Compliance-first delivery
How much SOC 2 compliance costs in India
SOC 2 compliance cost in India has three parts. The CPA firm’s audit: Drata’s 2026 guide puts Type 1 at $7,500–15,000 and Type 2 at $12,000–20,000 for small and mid-sized companies, roughly ₹6.75–18 lakh at ₹90 to the dollar. Preparation: readiness work, a penetration test and often compliance software, where Vendr’s data shows median annual contracts of $15,000–25,000. And internal staff time, which most quotes leave out and which often costs the most.
Most SOC 2 quotes price the audit and forget the work
Ask five firms about SOC 2 compliance cost in India and you will get five numbers that are not comparable. One quotes only the CPA audit. One bundles software, readiness and the audit into an annual fee. One is a consultant’s fee that assumes your engineers will do the remediation for free. None of them is wrong; they are pricing different slices of the same project.
This guide prices the whole thing. It uses published figures from named sources with their dates, converts them to rupees at a stated rate, and puts your own team’s time on the table in person-days, because that is the line that surprises Indian SaaS and IT services firms most. We do not publish our own consulting rates, so you will not find a made-up Radiatus number here. You will find our GRC Platform’s published prices, because those are public.
For what the controls themselves involve, see our HIPAA, GDPR and SOC 2 service and our wider security and compliance practice. This page is about the money.
What does SOC 2 cost in India? The seven cost lines
A first SOC 2 report has seven cost lines. Figures below are third-party published ranges with their sources, converted at an assumed ₹90 to the US dollar; they are US-market numbers, and Indian buyers sometimes receive lower quotes, so collect at least three.
| Cost line | Published figure | In rupees (at ₹90/$) | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CPA audit, Type 1 | $7,500–15,000 (small and mid-sized); $20,000–60,000 (large) | ₹6.75–13.5 lakh; ₹18–54 lakh | Drata SOC 2 cost guide, 25 March 2026 |
| 2. CPA audit, Type 2 | $12,000–20,000 (small and mid-sized); $30,000–100,000+ (large) | ₹10.8–18 lakh; ₹27 lakh–₹90 lakh+ | |
| 3. Readiness (gap) assessment | $5,000–25,000 | ₹4.5–22.5 lakh | |
| 4. Penetration test | $5,000–15,000 | ₹4.5–13.5 lakh | |
| 5. Compliance automation software | Median annual contract: Sprinto $15,000; Vanta $20,000; Drata $24,934 | About ₹13.5–22.4 lakh a year | Vendr purchase data: Vanta and Drata (Feb 2026), Sprinto |
| 6. Control tooling | Device management, logging, vulnerability scanning, background checks, training | Varies with headcount and what you already own | Your existing vendors’ price lists |
| 7. Internal staff time | Engineering, IT and management days | Person-days × your loaded daily cost | See the profiles below |
Software alternative: our own GRC Platform publishes $499 a month for one framework and $999 a month for three (about ₹5.4 lakh and ₹10.8 lakh a year at the same rate), with a 14-day trial. Compare features against your needs, not just price.
As a cross-check, Drata’s guide gives three first-year scenarios: about $28,000 for a 25-person startup, about $75,000 for a 100-person company and $180,000 or more for an enterprise of over 500 people. Those totals include the audit, readiness, testing and tooling, but not your own staff time.
Who can issue a SOC 2 report for an Indian company?
SOC 2 is an attestation under the AICPA’s standards, and only a licensed CPA firm can perform the examination and sign the report. There is no “SOC 2 certificate”, and no consultant, software vendor or Indian chartered accountant without a licensed US CPA practice can issue one. Indian companies usually engage a US CPA firm directly, or a firm that delivers work from India through a US-licensed affiliate. Ask every auditor which licensed entity will sign the report, and check that your customer’s security team accepts that firm.
Radiatus does not issue SOC 2 reports. We prepare you for the audit and support you through it, and you contract the CPA firm directly so its independence is never in question.
Type 1 or Type 2: how the choice changes the cost
| Type 1 | Type 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it tests | Whether controls are designed properly, at one point in time | Whether controls actually operated, over a period |
| Observation period | None | Commonly three to twelve months; first reports often use a shorter window |
| Audit fee (Drata, small and mid-sized) | $7,500–15,000 | $12,000–20,000 |
| Hidden cost | Many enterprise buyers still want a Type 2 within a year, so you pay twice | Months of evidence collection: tickets, reviews, logs, approvals |
| Choose it when | A deal needs something within weeks and the buyer accepts Type 1 first | Your buyers already ask for Type 2, or you can wait for the window to run |
A common Indian SaaS pattern is a Type 1 to unblock a pending deal, followed by a Type 2 with a three- to six-month window. If no deal is waiting, going straight to Type 2 avoids paying for two audits in a year.
Three illustrative SOC 2 budget profiles
Illustrative, not client figures. Third-party lines use the published ranges above; internal effort is our planning range for first-year work, which you multiply by your own loaded daily cost.
| Line | A. 15-person SaaS on AWS | B. 60-person SaaS selling to US enterprises | C. 250-person IT services firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Security criteria only; one product, one cloud account | Security, Availability, Confidentiality; production plus support tooling | Security, Confidentiality; delivery centre plus client-facing systems |
| Report path | Type 1, then Type 2 with a three-month window | Type 2 with a six-month window | Type 2 with a six- to twelve-month window |
| CPA audit | Low end of both Type 1 and Type 2 ranges, paid twice in year one | Type 2, small/mid range | Type 2, towards the large range as scope grows |
| Readiness | Short gap assessment, or self-assessment with software | Full gap assessment | Full gap assessment across sites and client environments |
| Software | A lighter GRC tool or one framework | Compliance automation platform or GRC Growth plan | Platform priced for headcount and multiple frameworks |
| Penetration test | One web app and API | Application, API and cloud configuration | Applications, internal network and cloud |
| Engineering and IT effort | 25–45 person-days | 50–90 person-days | 90–160 person-days |
| Management and HR effort | 8–15 person-days | 15–30 person-days | 30–60 person-days |
| Drata’s nearest scenario | About $28,000 (25-person startup) | Between $28,000 and $75,000 | About $75,000 (100-person) and above |
The engineering line is where SOC 2 really gets paid for: single sign-on and MFA everywhere, access reviews, logging and alerting, encrypted backups with a tested restore, change management through pull requests, vulnerability management and vendor reviews. If those already exist, the bill shrinks fast. If they do not, no tool can generate the evidence for you.
India-specific costs: GST, reverse charge and the rupee
- GST on Indian suppliers. Consulting, testing and software bought from Indian firms carries GST, normally 18% for these services, which a registered business can usually claim as input tax credit.
- Reverse charge on foreign suppliers. When an Indian business pays a foreign CPA firm or software vendor, GST on the imported service is generally paid by you under reverse charge, then claimed back as credit if eligible. It is a cash-flow cost even when it is recoverable.
- Withholding and remittance paperwork. Payments abroad can attract withholding tax and need bank remittance documents. Ask your chartered accountant before the first invoice, not after.
- Currency. Most audit and software contracts are priced in US dollars. A weaker rupee raises the renewal cost; budget with a margin or ask for INR pricing.
What SOC 2 costs after year one
SOC 2 is not a one-off. A Type 2 report covers a past period, so customers ask for a new one every year, and the evidence has to keep flowing between audits.
- An annual Type 2 audit at a similar fee, rising if scope grows.
- Software renewal, often priced on headcount or frameworks.
- An annual penetration test and a retest of fixes.
- Bridge letters from your auditor when a customer needs cover between report periods.
- Quarterly access reviews, vendor reviews, training and incident drills: steady internal time, much less than year one.
How to reduce SOC 2 compliance cost safely
- Scope tightly. Include the systems that hold customer data and leave out the marketing website and internal tools that do not.
- Pick only the criteria buyers ask for. Security (the common criteria) is mandatory; Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity and Privacy are optional. Each extra one adds controls and audit time.
- Build on ISO 27001 if you have it. Most controls overlap, so one control set mapped to both frameworks saves evidence work. Our ISO 27001 page covers the other side.
- Automate evidence where it is cheap. Cloud configuration, access reviews and ticket trails can be collected automatically; policies and risk assessments cannot.
- Fix before you buy. Software that reports 200 failing controls does not fix them. Close the obvious gaps first, then choose the tool.
- Combine the pentest. One test that covers the application, API and cloud configuration, timed inside the audit window, avoids paying twice. Our VAPT page explains scoping.
What to ask for in a SOC 2 quote
- Which licensed CPA entity will sign the report, and has a customer of yours accepted it before?
- Type 1, Type 2 or both, and the observation window proposed.
- Which Trust Services Criteria and which systems are in scope.
- What the readiness fee covers: assessment only, or remediation help too?
- Who writes the policies, and who collects evidence during the window?
- Whether the penetration test is included, and how many applications it covers.
- Software costs for year two and three, not just year one.
- Currency, GST treatment and payment schedule.
Red flags: a “SOC 2 certificate”, an audit “included” by a firm that is not a licensed CPA, a Type 2 promised in weeks with no observation period, and any quote that assumes your engineers have nothing to do.
How we help with SOC 2
We prepare you for the CPA firm and support you through the audit. We never issue the report ourselves.
Budget estimate and gap assessment
The problem
Sales has promised a SOC 2 date, and nobody knows how far away it is or what it will cost.
How we do it
A fixed-price gap assessment against the Trust Services Criteria you need, ending with a remediation backlog, a realistic timeline, a budget built from the seven cost lines on this page and a shortlist of CPA firms for you to contact.
What you get
- Gap report against the chosen criteria
- Remediation backlog with effort
- Budget by cost line
- Timeline to Type 1 and Type 2
Control implementation
The problem
The gap report lists sixty controls and your engineers are already busy with the roadmap.
How we do it
Our engineers implement the technical controls alongside yours: SSO and MFA, access reviews, logging and alerting, backups and restore tests, change management and vulnerability management. Policies are written around how you actually work.
What you get
- Technical controls implemented
- Policies your team will follow
- Evidence produced as a by-product
- Handover so your team can run it
Penetration test for the audit
The problem
Your auditor and your customers expect a recent penetration test, with fixes verified.
How we do it
A manual test of your application, API and cloud configuration inside the audit window, with a retest of fixed findings included and a report written for auditors as well as engineers.
What you get
- Manual application and API testing
- Cloud configuration review
- Retest of fixes
- Audit-ready report
Audit support and the year after
The problem
The observation window is running and evidence requests from the auditor keep arriving.
How we do it
We organise evidence, answer auditor queries alongside your team, and set up the quarterly routines (access reviews, vendor reviews, drills) so year two costs a fraction of year one. Evidence can live in our GRC Platform or your own tool.
What you get
- Evidence organised by control
- Auditor query support
- Quarterly compliance calendar
- Year-two cost plan
A typical route to a first SOC 2 report
Illustrative for a small or mid-sized SaaS company with a Type 2 target. Your timeline depends mostly on how many controls are missing at the start.
Gap assessment and budget
Scope, criteria, gap report, remediation backlog and a budget by cost line. You choose and contract the CPA firm.
Fix and document
Technical controls implemented, policies adopted, the penetration test run and fixes retested.
Type 1 report
If a deal needs it, the CPA firm tests control design at a point in time.
Type 2 observation window
Controls run and evidence accumulates. We keep the calendar and the evidence in order.
Type 2 audit
The CPA firm tests the period and issues the report. Then the annual cycle begins.
Compliance products we build and run
Both are ours, with public sites you can inspect before you talk to us.
GRC Platform
Governance, Risk & Compliance, automated Our GRC Platform holds risks, policies, controls and evidence for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA, with published prices from $499 a month and a 14-day trial of the Growth plan. Visit grc.radiatus.com
SemperWise
AI-first cybersecurity: VAPT, pentesting & compliance on SemperWise One™ The group’s AI-first cybersecurity platform for VAPT and compliance, used for penetration tests that feed SOC 2 evidence and track findings to closure. Visit semperwise.comGuides and related pages
Guides
Questions about SOC 2 compliance cost in India
For a small or mid-sized company, Drata’s March 2026 guide puts the CPA audit at $7,500 to $15,000 for Type 1 and $12,000 to $20,000 for Type 2, roughly ₹6.75 to 18 lakh at ₹90 to the dollar. Readiness, a penetration test and compliance software add more, and internal staff time is often the largest single cost. Drata’s own scenario for a 25-person startup is about $28,000 in year one.
Type 2 audits cost more because the auditor tests how controls operated over a period, commonly three to twelve months, rather than at a single date. Drata’s figures are $7,500 to $15,000 for Type 1 and $12,000 to $20,000 for Type 2 for small and mid-sized firms. Type 2 also needs months of evidence collection, which is internal time.
Only a licensed CPA firm can perform a SOC 2 examination and sign the report under the AICPA’s standards. Indian companies usually engage a US CPA firm or a firm working from India through a US-licensed affiliate. Ask which licensed entity will sign, and check that your customers accept it.
No, but it saves evidence work for teams with many cloud systems. Vendr’s purchase data shows median annual contracts of about $15,000 for Sprinto, $20,000 for Vanta and $24,934 for Drata. Smaller teams sometimes use a lighter GRC tool; our GRC Platform lists $499 a month for one framework. Fix obvious gaps before buying any tool.
Indian suppliers normally charge 18% GST on these services, which registered businesses can usually claim as input tax credit. When you pay a foreign CPA firm or software vendor, GST on the imported service is generally paid by you under reverse charge and then claimed back if eligible. Withholding tax may also apply; ask your chartered accountant.
A Type 1 can follow a few months of preparation if the gaps are small. A Type 2 adds an observation period, commonly three to twelve months, after the controls are in place. Many Indian SaaS companies get a Type 1 to unblock a deal and then a Type 2 with a three- to six-month window.
Scope only the systems that hold customer data, choose only the Trust Services Criteria your buyers ask for, reuse ISO 27001 controls if you have them, automate evidence for cloud configuration and access reviews, fix gaps before buying software, and run one penetration test covering application, API and cloud inside the audit window.
Expect a new Type 2 audit every year at a similar fee, software renewal, an annual penetration test, occasional bridge letters, and steady internal time for quarterly access and vendor reviews, training and drills. Year two usually costs noticeably less than year one because the controls and routines already exist.
Need a SOC 2 budget you can defend?
Tell us your headcount, cloud set-up, which customer is asking and by when. We will reply with the scope we would propose, the criteria you need and a budget by cost line.