tooling, and staff time — typically runs $30,000–$150,000.
Audit fees by report type
| Report | Published audit-fee range | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | $5,000–$25,000 | Uproot Security, Eventus Security |
| Type 2 | $7,000–$100,000 | Secureframe, Eventus Security |
| Type 2, small SaaS | $12,000–$30,000 | Ferrogate scoping guide |
| Type 2 all-in, mid-size SaaS (100–500 staff) | $30,000–$60,000 | Uproot Security |
| Type 2, scale-up/enterprise | $75,000–$150,000+ | ComplyJet |
One data point firms rarely volunteer: Secureframe notes a specific AICPA-licensed firm charging $20,000 for Type I, $30,000 for Type II, and $15,000 for a gap assessment — a useful anchor for what "standard" pricing looks like.
The costs around the audit
The invoice from your auditor is usually the smaller half of the spend. Published breakdowns add:
- Readiness/gap assessment: $10,000–$17,000 (Eventus) — often the highest-ROI spend, because it prevents a failed audit cycle.
- Compliance tooling: $5,000–$30,000/year (Hicomply) — the platforms that automate evidence collection.
- Internal staff time: $50,000–$70,000 in year one (Hicomply); Uproot estimates engineering time at 5–8× the audit invoice.
- Remediation: varies widely — the cost of fixing what the gap assessment finds.
What moves you up or down the range
Four levers: company size (sampling scales with headcount), scope (each Trust Services Criterion beyond Security adds ~15–25%), complexity (microservices, multi-cloud), and readiness (documented controls on day one is the cheapest lever you control).
How to budget
Use our interactive cost estimator for a tailored range, read the 2026 pricing meta-analysis for every sourced number, then get scoped quotes — two or three comparable bids will tell you more than any article.
Keep reading
SOC 2 Type 1 vs Type 2: Which Report Do You Actually Need?
The real difference between Type 1 and Type 2, what enterprise buyers accept, and when the cheaper report is the right call.
How to Choose a SOC 2 Auditor: 9 Questions to Ask
The vetting checklist we recommend: license verification, team, fees, scope boundaries, and the red flags that signal a bad fit.
The SOC 2 Audit Checklist: Controls to Prepare Before Fieldwork
A practical pre-audit checklist across all five Trust Services Criteria — the evidence auditors ask for first.
Questions
What is the average SOC 2 audit cost?
Published sources cluster most Type 2 audit fees between $15,000 and $60,000 for small to mid-size companies, with first-year all-in costs of $30,000–$150,000 once readiness, tooling, and staff time are included.
Why do SOC 2 quotes vary so much?
Because scope varies: headcount drives sampling, each added Trust Services Criterion adds ~15–25%, and readiness determines whether you pay for remediation. Two companies can legitimately be quoted $20k and $80k for the 'same' audit.
- Uproot Security — “The Cost of an SOC 2 Audit” (updated Sept 2026)
- Secureframe — “How Much Does a SOC 2 Audit Cost in 2025?”
- ComplyJet — “SOC 2 Compliance Cost in 2026”
- Eventus Security — SOC 2 cost breakdown
- Hicomply — “SOC 2 Costs in 2025: The Snapshot”
- Ferrogate SOC 2 scoping guide (open-source, 2026)
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