COMPLIANCE PRICING
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How we score compliance automation pricing

Short answer

We score seven vendors from 0 to 10 on six criteria about what their pricing pages publish and what their plans bundle. Weights add to 100 and totals are computed in code from those weights. Everything comes from public vendor pages read on 2026-09-29; we did not test products, request quotes or interview vendors.

By The Cost Desk, Compliance Pricing · Published 2026-09-29

What do we score?

Criteria, weights and the question behind each one
CriterionWeightThe question we ask
Pricing transparency25Can a buyer see a price, or at least named plans and inclusions, before a sales call?
Entry plan contents20How much does the published entry plan say it includes?
Stated plan limits10Does the vendor state limits (headcount, frameworks, questionnaires, support hours) so a buyer can see where the next tier starts?
Expert services in a plan20Is human compliance help (consulting, a named expert, audit management) part of a published plan, or sold through partners and add-ons?
Questionnaire allowance10Does the vendor publish how many security questionnaires a plan covers per year?
Audit and pen test path15Does the vendor describe how the audit (and a pen test) is delivered, and is it tied to a plan?

Price clarity score (editorial assessment, 0 to 10). It measures how much a buyer can learn about cost and plan contents before a sales call, and how much service a published plan bundles. It is not a rating of product quality.

How does the 0 to 10 scale work?

A score is a judgment about published material. Where a vendor publishes nothing, it scores low on that criterion even if the product may do the thing; buyers can only compare what is written down.

How are totals and winners computed?

Weighted total = sum of (criterion score x weight) / 100. Ranks sort by the exact total; equal totals share a rank. On pair pages, a vendor wins a criterion only when it scores strictly higher; equal scores are shown as ties. Every total, rank and winner on this site is computed from the score table below, so a change in one score updates every page.

What are the current scores?

Price clarity scores by criterion, with reasons and sources
VendorPricing transparency (25)Entry plan contents (20)Stated plan limits (10)Expert services in a plan (20)Questionnaire allowance (10)Audit and pen test path (15)Weighted totalRank
Secureframe9
Why

The one vendor in this census with a published number: Fundamentals starting at $7,500/year. Complete and Defense are quote-based.

Secureframe pricing page
7
Why

Fundamentals lists one framework, 300+ native integrations, monitoring, evidence, personnel, risk and policy management, Trust Center and audit partner access.

Secureframe pricing page
6
Why

States one compliance framework on Fundamentals; no other limits are published.

Secureframe pricing page
4
Why

Fundamentals lists access to the Audit Partner Network; no consulting service is listed in a plan.

Secureframe pricing page
4
Why

Questionnaire automation is listed on Complete; no annual count is published.

Secureframe pricing page
6
Why

Fundamentals includes access to the Audit Partner Network; pen testing is not listed in a plan.

Secureframe pricing page
6.351
Sprinto5
Why

Describes Foundation and Growth tiers in detail; no price.

Sprinto pricing page
9
Why

Foundation lists 25+ frameworks out of the box, audit management, auditor access, BYOA, policies, training, risk tools, 20 questionnaires per year and a trust center.

Sprinto pricing page
7
Why

States 20 AI security questionnaires per year and 24x5 email and in-app support on Foundation.

Sprinto pricing page
4
Why

Foundation lists 24x5 support and network auditor access; no consulting service is listed in a plan.

Sprinto pricing page
7
Why

Publishes 20 AI security questionnaires per year on Foundation.

Sprinto pricing page
7
Why

Foundation lists audit management, network auditor access and bring your own auditor; pen testing is not listed.

Sprinto pricing page
6.302
Scytale4
Why

Names five plans and lists what the three startup bundles contain, but publishes no price; every plan ends in Get a demo.

Scytale pricing page
5
Why

Build Starter lists the Build Platform Plan, one framework and add-ons; consulting and pen testing sit in the bundles above it.

Scytale pricing page
5
Why

States one framework on Build Starter; no headcount, questionnaire or support-hour limits are published.

Scytale pricing page
9
Why

Build DFY bundles LaunchReady Consulting and a black-box web app pen test; Scytale describes a dedicated compliance expert with weekly meetings who manages audit readiness.

Scytale pricing page, Scytale compliance experts page
4
Why

Offers AI security questionnaires with expert review; no annual allowance is published.

Scytale AI security questionnaires page
8
Why

Built-In Audit with partner auditors, and pen testing runs inside the platform and is bundled in Build DFY and Build Stronger.

Scytale audit management page, Scytale penetration testing page, Scytale pricing page
5.903
Vanta5
Why

Lists four tiers with inclusions and questionnaire caps; no price, pricing is personalized after a demo.

Vanta pricing page
6
Why

Essentials lists one framework, Vanta AI Agent, automated evidence, Trust Center and access to expert partners.

Vanta pricing page
8
Why

States one framework on Essentials and 25 or 144 questionnaires per year on Plus and Professional.

Vanta pricing page
5
Why

Essentials includes access to expert partners; services are delivered by partners such as vCISOs, MSPs and MSSPs.

Vanta pricing page, Vanta service providers page
8
Why

Publishes 25 questionnaires per year on Plus and 144 per year on Professional.

Vanta pricing page
5
Why

Sells an Audit product and cites 26k audits with AICPA-peer reviewed auditors (vendor figure); plan inclusion and pen testing are not listed.

Vanta home page, Vanta startups page
5.804
Drata5
Why

Lists three plans with a headcount cap and framework rules; no price, the page offers Get Personalized Pricing.

Drata plans page
6
Why

Foundation lists one pre-mapped framework, pre-built integrations, Trust Center Standard and AI Questionnaire Assistance Standard.

Drata plans page
9
Why

States up to 50 FTEs and one pre-mapped framework chosen from five named frameworks on Foundation, with add-ons named.

Drata plans page
4
Why

Services come through a partner network (1300+ partners including vCISOs); no service is listed inside a plan.

Drata partners page, Drata plans page
5
Why

Foundation includes AI Questionnaire Assistance Standard; no annual count is published.

Drata plans page
4
Why

Auditors are part of the partner network; neither audit nor pen testing is listed in a plan.

Drata partners page, Drata plans page
5.255
Thoropass1
Why

The /pricing URL shows no prices and no plan list.

Thoropass pricing URL
1
Why

No plan is published.

Thoropass pricing URL
1
Why

No plan limits are published.

Thoropass pricing URL
6
Why

Describes an auditor-led model with in-house auditor support; plan inclusion is not published.

Thoropass home page
1
Why

No questionnaire allowance is published.

Thoropass pricing URL
9
Why

Automation and audit come from one company, with pen testing and vulnerability scanning on the platform; plan pricing is not published.

Thoropass home page
3.206
Scrut2
Why

The pricing URL returned Page Not Found on 2026-09-29; no plans or prices are published, though the site offers a Compliance Cost Calculator.

Scrut website (no pricing page published), Scrut home page
1
Why

No plan is published.

Scrut website (no pricing page published)
1
Why

No plan limits are published.

Scrut website (no pricing page published)
3
Why

The startup page mentions expert guidance and a playbook; no service is tied to a published plan.

Scrut startups page
1
Why

No questionnaire allowance is published.

Scrut website (no pricing page published)
3
Why

Offers an Internal Auditor agent; external audit and pen test paths are not described in the material reviewed.

Scrut home page
1.957

On the price transparency ranking, Scytale ranks 3 of 7 (it ranks 1 on what the price buys) and scores lower than at least one rival on 5 of 6 criteria.

What sources do we use?

Each vendor's own pricing or plans page, plus its home, frameworks, integrations, partner and product pages where a criterion needs them. Standards facts come from iso.org and the AICPA. Every source is listed below with the date we read it.

What do we never do?

What are the limitations?

This is an editorial assessment built from desk research of public vendor material, last reviewed September 2026. We did not use the products, request quotes, sit through demos or interview vendors. Pricing pages change without notice; a page we read on 2026-09-29 may differ today. A low score means little was published, not that a product is poor.

How do updates work?

When a vendor changes its pricing page, we update the data files, and every total, rank and comparison recomputes. Each page shows the date its facts were read. Change log: 2026-09-29, first edition, seven vendors and seventeen published plans.

Questions buyers ask

Why is pricing transparency weighted highest?

Because this site is about cost. A buyer who can see a price or a full plan list can budget before a sales call; one who cannot has to start with a quote.

Why score expert services and audit paths on a pricing site?

Because they are line items. Consulting, the audit and a pen test can be inside a plan, sold by partners or bought separately, and that changes what a quote covers.

Can I change the weights?

Yes. The calculator has a slider for each criterion and re-ranks the vendors on your weights.