The best Delve alternatives in 2026 are SecureSlate, Vanta, Drata, Comp AI, Oneleet and Thoropass. SecureSlate wrote this guide and ranks itself first, so weigh that. We compared each vendor on published or marketplace pricing, whether the audit is included, how you choose your auditor and framework coverage, using the sources listed at the end.
Delve's buyer is usually a fast-growing AI startup that needs a first SOC 2 or HIPAA report before a big customer signs. This guide gives that buyer a practical way to compare AI-heavy platforms, not just a feature list.
Related reading: Delve review 2026, SecureSlate vs Delve, Comp AI alternatives and Oneleet alternatives.
Key takeaways
- Delve is a young AI-agent compliance platform (founded 2023) with a $32M Series A from 2025. Its AWS Marketplace "Foundation Package" lists at $12,000 per year for 1 to 20 employees, and its own site has no public price.
- The cheapest published option on this list is SecureSlate Starter at $2,688 per year, and higher SecureSlate plans can include one framework audit and a pentest; see pricing. Thoropass lists $8,700 platform plus $5,800 SOC 2 audit on AWS Marketplace.
- Vanta and Drata are the established choices, but they cost more and the audit is a separate contract.
- For any AI-native tool, check auditor choice, raw evidence access, the CPA firm's AICPA standing, references and contract terms before you sign.
What Delve is and what it costs
Delve (delve.co) is a compliance automation platform built around AI agents. It was founded in 2023 in San Francisco by Karun Kaushik and Selin Kocalar, who started on an AI medical scribe and moved into HIPAA compliance. It raised about $3M in seed funding and then a $32M Series A in July 2025 led by Insight Partners, at a reported $300M valuation. At that time it claimed more than 500 customers.
Delve lists AI agents that capture screenshots and evidence, questionnaire autofill, AI code scanning on pull requests, daily infrastructure scans, an AI policy assistant, a free trust report and Slack support from a compliance expert. Pentests and vCISO services are add-ons. Frameworks include SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 42001, HITRUST, FedRAMP, NIST AI RMF and the EU AI Act.
Pricing. Delve's website offers a custom proposal after a demo. The clearest public number is its AWS Marketplace listing: a Foundation Package at $12,000 for 12 months, described as the "starting cost for 1-20 employees." The listing auto-renews, fees are non-refundable, and there is an upward true-up if your headcount exceeds the order.
Is the audit included? It is not clear from public sources. A May 2026 estimate published by ComplyJet, a competitor, puts Delve at roughly $12,000 for the platform plus about $12,000 for the audit, around $22,000 in year one, while also noting that Delve's own pricing explainer was described as all-inclusive. Ask for the audit fee, the audit firm's name and the pentest fee as separate lines in your proposal.
Why teams look at Delve alternatives
Most teams comparing Delve like AI automation. They want certainty that the final report will satisfy their customers' reviewers. The sourced reasons:
A short track record. Delve was founded in 2023, so there is less public customer history to go on than for older vendors. Ask for references.
No public price. The AWS listing gives a floor for small teams; larger headcounts, pentests and vCISO hours are quoted.
Audit cost uncertainty. Public sources disagree on whether the audit is bundled, so buyers want the audit model in writing.
Contract terms. Auto-renewal, non-refundable fees and headcount true-ups are common in this market, but a fast-hiring startup should model the true-up before signing.
Five checks for any AI-native compliance tool
AI agents collect evidence faster than a person with a screenshot tool. But the value of SOC 2, ISO 27001 or HIPAA work is the report your customers read, and it is only as credible as the auditor and evidence behind it. Apply these checks to every vendor here, SecureSlate included.
1. Auditor choice and independence
Ask who performs the audit and whether you can bring your own firm. The auditor should form its own opinion from evidence it tests. Some vendors use an affiliated firm (Thoropass does so openly through Thoropass Assurance), which some enterprise buyers reject if they require no common ownership. Know which model you are buying and whether your largest customer accepts it.
2. Evidence you can inspect
Ask to see raw evidence for a few controls: the configuration export, the access review record, the offboarding ticket. Green checkmarks help tracking, but you and your auditor need the underlying artifact with a timestamp and source system. If you cannot export it, you cannot take it with you.
3. A licensed CPA firm for SOC 2
SOC 2 reports are issued under AICPA attestation standards by licensed CPA firms. Look the firm up, ask about its peer review results and confirm who signs. For ISO 27001, ask which accredited certification body issues the certificate.
4. References from companies like yours
Ask for two or three references at your size and in your industry who have completed a renewal audit, not just a first Type I, on the platform.
5. Contract terms you can live with
Read the renewal clause, notice period, refund policy, true-up rules and data export terms before you sign.
Delve alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Pricing signal (Oct 2026) | Audit included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delve (baseline) | AI startups wanting a fast first SOC 2 or HIPAA | $12,000/yr Foundation Package, 1–20 employees (AWS Marketplace) | Unclear in public sources; confirm |
| SecureSlate | SMBs and HealthTech teams wanting published pricing and many frameworks | From $2,688/yr (Starter); Enterprise custom | Available on higher plans (audit plus pentest), see /pricing |
| Vanta | Teams that want the biggest brand and integration catalog | Essentials $14,000/yr, 1–20 employees (AWS Marketplace) | No, separate audit contract |
| Drata | Venture-backed SaaS scaling toward enterprise | $32,500/yr platform plus SOC 2 (AWS Marketplace) | No, contract with a directory firm or your own |
| Comp AI | Engineering-led teams wanting open source or a bundled first audit | Quote-based; self-hosted edition free | Vendor says auditor and pentest included in managed fee |
| Oneleet | Security-first startups wanting human pentesting and vCISO | About $24,000/yr SOC 2 All-In-One (Vendr) | Audit support bundled; CPA firm sets its own fee |
| Thoropass | Buyers wanting software and audit from one vendor | $8,700 platform plus $5,800 SOC 2 audit, "starting at" (AWS Marketplace) | Yes, by affiliated CPA firm |
Figures are cited in Sources. Marketplace list prices rise with headcount.
1. SecureSlate
SecureSlate is a compliance automation platform for SMBs, focused on HealthTech teams preparing for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA. Prices are on the website, so procurement does not start with a sales call.
Key features
- Continuous evidence collection and control monitoring, with auto-remediation agents that fix some failing controls directly in the source system.
- Broad framework coverage: SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA, HITRUST, GDPR, PCI DSS, NIST CSF, CMMC, FedRAMP, NIS 2, DORA, the EU AI Act, Cyber Essentials, ISO 9001 and custom frameworks, with shared control mapping so one piece of evidence counts across frameworks.
- Built-in security tools: DAST surface monitoring, secrets detection, dark web monitoring, code security, open-source license risk and outdated or end-of-life software detection.
- Access reviews, vendor risk, a trust center, security questionnaire automation, a policy library, security awareness training and a device agent.
Pricing. Published on our pricing page: Starter is $2,688 per year for up to 5 users and one framework. Higher plans add users, frameworks, automated control testing, vulnerability scanners and bring your own auditor, and can include one framework audit, a penetration test, a dedicated auditor assignment and audit prep. Enterprise is custom and adds SSO, API access, unlimited users and questionnaire automation.
Best for. Startups and SMBs, especially HealthTech teams that need HIPAA and SOC 2 together, or AI companies adding ISO 42001, and that want a written price. Elfie, a health company, switched from Vanta to SecureSlate and reported about 70% lower platform cost.
Tradeoffs. We are a younger brand than Vanta or Drata, with a smaller integration catalog and partner ecosystem, and fewer auditors know our platform. Check niche integrations in a trial.
Start a free SecureSlate trial or read the SecureSlate vs Delve comparison.
2. Vanta
Vanta, founded in 2018, is the largest brand here, with 16,000+ customers and a $4.15B valuation from its 2025 Series D.
Key features
- Automated evidence collection and continuous control monitoring across 35+ frameworks, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF and the EU AI Act.
- 400+ integrations plus an API and an Auditor API.
- Vanta AI Agent for drafting policies and questionnaire answers, evidence checks and control mapping.
- Trust Center from Essentials up, questionnaire automation (25 per year on Plus, 144 per year on Professional) and third-party risk management.
Pricing. No prices on Vanta's site. AWS Marketplace lists 12-month prices for 1 to 20 employees: Essentials $14,000, Plus $21,500, Professional $23,000. Add-ons include Trust Center ($6,000) and third-party risk management ($13,600 for 50 vendors). Vendr reports a median annual contract of about $20,000.
Audit included? No. Vendr estimates a separate SOC 2 audit at $8,000 to $25,000 or more.
Best for. Teams whose customers already know Vanta.
Tradeoffs. Some connectors need manual upkeep, reporting customization is limited, and very small companies often find the total cost hard to justify. See Vanta alternatives for more.
3. Drata
Drata, founded in 2020, reports 8,000+ customers and acquired SafeBase in 2025 for its Trust Center.
Key features
- Continuous control monitoring and automated evidence collection with cross-mapped shared controls across 30+ frameworks.
- Trust Center built on SafeBase, plus AI questionnaire assistance from an approved knowledge base.
- Agentic third-party risk assessment (generally available) and agentic questionnaire response (beta), announced in March 2026.
- Audit Hub for auditor collaboration and a directory of pre-vetted audit firms.
Pricing. No prices on Drata's site. AWS Marketplace lists a $25,000 platform fee (sized for a 100-person company) plus $7,500 per framework, so platform plus SOC 2 is $32,500 per year. Vendr reports a median of $25,000 from 235 purchases, and about $12,000 to $28,000 for companies under 50 employees.
Audit included? No. You contract directly with an audit firm from Drata's directory, or give any licensed CPA firm read-only access.
Best for. Venture-backed SaaS heading into enterprise sales.
Tradeoffs. It is one of the more expensive options here. Check built-in integration coverage and configurability against your stack. See Drata alternatives.
4. Comp AI
Comp AI is closest to Delve in spirit: a young AI-agent platform for startups, but with an AGPLv3 open-source core you can self-host free. Founded in 2025, it raised a $34M Series A in September 2026.
Key features
- Evidence collection through 580+ integrations.
- Natural-language control tests, including an AI browser agent that captures screenshots.
- Policies generated from details you give about your stack, and an open-source device agent.
- A live trust center that hides drafts and failing controls automatically.
- AI agent pentesting, daily cloud scanning and self-hosting.
Pricing. Quote-based after a 20-minute call. The self-hosted edition is free, but you run the infrastructure. Third parties report a 12-month minimum term with auto-renewal.
Audit included? The vendor says the external auditor and pentest are included in a single fixed fee, with the choice of a vetted auditor or your own. A third party advises confirming the CPA firm's fee in the quote.
Best for. Engineering-led teams that want inspectable code or a bundled first SOC 2.
Tradeoffs. Expect a learning curve and limited guidance during onboarding. Self-hosting moves uptime and maintenance to your team. Our Comp AI alternatives guide covers it in depth.
5. Oneleet
Oneleet, founded in 2022 by penetration testers in Amsterdam, raised a $33M Series A in 2025. It pairs compliance automation with in-house pentesting, code scanning and a vCISO.
Key features
- Human pentesting by certified testers, combined with AI.
- Code security scanning, dependency scanning and DAST, with autofix pull requests.
- Attack surface monitoring and CSPM for AWS, GCP and Azure.
- A dedicated vCISO in Slack, mock audits, auditor negotiation and managed audit support.
Pricing. No published prices. Vendr shows a "SOC 2 All-In-One Package" list price of about $24,000 per year, and a one-off compliance pentest at $6,000.
Audit included? Audit support is bundled, but an independent CPA firm signs the report and sets its own fee, which Oneleet says is quoted before you sign.
Best for. Startups whose customers probe application security.
Tradeoffs. Check integration coverage for smaller platforms and how much you can customize reports. The bundle makes price comparison harder, so ask for an itemized quote. See Oneleet alternatives.
6. Thoropass
Thoropass (formerly Laika, renamed in 2023) combines a readiness platform with an affiliated, AICPA-registered CPA firm, Thoropass Assurance. It sells mostly to SaaS, healthcare and fintech companies.
Key features
- Software and audit from one vendor, with an Audit Lifecycle Platform from kickoff to report.
- First Pass AI, which quality-checks evidence before the auditor reviews it.
- Smart Sort AI, which ingests exports from other GRC tools without an integration.
- CREST-accredited pentesting and vulnerability scanning.
Pricing. AWS Marketplace lists the Compliance Platform with a first framework "starting at" $8,700 per year and a SOC 2 Audit Subscription "starting at" $5,800 per year, billed separately, with renewals that may rise up to 7%. Vendr reports a median of $25,964 per year.
Audit included? Yes, performed by the affiliated CPA firm. ISO 27001 certification runs through Thoropass Certification LLC, accredited in September 2026.
Best for. HealthTech and fintech teams that want one contract for readiness and audit, including first-time HITRUST.
Tradeoffs. The affiliated auditor limits auditor choice if a customer requires no common ownership. Test dashboard usability as evidence grows, and note the integration catalog is smaller than the biggest vendors'. See Thoropass alternatives.
Where Delve still wins
Delve is a reasonable choice for some teams, and it is fair to say where.
AI-company focus. Delve was built for fast-moving AI startups and lists AI-specific frameworks such as ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF and the EU AI Act alongside SOC 2 and HIPAA.
Hands-on support. Slack access to a compliance expert helps a solo founder.
Developer-side scanning. AI code scanning on pull requests and daily infrastructure scans fit engineering workflows.
Marketplace buying. A $12,000 AWS Marketplace listing lets companies that buy through AWS skip a separate vendor onboarding.
How to choose a Delve alternative
Start with what your biggest customer will ask for.
If budget is the main constraint, SecureSlate Starter ($2,688 per year) is the lowest published price here. Comp AI's self-hosted edition is free if you have engineers to run it.
If you want the audit and pentest in one price, compare SecureSlate's higher plans (audit and pentest can be included; see pricing), Thoropass ($8,700 plus $5,800 starting prices on AWS) and a Comp AI or Oneleet quote. Put all four side by side with the auditor's name on each.
If you want to choose your own auditor, SecureSlate, Vanta and Drata all support bringing your own firm. Thoropass uses its affiliate.
If enterprise brand recognition matters most, pick Vanta or Drata.
If application security is what customers test, Oneleet's human pentesting and vCISO, or Comp AI's built-in scanning, put security work ahead of paperwork.
If you are a HealthTech company, shortlist vendors that map HIPAA and SOC 2 to shared controls and ask for a healthcare reference. SecureSlate and Thoropass both focus on healthcare. Selling outside the US? See ISO 27001.
Run the five checks during the trial, not after signing.
Switching from Delve
- Read your renewal terms, including notice period and true-up.
- Export everything. Policies, control mappings, risk register, vendor list, past evidence and any completed reports. Ask for raw files, not only PDF summaries.
- Decide on the auditor first, and confirm whether your current firm can continue on the new platform.
- Reconnect integrations and let them run two to four weeks before trusting control status.
- Re-approve policies and run a readiness check before the audit window opens.
FAQ
What is the cheapest Delve alternative?
Among published prices, SecureSlate Starter is the lowest at $2,688 per year for up to 5 users and one framework. Comp AI's self-hosted edition is free, but you host and maintain it and still pay a CPA firm for the audit. For comparison, Delve's AWS Marketplace package lists at $12,000 per year for 1 to 20 employees.
How much does Delve cost?
Delve does not publish prices on its website. Its AWS Marketplace Foundation Package is $12,000 for 12 months as the starting cost for 1 to 20 employees, with auto-renewal and an upward true-up if headcount grows. A competitor-published estimate from May 2026 puts year-one total cost near $22,000 once an audit is added. Ask for an itemized proposal.
Does Delve include the SOC 2 audit?
Public sources disagree. One estimate lists the audit at about $12,000 on top of the platform, while Delve's own pricing explainer was described as all-inclusive. Ask Delve, and any alternative, to name the CPA firm, state its fee as a separate line, and confirm you can choose a different firm.
Is Delve good for AI startups?
Delve was built for that buyer and supports ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF and the EU AI Act. Before choosing any AI-native tool, check auditor choice, raw evidence access, the CPA firm's AICPA standing and references. Comp AI, SecureSlate and Vanta also support ISO 42001.
Which Delve alternative includes an audit and pentest?
SecureSlate starts at $2,688 per year, and higher plans can include one framework audit and a penetration test; see pricing. Comp AI says its managed fee covers the auditor and pentest. Thoropass bundles an audit from its affiliated CPA firm and sells CREST-accredited pentests. Oneleet bundles pentesting and audit support, with the CPA firm's fee quoted separately.
Sources
- Delve website
- TechCrunch: Delve raises $32M at $300M valuation (July 2025)
- PR Newswire: Delve $32M Series A
- AWS Marketplace: Delve Foundation Package
- ComplyJet: Delve pricing (competitor-published)
- Vanta pricing
- AWS Marketplace: Vanta
- Vendr: Vanta
- Drata pricing
- AWS Marketplace: Drata
- Vendr: Drata
- Drata audit firm directory
- Comp AI pricing
- Comp AI cost page
- Comp AI on GitHub
- SOC2Auditors.org: Comp AI
- Oneleet website
- Vendr: Oneleet
- Thoropass pricing
- AWS Marketplace: Thoropass
- SOC2Auditors.org: Thoropass pricing
- SecureSlate pricing
Disclaimer (legal note)
SecureSlate is not a law firm, and this article does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Product capabilities, pricing, and integrations change over time, so confirm details with vendors during evaluation. Comparisons reflect common buyer patterns and may not apply to every organization. Pricing was checked in October 2026 and change often.
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