Top 7 Cheaper Vanta Alternatives for Smart Compliance

Image from pexels.com

In today’s tech business world, regulatory compliance isn’t optional; it’s critical. Certifications like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR build trust with clients and investors. However, navigating these frameworks can be complex and costly. That’s where compliance automation platforms come in, streamlining evidence collection and audit readiness. Vanta has been a leader here.

Vanta is well-regarded for its intuitive interface and extensive integrations, making compliance more efficient. Yet, this premium solution comes with a high price, often ranging from $10,000 to over $80,000 annually. This cost can be a significant barrier for many businesses, particularly with a common lack of transparent, upfront pricing.

This guide explores compelling, cheaper alternatives to Vanta. We’ll compare their features and, critically, their pricing models. Our goal is to help you find a solution that fits your budget without compromising on compliance integrity.

Why Businesses Seek Cheaper Alternatives to Vanta

The quest for alternatives to Vanta isn’t merely about cutting corners; it’s a strategic decision influenced by several key factors:

Cost-Effectiveness & ROI

For many, Vanta’s price point, especially its higher tiers, is simply unsustainable. Businesses are looking for solutions that offer a strong return on investment (ROI) by delivering robust automation at a more accessible cost.

The desire is to minimize operational overhead while maximizing the efficiency of compliance efforts.

Pricing Transparency & Predictability

The absence of clear, public pricing from Vanta can make financial planning challenging. Companies often prefer alternatives that offer transparent tiered pricing or custom quotes with a clear breakdown of costs, allowing for more predictable budgeting.

Hidden fees for “add-ons,” extra modules, or specialized integrations can inflate the total cost unexpectedly with less transparent models.

Tailored Feature Sets

While Vanta is comprehensive, some organizations might find certain features to be overkill or discover that a niche alternative better addresses their specific compliance requirements, particularly around advanced risk management, granular control over policy generation, or integrated audit services. Paying for an extensive suite when only a subset of features is needed can be inefficient.

Scalability for Different Business Sizes

For very small businesses or startups taking their initial steps into the compliance landscape, Vanta’s broad offerings might be more than they need.

Simpler, more focused tools can provide a quicker, less complex, and more cost-effective entry point, scaling up as their needs evolve.

Bundled Services & Support Models

Vanta primarily sells its software. Some alternatives offer a hybrid approach, bundling expert advisory services or even direct audit coordination, which can simplify the overall compliance journey and reduce the need for separate engagements, potentially leading to overall cost savings.

What Matters Beyond the Price Tag

Before we jump into specific platforms, let’s take a moment to discuss what genuinely defines value in a compliance automation tool. After all, securing a lower price isn’t much help if the software doesn’t actually meet your operational needs or effectively support your critical compliance goals. It’s about finding the sweet spot where affordability meets capability.

Do They Cover Your Frameworks?

This is fundamental: does the platform support all the compliance standards you require? Think about everything from SOC 2 Type I/II and ISO 27001 to HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS.

A truly effective solution should ideally handle multiple frameworks simultaneously, saving your team from disjointed efforts and the headache of managing several different systems.

How Much Can They Truly Automate?

The real cost savings come from reducing manual labor. Look for a platform with deep integrations into your existing tech ecosystem. This includes your cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform, your HR platforms, identity providers, version control systems, and even your ticketing tools. The goal is seamless, continuous evidence collection that works quietly in the background, freeing up your team’s time.

Can You See What’s Happening in Real-Time?

An effective compliance tool offers real-time visibility into your current compliance posture. Can it proactively alert you the moment something goes off track or a control fails? This continuous monitoring is crucial for staying ahead of potential issues and ensuring you’re always audit-ready.

Continuous Compliance Monitoring: Your Business’s Guardian Against Regulatory Risks
Simplify audit preparation with our comprehensive continuous compliance monitoring checklists secureslate.medium.com

What About Policies and Risk Management?

Compliance isn’t just about checkboxes; it’s about managing risk. Does the platform provide robust tools for policy generation, review, and acknowledgment?

More importantly, how comprehensive are its features for identifying, assessing, managing, and mitigating security risks? A strong risk management component is vital for a truly secure operation.

Are You Truly Ready for the Audit?

An excellent platform makes the audit process as smooth as possible. Does it automatically generate auditor-friendly reports? Can it provide auditor-facing dashboards that simplify their review process? Some even go a step further and help connect you with reputable audit firms, streamlining the entire journey from preparation to final certification.

Is It Easy to Use, and Can You Get Help?

No matter how powerful a tool is, it needs to be intuitive for everyone on your team, regardless of their technical background. Beyond usability, what kind of customer support is available? Look for options like live chat, a dedicated success manager, or a comprehensive knowledge base to ensure your team has the resources they need when questions arise.

How Well Does It Integrate with Your Existing Tools?

Beyond just the sheer number of integrations, assess their depth and quality. Will the platform truly connect seamlessly and reliably with your critical business applications? Effective integration is key to achieving the automation benefits you’re looking for.

Can It Grow with You?

Now, think about the future. Can the platform adapt and scale as your company evolves, grows in size, adds more employees, or takes on new, more complex compliance requirements? Investing in a scalable solution means you won’t have to face the costly and disruptive process of switching platforms every few years.

Cheaper Alternatives to Vanta: Detailed Comparison

Here’s a breakdown of leading alternatives, focusing on their pricing strategies and how they stack up against Vanta.

1. SecureSlate

SecureSlate stands out as an AI-powered platform, specifically designed to offer a cheaper alternative to Vanta for your security compliance needs. It’s built to simplify and speed up everything from getting ready for an audit to continuously monitoring your systems across a wide range of frameworks, providing a modern and efficient approach.

Cost Compared to Vanta

• Vanta: Vanta’s pricing is custom and can be quite high, with potential additional costs for various features. Price ranges between $10,000 — $80,000+ per year.
• SecureSlate: SecureSlate, while also offering custom pricing, positions itself as a solution focused on efficiency and speed. Their plans for comprehensive compliance, including ISO 27001, start from around $240.00/month for their “Professional” tier. This often translates into cost-effectiveness by reducing the time and resources traditionally required for compliance, potentially making it a cheaper alternative to Vanta by optimizing your overall investment in security and compliance operations.

What You Get

SecureSlate leverages AI for continuous monitoring and automated evidence collection, significantly cutting down manual effort. It supports a comprehensive range of frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, CCPA, and CSA STAR.

The platform also offers robust policy management, vendor risk management, risk assessments, and employee training modules. Its emphasis on 100+ integrations means seamless connectivity with your existing tech stack.

Key Differentiator

SecureSlate’s strength is its AI-powered automation for rapid compliance and continuous security. This offers significant cost-effectiveness over Vanta by drastically cutting manual labor and time, leading to lower operational costs and a more optimized investment compared to Vanta’s higher pricing.

2. Sprinto

Sprinto is a robust and widely recognized cheaper alternative to Vanta, particularly favored by cloud-hosted SaaS businesses. It’s often highlighted for its deep automation and transparent, competitive pricing model.

Pricing & Cost Comparison

• Vanta: Reported range of $10,000 — $80,000+ per year, often with custom quotes and potential hidden costs for add-ons or implementation.
• Sprinto: While also custom-quoted based on business needs, Sprinto is generally positioned as significantly more affordable, especially for SMBs and startups. They emphasize an all-inclusive package with no extra fees for add-ons like risk assessments, policy templates, or security training, which can quickly drive up Vanta’s cost. Their pricing model is often perceived as more transparent and predictable. Implementation costs are typically bundled or lower.

What You Get

Sprinto automates a lot of the work, from collecting evidence to continuous monitoring and managing policies. Many users find it helps them get ready for audits faster than Vanta. It covers key standards like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS, and includes risk management and vendor assessments right in its core offering. Users also love its easy-to-use interface.

Key Differentiator

Sprinto’s strong focus on a flat, transparent fee structure, often makes it a more financially predictable choice.

3. Secureframe

Secureframe is a direct competitor to Vanta, offering similar core compliance automation but often with a strong emphasis on personalized support and a more guided compliance journey.

Pricing & Cost Comparison

• Vanta: As above, custom and potentially high.
• Secureframe: Pricing is often quoted as starting around $7,500/year for smaller companies (e.g., up to 100 employees) for a foundational plan, escalating for more features or larger employee counts. While custom, they are frequently seen as competitive, and for some specific use cases or company sizes, potentially a cheaper alternative to Vanta, especially if their bundled support reduces the need for external consultants. Their pricing structure is often annual and fixed per plan, rather than per framework, which can be beneficial.

What You Get

A major highlight of Secureframe is their “white-glove” customer support and dedicated onboarding , which can be incredibly helpful if you’re new to compliance. It offers strong automated evidence collection and continuous monitoring, covering a wide range of frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA.

Key Differentiator

Strong customer support and a guided experience can reduce internal resource drain, offering indirect cost savings even if the direct software cost isn’t drastically lower than Vanta in some scenarios.

4. Drata

Drata positions itself as a “Trust Management Platform,” aiming to extend beyond mere compliance automation to encompass overall security posture management. It’s a key rival to both Vanta and Secureframe.

Pricing & Cost Comparison

• Vanta: ~$10,000 — $80,000+ annually, customized.
• Drata: Reported pricing for Drata ranges from $7,500 for entry-level plans up to $100,000 annually for enterprise solutions, with an average contract value around $34,000/year. While not always drastically cheaper than Vanta, it can be a competitive or cheaper alternative to Vanta due to its bundled features (e.g., more integrated risk management) and pricing structure which might offer better value for specific, complex organizational needs. Some users report setup costs adding to the initial expense.

What You Get

Drata was built with auditors in mind, featuring an “Audit Hub” to make audits smoother. It offers comprehensive automation for evidence collection, access reviews, and risk mapping. There’s a strong focus on actively managing risks with a built-in risk library and automated testing. It even uses AI for things like vendor questionnaires. Its integrated approach to security and risk can offer greater long-term value by deeply integrating compliance with risk and security operations.

Key Differentiator

Its comprehensive “trust management” approach can offer greater long-term value by integrating compliance deeply with risk and security operations, potentially leading to a higher ROI for larger organizations.

5. Thoropass (formerly Laika)

Thoropass (formerly Laika) offers a distinctive hybrid model, combining compliance automation software with access to human compliance experts and even integrated audit services.

Pricing & Cost Comparison

• Vanta: As above. Software-focused, separate auditor fees apply.
• Thoropass: Pricing often starts around $8,000 — $11,000 for the first framework platform subscription , with a median buyer price of around $30,000/year when factoring in bundled services. This can make it a cheaper alternative to Vanta overall by simplifying the entire compliance and audit process through a single vendor. Their model can reduce the overhead and complexity of managing separate software and audit firm relationships.

What You Get

Their hybrid model means you get automation software plus dedicated compliance experts and integrated audit services , simplifying your entire compliance journey. They put a strong emphasis on getting you audit-ready, often including the audit itself in their packages. They support many frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, and HITRUST.

Key Differentiator

The “single vendor” advantage for both software and audit services can lead to streamlined processes and often a more predictable total cost compared to managing separate providers.

6. Scrut

Scrut automation is a rapidly expanding player in the compliance automation space, noted for its robust features and highly competitive pricing, positioning it as a significant cheaper alternative to Vanta.

Pricing & Cost Comparison

• Vanta: As above. Custom, potentially high, with add-on costs.
• Scrut Automation: Pricing is typically customized based on business requirements, but consistently reviewed as a more affordable and budget-friendly option , especially appealing to startups and SMBs. They aim to provide a comprehensive feature set without the premium price tag. The transparency in their pricing model is often highlighted as a key advantage.

What You Get

It offers full, end-to-end automation for collecting evidence, monitoring controls, assessing risks, and managing policies. It supports a wide range of global compliance frameworks. Users find its dashboard clean, intuitive, and easy to use.

Key Differentiator

Scrut Automation delivers features comparable to enterprise-grade solutions but at a noticeably more competitive price, making it a strong choice for those watching their budget.

7. Hyperproof

Hyperproof distinguishes itself by offering a more expansive Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform, providing greater flexibility for managing various compliance frameworks, internal controls, and overall risk.

Pricing & Cost Comparison

• Vanta: As above. Primarily focused on security compliance, with risk management often a separate module or less integrated.
• Hyperproof: Pricing is custom and tailored to the organization’s specific GRC needs. While it can scale up for larger enterprises, it can be a cheaper alternative to Vanta for companies that require a more comprehensive GRC solution where Vanta might necessitate multiple add-ons or integrations with other tools to achieve the same breadth. Its flexibility can translate into cost efficiency for complex GRC landscapes.

What You Get

It offers a wider suite that covers risk management, internal audits, and general policy management alongside security compliance. It provides greater flexibility to define and manage your controls and frameworks, which is great for unique or evolving compliance needs. It also connects with many business applications for automated evidence collection.

Key Differentiator

Its strength lies in being a unified GRC platform, potentially consolidating multiple tools into one, thus offering cost savings for organizations with diverse compliance and risk management needs.

Choosing the Right Vanta Alternative

Don’t just go with the cheapest option, go with the one that gives you the best bang for your buck. Here’s how to make a strategic decision when evaluating Vanta alternatives:

Set a Realistic Budget (Beyond Just the Subscription Cost)
Look beyond the monthly fee. Factor in implementation, customer support, and potential third-party audit expenses. The best platforms are transparent about pricing and include the features you actually need, no hidden fees, no surprises.

Match Compliance Frameworks to Your Roadmap
Make sure any tool you choose fully supports the frameworks you need today, and the ones you’ll need tomorrow. Whether it’s SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, or beyond, your compliance tool should grow with you.

Maximize Automation to Minimize Workload
Automation is where the real savings live. Look for tools that deeply integrate with your existing tech stack to reduce manual evidence gathering, alerting, and monitoring.

10 Reasons Why You Need to Automate Risk Assessment Today
Transforming Risk Assessment Through Automation secureslate.medium.com

Don’t Underestimate Support Quality
Some platforms include hands-on help, others don’t. If your team is small or already stretched thin, solid customer support can make a huge difference in your time-to-compliance and long-term costs.

Think Long-Term: Can It Scale?
Your compliance needs will grow. The right platform will grow with them without forcing you to migrate or re-implement. Look for tools built to handle more users, new standards, and expanding security demands.

Use Demos and Trials to Test the Fit
Always take the software for a spin. Demos and trial periods help you assess usability, feature depth, and how well the tool fits into your team’s workflow before you commit.

Read What Real Users Are Saying
Don’t rely on sales pitches. Check out review platforms like G2, Capterra, and Gartner Peer Insights to see what real users think, especially about pricing transparency, support responsiveness, and feature reliability.

Conclusion

While Vanta is a major player in compliance automation, several cheaper alternatives, as discussed above, offer strong value through lower pricing, deeper GRC integration, or bundled expert support.

By aligning your choice with your specific compliance needs, pricing expectations, and long-term ROI, you can secure a platform that strengthens your security posture, accelerates certifications, and supports sustainable growth, all without overspending.

Ready to Streamline Compliance?

Building a secure foundation for your startup is crucial, but navigating the complexities of achieving compliance can be a hassle, especially for small teams.

SecureSlate offers a simpler solution:

• Affordable: Expensive compliance software shouldn’t be the barrier. Our affordable plans start at just $99/month.
• Focus on Your Business, Not Paperwork: Automate tedious tasks and free up your team to focus on innovation and growth.
• Gain Confidence and Credibility: Our platform guides you through the process, ensuring you meet all essential requirements, and giving you peace of mind.

Get Started in Just 3 Minutes

It only takes 3 minutes to sign up and see how our platform can streamline your compliance journey.