Quick Snapshot: Smartly vs Scrut vs Delve
TLDR Summary
Smartly delivers the fastest, clearest, and most startup-friendly path to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification — with transparent , expert support, and guaranteed outcomes.
Scrut solves enterprise visibility with full enterprise security monitoring and deep infrastructure monitoring.
Delve solves enterprise governance with AI-powered control analysis and deep compliance analytics.
1. Platform Philosophy and Design
Smartly
Smartly is purpose-built for speed, predictability, and guaranteed certification. The platform focuses on practical automation, pre-built audit-ready documentation, risk templates aligned to ISO 27001, and integrations that eliminate 80 percent of the manual workload.
Smartly's philosophy is simple: Make ISO 27001 and SOC 2 achievable for startups without armies of consultants or bloated security teams.
Smartly is the only platform that offers pay-after-certification , audit-ready documentation created by real experts, full guided implementation, and a certification timeline that takes weeks, not quarters.
Scrut
Scrut is built as a security posture management and risk intelligence platform. Compliance is one part of what it does, but not the core. Scrut connects to cloud infrastructure, detects misconfigurations, scores risks, and provides dashboards that suit teams with existing security maturity.
Scrut is ideal for companies that have a DevOps or SecOps team, want continuous posture visibility, need multi-cloud monitoring, and use multiple frameworks simultaneously. Scrut is powerful, but heavy. It is not designed for speed. It is designed for visibility.
Delve
Delve focuses on enterprise-grade automated security assessments, powered by AI. It operates more as a next-generation GRC alternative that performs automated control evaluations and generates evidence using data from infrastructure and third-party sources.
Delve's strength is not certification speed, but deep compliance analytics and control validation. It suits companies already certified or companies that want strong governance and audit preparation across many frameworks. Delve is not built for early-stage or mid-stage startups trying to get ISO or SOC 2 fast.
2. Framework Coverage
| Platform | ISO 27001 | SOC 2 | GDPR | PCI DSS | HIPAA | NIST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Scrut | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Delve | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | No | Yes |
Verdict: Smartly focuses on the frameworks that directly accelerate revenue for SaaS businesses. Scrut covers almost every enterprise-level framework. Delve focuses on high-level control assessments rather than broad certification coverage.
3. Automation Power
Automation depth determines how much manual effort is required and certification speed.
Smartly
Smartly automates evidence collection, monitoring, log collection, risk templates, Annex A mapping, Statement of Applicability, internal audit preparation, and continuous audit readiness. The automation is structured and simple. It works even when teams do not have internal security expertise.
Scrut
Scrut's automation digs deeper with cloud security posture management, misconfiguration detection, risk scoring, continuous infrastructure monitoring, and threat and vulnerability alerts. This is security automation, not certification automation. You will still need people to convert the findings into compliance outputs.
Delve
Delve automates AI-powered control validation, evidence extraction from third-party systems, automated control maturity scoring, automated GRC evaluations, and security analytics. Delve is the most advanced platform in terms of intelligence, but it is not oriented toward fast certification workflows.
Verdict: Smartly wins for certification-focused automation. Scrut excels at security posture automation. Delve leads in AI-powered governance automation.
4. Documentation and Audit Readiness
Complete audit-ready documentation is essential for passing certification audits quickly.
Smartly
Smartly produces the cleanest documentation packages in this entire category. It automatically generates Information Security Management System, all mandatory ISO 27001 documentation, Statement of Applicability, Risk assessment and treatment plan, control mapping, procedures, playbooks, and policies, and internal audit documentation.
And every document is validated by real ISO experts, not AI templates.
Scrut
Scrut provides templates but not complete auditor-validated packs. Users must heavily customize them. Documentation is not the platform's strength.
Delve
Delve generates smart control documentation but not comprehensive audit packs. It is extremely useful for internal governance, but auditors require more structured ISO-specific outputs than Delve produces.
Verdict: Smartly delivers complete audit-ready documentation validated by experts. Scrut and Delve require significant manual work to prepare for external audits.
5. Risk Management and Visibility
| Feature | Smartly | Scrut | Delve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automated risk register | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud security posture | Limited | Strong | Medium |
| Vulnerability detection | Limited | Strong | Strong |
| Control maturity scoring | Medium | Medium | Strong |
| Enterprise governance | Medium | Strong | Strong |
Verdict: Scrut and Delve lead in technical depth. Smartly leads in practicality and implementation speed.
6. Continuous Monitoring
Continuous monitoring ensures organizations remain audit-ready year-round.
Smartly
Smartly monitors access reviews, cloud evidence, policy acknowledgements, device compliance, control completion, and automation failures. Designed for continuous audit readiness without complexity.
Scrut
Scrut monitors infrastructure, multi-cloud assets, vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and posture deviations. Comprehensive but built for teams with dedicated security staff.
Delve
Delve monitors control performance, compliance drift, evidence gaps, and AI-evaluated risk signals. Excellent for long-term governance, not certification speed.
Verdict: Smartly provides simple continuous audit readiness. Scrut delivers comprehensive infrastructure monitoring. Delve offers intelligent governance monitoring.
7. Implementation Time
| Platform | Setup Time | ISO or SOC 2 Certification Time |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | 2–3 weeks | 4–6 weeks |
| Scrut | 4–10 weeks | 8–14 weeks |
| Delve | 6–12 weeks | Not optimized for certification speed |
Verdict: There is no contest here. Smartly is the fastest platform on the market.
8. Pricing Transparency
Transparent pricing helps startups budget accurately and avoid unexpected costs.
Smartly
Smartly offers transparent pricing and pay-after-certification models starting from 4,900 USD. This eliminates financial risk and ensures the platform is motivated to deliver fast results.
Scrut
Scrut offers custom enterprise pricing that often scales aggressively based on team size, frameworks, and infrastructure complexity.
Delve
Delve offers premium pricing aligned with enterprise GRC platforms, typically requiring quotes for custom implementations.
Verdict: For startups with tight budgets, Smartly is clearly the most accessible.
9. Audit Preparation
Comprehensive audit preparation determines how smoothly certification proceeds.
Smartly
Smartly automates complete audit preparation with expert-validated documentation, pre-mapped controls, and direct coordination with certification bodies.
Scrut
Scrut provides audit dashboards and evidence repositories but requires manual mapping and documentation finalization.
Delve
Delve offers AI-powered control assessments but lacks comprehensive ISO-specific audit documentation packages.
Verdict: Smartly provides the most complete audit preparation. Scrut and Delve require significant manual work.
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10. Integration Ecosystem
| Platform | Integration Count | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | 200+ | Cloud, HR, and development tools |
| Scrut | 250+ | Cloud, SIEM, risk, and vulnerability systems |
| Delve | 150+ | Enterprise GRC and security tools |
Verdict: Scrut offers the broadest integration coverage. Smartly covers all essential compliance integrations. Delve focuses on enterprise GRC integrations.
11. User Experience
User experience impacts adoption speed and team productivity.
Smartly
Smartly provides a clean, guided interface designed for non-technical founders. Every section aligns with ISO 27001 clauses and audit milestones.
Scrut
Scrut features data-rich dashboards with risk heat maps and compliance analytics, powerful for technical teams but potentially overwhelming for startups.
Delve
Delve offers AI-powered interfaces designed for GRC professionals and compliance analysts with enterprise governance experience.
Verdict: Smartly offers the most startup-friendly experience. Scrut serves technical teams. Delve targets GRC professionals.
12. Customer Support
Expert support accelerates certification and overcomes compliance challenges.
Smartly
Every customer gets a dedicated ISO 27001 expert who guides them from onboarding through final certification. Support is proactive and expert-driven.
Scrut
Scrut offers customer success managers and technical support, primarily for enterprise clients with complex implementations.
Delve
Delve provides GRC consultation and implementation support focused on enterprise governance programs.
Verdict: Smartly leads with dedicated compliance experts. Scrut and Delve offer enterprise-focused support models.
13. Scalability
Scalability ensures the platform grows with your organization's compliance needs.
Smartly
Smartly scales naturally as startups grow. Start with ISO 27001, add SOC 2 later, and maintain both certifications on the same platform.
Scrut
Scrut scales with infrastructure complexity, supporting multiple frameworks across diverse cloud environments and regions.
Delve
Delve scales governance programs across large enterprises with complex compliance requirements and multiple business units.
Verdict: Smartly scales with business growth. Scrut scales with technical complexity. Delve scales enterprise governance.
14. Strengths and Weaknesses
| Platform | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Fastest ISO and SOC 2 certification, guided by real experts, transparent pricing, perfect for early and mid-stage SaaS, simple and powerful automation | Not designed for large enterprises with heavy GRC structures |
| Scrut | Enterprise-level risk visibility, deep infrastructure monitoring, wide framework support, strong for companies with security teams | Steep learning curve, slow implementation, higher overall cost |
| Delve | AI-driven control validation, strong internal governance framework, excellent for GRC professionals | Not optimized for ISO or SOC 2 speed, lacks complete audit-ready documentation, requires maturity and budget |
15. Which Platform Should You Choose
Choose Smartly if:
- You want ISO 27001 or SOC 2 done in weeks.
- You want clear pricing and guaranteed outcomes.
- You want expert guidance.
- You want a platform built specifically for SaaS growth.
- You do not have a dedicated security team.
Choose Scrut if:
- You want full enterprise security monitoring.
- You need multi-cloud risk intelligence.
- You have a security team to manage the system.
- You want one platform for many frameworks.
Choose Delve if:
- You want deep governance automation.
- You already have certifications.
- You want AI-powered control analysis.
- You have a large internal compliance function.
16. Feature Comparison
| Feature | Smartly | Scrut | Delve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed to Certification | 4–6 weeks | 8–14 weeks | Not optimized |
| Automation Depth | Certification-focused | Security-focused | AI-powered GRC |
| Risk Management | ISO 27005-aligned | Continuous posture | AI-driven analytics |
| Evidence Management | Fully automated | Automated + logs | AI-extracted |
| Continuous Compliance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audit Preparation | Fully automated | Manual mapping required | Control-focused |
| Pricing Transparency | 100 percent clear | Custom quotes | Premium pricing |
| Best Fit | Startups and SaaS | Enterprises | GRC professionals |
17. Final Verdict
Smartly, Scrut, and Delve are three strong platforms, but they serve fundamentally different problems.
Scrut
Solves enterprise visibility.
Delve
Solves enterprise governance.
Smartly
Solves startup certification and revenue acceleration.
If your goal is clear: Get certified fast, pass every audit, impress enterprise buyers, and do it without hiring consultants or building a security team — Smartly is the strongest choice.
Startups choose Smartly because:
- • It works fast
- • It eliminates 80 percent of the effort
- • It delivers real audit-ready documents
- • It guarantees results
- • It aligns directly with revenue and growth
Scrut is powerful but heavy. Delve is intelligent but complex. Smartly is practical, fast, proven, and accessible.
Smartly remains the top platform in 2025 for SaaS companies that want to get compliance done and get back to building.
18. Why Smartly Leads the Compliance Automation Race
Smartly has redefined how startups achieve compliance. Its approach blends automation, expertise, and transparency — giving teams control, confidence, and speed.
With Smartly, you get:
- ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification in weeks.
- Continuous compliance through automated monitoring.
- Expert guidance from start to finish.
- Transparent, pay-after-certification pricing that eliminates risk.
Scrut brings intelligence. Delve brings governance. Smartly brings results.
Smartly: The fastest path to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification — built for startups that move fast, build trust, and grow securely.