In today's fast-moving security landscape, choosing the right compliance platform can determine how quickly and confidently your business achieves certifications like SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA. Both Vanta and Secureframe automate evidence collection and streamline audits, but their approaches, pricing, and scalability differ significantly.
Vanta is built for simplicity and strong integrations, making it a popular choice for startups that need compliance fast.
Secureframe focuses on prebuilt frameworks, guided onboarding, and white-glove support, but can feel rigid as businesses scale.
Both platforms save time, but your ideal choice depends on whether you prioritize breadth of integrations or ease of compliance setup.
Vanta aims to make compliance approachable for fast-growing SaaS teams. Its continuous monitoring system automates control checks and alerts users of failures, helping them maintain audit readiness year-round. Vanta's focus is simplicity — it offers a wide integration ecosystem and straightforward dashboards ideal for smaller teams new to compliance.
Secureframe takes a more guided route, emphasizing readiness through prebuilt frameworks and strong support. Its platform includes automated policy templates, control mapping, and evidence storage to help organizations pass audits quickly, even without in-house compliance expertise. Secureframe appeals to teams seeking a structured, consultant-like experience.
| Framework | Vanta | Secureframe |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| ISO 27001 / ISO 27701 | ✔ | ✔ |
| HIPAA | ✔ | ✔ |
| PCI DSS | ✔ | ✔ |
| GDPR / CCPA | ✔ | ✔ |
| NIST Frameworks | Partial | ✔ (800-53, CSF, CMMC) |
| Custom Frameworks | Limited | Higher tiers |
| Total Frameworks | ~27 | 35+ |
Takeaway: Both support the most common compliance standards, but Secureframe offers slightly broader framework coverage, while Vanta's advantage lies in automation depth and integrations.
Vanta automates continuous compliance monitoring by connecting directly with cloud, HR, and security tools. Its Audit Center consolidates artifacts and alerts, reducing prep time for SOC 2 and ISO audits. While automation is robust, customization can be limited, and users sometimes note that insights stop at a "pass/fail" level rather than explaining why a control failed.
Secureframe focuses on automation through templated workflows. Its evidence repository automatically collects and organizes audit materials, helping teams achieve certification faster. However, as evidence volume grows, users report slower responsiveness and limited flexibility in managing complex frameworks or multi-entity setups.
Verdict: Vanta delivers more adaptive automation and faster feedback loops, while Secureframe offers stronger guardrails for teams that prefer structure and guided steps.
Vanta's continuous monitoring covers access controls, vulnerability scans, and data security posture across multiple frameworks. It excels at alerting users to compliance drift through integrations with cloud and SaaS tools. Some users highlight limitations when working with niche systems or complex multi-cloud configurations.
Secureframe offers prebuilt controls and automated monitoring with a centralized dashboard. Its automation works well for standard frameworks but can become less efficient as integrations scale, since not all connectors are deeply synchronized.
Verdict: Both platforms support real-time monitoring. Vanta's integration-first design makes it stronger for growing, tech-heavy companies with diverse systems.
Vanta provides a built-in risk register and scoring system that helps security teams identify potential vulnerabilities. The risk features are helpful for early programs but lack deeper customization or cross-framework mapping, which can be important for larger organizations.
Secureframe's risk engine uses AI-driven scoring and visualization tools to assess vendor and internal risks. It automatically generates risk treatment plans and dashboards, but flexibility for advanced scenarios or complex assessments is limited.
Verdict: Secureframe's risk module provides a visual and simple entry point, while Vanta's approach is better suited for iterative improvement and real-time updates tied to integrations.
| Capability | Vanta | Secureframe |
|---|---|---|
| Integration Count | 200+ | ~100 |
| Depth | Deep integrations across HR, code, and cloud | Basic connectors for most tools |
| API | Supported for advanced teams | Limited custom API support |
| Third-party Tools | Expanding catalog | Predefined, less flexible modules |
Verdict: Vanta integrates more deeply with cloud infrastructure, HR systems, and code repositories, giving technical teams end-to-end visibility. Secureframe's integration layer is simpler but works well for standard SaaS setups.
Vanta's guided onboarding is straightforward and includes a resource library to help users self-serve. However, support hours are limited by region, and live assistance is not always available for urgent audit prep questions.
Secureframe is known for its responsive, white-glove onboarding and dedicated account managers. Support aligns with customer time zones, though some users report occasional lag during high-demand periods.
Verdict: Secureframe wins on personal support. Vanta offers a more self-directed experience for teams that prefer autonomy and lower costs.
Per framework pricing
Per-framework pricing
Good for startups and mid-sized SaaS
By business size and framework
Tiered pricing model
Best for teams needing guidance
Verdict: Vanta's per-framework pricing can become costly as organizations expand compliance scope. Secureframe's bundled approach offers predictability but less flexibility in scaling or customization.
| Feature | Vanta | Secureframe |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Automated compliance monitoring | Prebuilt frameworks |
| Best For | Fast-growing SaaS startups | Teams seeking guidance |
| Framework Coverage | ~27 frameworks | 35+ frameworks |
| Automation Depth | High | Moderate |
| Ease of Use | Very high | High |
| Continuous Monitoring | Strong | Moderate |
| Risk Management | Basic | Visual but rigid |
| Audit Readiness | Automated | Guided |
| Integrations | 200+ | ~100 |
| Support | Self-serve with resources | White-glove onboarding |
| Pricing Model | Per-framework | Tiered plans |
You need fast, automated compliance monitoring
Your team is comfortable managing integrations directly
You're scaling quickly through your first audits
You want extensive integration options (200+)
You prefer self-service with guided resources
You prefer strong onboarding support
You want prebuilt frameworks and templates
You need a structured approach to compliance
You have a smaller or less technical team
You value white-glove support and account managers
Both can reduce the workload of getting certified, but Vanta offers more technical control and scalability for growing environments, while Secureframe provides simplicity and human support for smaller or less technical teams.
Both Vanta and Secureframe help organizations move from spreadsheets to structured compliance management. Vanta wins for its automation depth, integration ecosystem, and scalability. Secureframe wins for its white-glove onboarding and ready-to-use frameworks.
If your team is technical and growing fast, Vanta offers more automation value. If your team prefers hands-on guidance and clear frameworks, Secureframe provides a smoother path to your first certification.
If your goal is to get certified fast and use that certification to win enterprise clients, Smartly is the smarter starting point.
Unlike broader GRC platforms that serve larger, process-heavy organizations, Smartly is built specifically for startups and growing tech teams that want to move quickly and stay focused on product and growth.
Smartly automates 70% of the manual prep work and helps teams achieve ISO 27001 readiness in weeks, not months. You stay focused on your roadmap while Smartly handles the compliance lift.
You pay to get certified, not for extra services along the way. Every plan covers implementation, templates, audit coordination, and certification, no hidden costs.
Designed for startups with lean budgets, Smartly delivers enterprise-grade compliance at a fraction of the usual price, no consultants, no overhead.
Certification isn't just a checkbox. With Smartly, it becomes a growth enabler that helps you close enterprise deals, expand globally, and build customer trust early.
If your focus is to prove trust fast and unlock new business, Smartly gives you the fastest and most affordable path to ISO 27001 success.