Smartly vs Scrut vs ISMS.online: Which Platform Really Simplifies ISO 27001 in 2025
In 2025, compliance is no longer just a legal checkbox — it is a growth strategy. Startups and tech companies chasing enterprise deals or expanding into global markets face one question before any contract is signed: Can you prove your security?
Quick Snapshot: Smartly vs Scrut vs ISMS.online
TLDR Summary
Smartly delivers the fastest, clearest, and most startup-friendly path to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification — with transparent pricing, expert support, and guaranteed outcomes.
Scrut offers powerful continuous monitoring and risk-based compliance for enterprises with dedicated security teams.
ISMS.online provides strong documentation control and ISO-focused structure for traditional teams who prefer a manual, process-driven approach.
1. Platform Overview
Smartly
Smartly was built for speed and precision. It automates the entire ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification process — from risk assessment and control mapping to evidence collection and internal audits.
Unlike traditional GRC tools, Smartly provides more than just software. Every customer is paired with a dedicated ISO specialist who works directly with your team to align documentation, set up policies, and prepare for the external audit.
Smartly's automation connects directly with your cloud stack, HR system, and developer tools, eliminating manual tracking and reducing human error. The goal is clear: certification delivered in weeks, not months.
Scrut
Scrut is a compliance and risk management platform that helps organizations achieve and maintain frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS. Its strength lies in continuous monitoring and integration depth, enabling larger teams to track security posture in real time.
Scrut focuses on automation with a strong cybersecurity foundation. It scans for misconfigurations in cloud environments, tracks vulnerabilities, and allows teams to assign remediation tasks. However, it is more suited for security operations teams with technical capacity, not necessarily startups just starting their compliance journey.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online takes a structured approach. It is designed for organizations that want to build and maintain an ISMS from scratch using pre-built templates, guidance, and workflows that follow the ISO 27001 framework closely.
It focuses on documentation, collaboration, and policy management. While ISMS.online offers automation for tracking tasks and version control, it is primarily a documentation and process-driven platform rather than a fully automated compliance engine.
2. Framework Coverage
| Platform | Supported Frameworks | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, NIST CSF | Fast, automated compliance for startups |
| Scrut | ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, NIST | Continuous monitoring and risk-driven compliance |
| ISMS.online | ISO 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, GDPR | Documentation and ISMS implementation |
Verdict: Scrut offers broad coverage for enterprises with multiple frameworks. ISMS.online focuses on ISO-centric frameworks and process documentation. Smartly focuses on the two certifications that matter most for startups and scale-ups — ISO 27001 and SOC 2 — with unmatched automation speed.
3. Automation and Efficiency
Automation determines how quickly teams achieve certification and how much manual work they must handle.
Smartly
Smartly automates everything that slows down certification. It collects audit evidence automatically from your systems, maps controls to Annex A, and keeps compliance continuously up to date. All mandatory ISO 27001 documents — including the Statement of Applicability (SoA), Risk Treatment Plan, and Internal Audit Report — are generated automatically.
Scrut
Scrut also offers automation but in a more technical form. It integrates with cloud platforms and monitors security configurations, producing reports on compliance drift and risk exposure. It is built for teams with dedicated security personnel who can manage alerts and corrective actions.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online provides automation for document workflows, audit task tracking, and policy management, but lacks deep system integrations or real-time evidence collection.
Verdict: Smartly wins on automation simplicity and speed. Scrut is powerful for enterprise-scale monitoring. ISMS.online provides structure but relies on manual input and periodic updates.
4. Risk Management
Effective risk management aligns with ISO 27005 principles and provides clear traceability for auditors.
Smartly
Smartly includes built-in risk management aligned with ISO 27005. Risks are automatically linked to relevant Annex A controls, creating a clear traceable structure auditors love.
Scrut
Scrut has one of the most advanced risk engines, using continuous scanning and dynamic scoring to measure compliance risk. It helps large teams detect new risks instantly and prioritize remediation based on severity.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online provides manual risk registers with visual scoring and guidance templates. It is ideal for teams who prefer a hands-on, process-driven approach but lacks real-time automation.
Verdict: Smartly provides fast and compliant ISO-ready risk management. Scrut wins for technical depth and automated detection. ISMS.online offers strong governance visibility for traditional teams.
5. Documentation and Evidence
| Platform | Evidence Collection | Documentation Capability |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Automated and continuous | Generates SoA, Risk Treatment Plan, and Internal Audit reports |
| Scrut | Automated + technical logs | Centralized dashboards and audit documentation |
| ISMS.online | Manual input + templates | Policy libraries, workflow approvals, version tracking |
Verdict: Smartly leads with audit-ready automation and complete ISO 27001 documentation out of the box. Scrut provides robust logging but focuses more on continuous monitoring than documentation. ISMS.online remains the best manual documentation manager for teams who want control over every step.
6. Onboarding and Certification Speed
| Platform | Setup Time | Typical Certification Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | 2–3 weeks | 4–6 weeks to certification |
| Scrut | 4–6 weeks | 8–12 weeks to certification |
| ISMS.online | 6–10 weeks | 3–6 months depending on internal bandwidth |
Verdict: Smartly delivers the fastest certification results. Scrut offers mid-range deployment for technical teams. ISMS.online requires significant manual work but provides full control and process transparency.
7. Pricing Transparency
| Platform | Pricing Model | Average Range | Transparency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Pay-after-certification, all-inclusive | From 4,900 USD | Fully transparent |
| Scrut | Subscription-based | 10,000 – 25,000 USD / year | Quote required |
| ISMS.online | Tiered subscription | 7,000 – 20,000 USD / year | Transparent but variable by user count |
Verdict: Smartly wins decisively with transparent, all-inclusive pricing and no hidden costs. Scrut is premium and quote-only. ISMS.online is upfront but scales quickly with user licenses.
8. Audit Preparation
Audit readiness determines how smoothly teams transition from implementation to external certification.
Smartly
Smartly automates audit readiness completely. It produces every required ISO 27001 document and aligns them with your SoA, ensuring everything is auditor-ready from day one. Smartly also collaborates directly with certification bodies, simplifying scheduling and communication.
Scrut
Scrut provides strong audit reporting tools and auditor dashboards but requires human oversight for aligning technical logs with ISO documentation.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online excels at guiding teams through internal audits and version tracking but requires manual evidence mapping for external auditors.
Verdict: Smartly offers full audit readiness with automated ISO 27001 documentation and coordination. Scrut supports technical audits efficiently. ISMS.online helps manage traditional audit workflows but lacks automation.
9. Continuous Compliance
Maintaining compliance year-round ensures you remain audit-ready and reduces recertification effort.
Smartly
Smartly continuously monitors your environment to ensure you remain compliant year-round, automatically flagging any drift in controls.
Scrut
Scrut focuses heavily on continuous compliance. Its platform connects with cloud environments to detect misconfigurations, non-compliant assets, or policy deviations in real time.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online supports continuous improvement through regular reviews and task reminders but lacks real-time automation.
Verdict: Smartly ensures continuous audit readiness. Scrut provides continuous monitoring at an enterprise level. ISMS.online supports continuous management but in a manual, process-driven way.
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10. Integration Ecosystem
| Platform | Integration Count | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | 200+ | Cloud, HR, and development tools |
| Scrut | 250+ | Cloud, vulnerability scanners, SIEM systems |
| ISMS.online | 100+ | Productivity, document, and HR systems |
Verdict: Scrut offers the broadest integration coverage for large-scale security programs. Smartly covers all integrations relevant to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 workflows. ISMS.online focuses on administrative integrations.
11. User Experience
User experience impacts how quickly teams adopt the platform and execute compliance tasks.
Smartly
Smartly delivers a clean, intuitive interface that guides users step by step through compliance. Every module aligns directly with ISO 27001 clauses and audit milestones.
Scrut
Scrut features a data-rich dashboard showing real-time risk scores and compliance posture. It is powerful but may feel heavy for small teams.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online provides a clear documentation workspace with intuitive task tracking, perfect for traditional ISMS project management.
Verdict: Smartly provides the simplest and most startup-friendly user experience. Scrut serves technical teams that want data depth. ISMS.online benefits compliance managers focused on documentation workflows.
12. Customer Support
Quality support determines whether teams achieve compliance successfully or struggle with roadblocks.
Smartly
Smartly offers direct human support. Every customer gets a dedicated ISO 27001 expert who walks them from onboarding to final certification.
Scrut
Scrut provides responsive chat and email support with access to implementation consultants for enterprise clients.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online offers onboarding assistance and access to knowledge bases but focuses more on user self-sufficiency.
Verdict: Smartly leads with expert guidance and proactive support. Scrut delivers strong technical help. ISMS.online focuses on documentation assistance and community resources.
13. Scalability
Scalability ensures that the platform grows with your organization as compliance needs evolve.
Smartly
Smartly scales easily as startups grow. You can start with ISO 27001, add SOC 2 later, and continue using the same platform.
Scrut
Scrut scales across large infrastructures, handling multiple frameworks simultaneously.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online scales with more users and frameworks but remains a documentation-first solution rather than a full compliance engine.
Verdict: Smartly scales with business growth. Scrut scales with framework complexity. ISMS.online scales with organizational structure.
14. Strengths and Weaknesses
| Platform | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Fastest certification, expert support, transparent pricing | Limited to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 |
| Scrut | Deep monitoring, AI insights, broad framework support | Requires technical management |
| ISMS.online | Strong documentation control, ISO-focused structure | Manual process, slower execution |
15. Best Use Cases
Choose Smartly if:
- You are a startup or SaaS company aiming to get certified quickly.
- You prefer automation with real experts guiding the process.
- You want full transparency and guaranteed results.
Choose Scrut if:
- You have a dedicated security team and want continuous posture visibility.
- You manage multiple frameworks and need deep cloud monitoring.
Choose ISMS.online if:
- You prefer structured, documentation-driven compliance.
- You want a platform that helps build an ISMS step by step without heavy technical requirements.
16. Feature Comparison
| Feature | Smartly | Scrut | ISMS.online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed to Certification | 2–3 weeks | 6–8 weeks | 3–6 months |
| Automation Depth | End-to-end | Advanced and technical | Moderate |
| Risk Management | ISO 27005-aligned | Dynamic and continuous | Manual register |
| Evidence Management | Fully automated | Automated + logs | Manual and template-based |
| Continuous Compliance | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Audit Preparation | Fully automated | Guided | Manual |
| Pricing Transparency | 100 percent clear | Limited | Transparent |
| Best Fit | Startups | Enterprises | Traditional teams |
17. Final Verdict
Smartly, Scrut, and ISMS.online all help businesses achieve compliance, but they serve very different audiences.
Smartly
Built for startups that want ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification fast, guided by experts and backed by automation that eliminates guesswork.
Scrut
Ideal for enterprises with technical teams who need continuous monitoring and AI-powered risk visibility.
ISMS.online
Suits organizations that prefer a structured, documentation-heavy approach with less emphasis on automation.
For speed, simplicity, and guaranteed success, Smartly stands out as the clear leader.
18. Why Smartly Leads the Compliance Race in 2025
Smartly turns compliance from a slow, manual process into a fast, guided journey that startups actually enjoy. It automates the complex, simplifies the technical, and brings real experts into every step.
With Smartly, you get:
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification in weeks, not months.
- Continuous monitoring and automated control mapping.
- Dedicated ISO experts guiding you to audit success.
- Transparent, pay-after-certification pricing that removes risk.
Scrut gives you control. ISMS.online gives you structure. Smartly gives you results.
Smartly: The fastest, simplest way to achieve ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification — built for startups that move fast, build trust, and grow securely.