Monitoring, not just checklists
Ask which controls are tested continuously from live system data and which are attestations someone uploads. Continuous monitoring is what keeps you audit-ready between audits.
Shortlist
How to choose compliance automation software
Six platforms that monitor controls and collect evidence for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and beyond — each described from its own public pages, unranked and sourced.
Compliance automation software connects to your cloud, identity, HR and code systems, tests your controls continuously and collects the evidence an auditor asks for. For a first SOC 2 or ISO 27001, Vanta, Drata, Secureframe and Sprinto differ mostly on entry tier, how extra frameworks are priced and where data is hosted; Thoropass sells the audit and the software together. Noru suits teams whose next obligations are GDPR, NIS2, DORA or the EU AI Act, with one control library across 30+ frameworks and privacy records kept current from code.
Disclosure: Noru publishes this page and is one of the platforms on it. The entries are unranked, each one describes the vendor from its own public pages, and those pages were last checked on .
What separates compliance automation tools
How extra frameworks are priced
Several platforms include one framework on the entry tier and sell each additional one. Price the list you need over the next 18 months, not the first certificate.
Who does the audit
Most platforms leave the audit to a separate firm; one is itself an audit firm. Get an auditor's quote before you compare platform quotes.
Where your data is hosted
EU hosting is the default on some platforms, an option on others, and UK or US only on a few. Check before your own customers' security reviews ask.
6 compliance automation platforms to evaluate
In no particular order after Noru. Each summary paraphrases the vendor's own positioning; follow the link to check it.
Noru
Suits: EU-based teams carrying privacy and EU regulation alongside a security framework.
Our product. A compliance platform built in Stockholm that runs SOC 2 and ISO 27001 alongside GDPR, NIS2, DORA and the EU AI Act from one control library across 30+ frameworks, with EU data residency for every customer.
Its difference is privacy operations: Article 30 records and a data map derived from source code and CI rather than maintained by hand. Noru publishes no prices; it licenses the platform plus capability packages, priced per deployment.
Vanta
Suits: Buyers who want the largest stated catalogue among the established platforms.
Describes itself as one automated platform for compliance, risk and customer trust, covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and 35+ frameworks, including NIS 2, DORA, the EU AI Act and FedRAMP.
No published prices; four tiers, with one framework on Essentials. Professional services are outside the subscription, with an optional auditor bundle. EU hosting in Frankfurt on request.
Drata
Suits: Teams that want to choose a European hosting region at sign-up.
Describes itself as an agentic trust management platform with 30+ pre-built frameworks, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS 2, DORA, ISO 42001 and FedRAMP.
No published prices; three tiers, with Foundation capped at 50 employees and one framework and additional frameworks sold as an add-on. Customers choose a North American, European or Asia-Pacific region.
Secureframe
Suits: Teams that want a published starting price to budget against, or a CMMC tier.
Describes compliance, risk and trust automation backed by in-house experts, with named frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2, DORA, the EU AI Act, ISO 42001 and FedRAMP.
Publishes a starting price for its Fundamentals tier and quotes the rest, including a CMMC-focused Defense tier. One framework per tier, more can be added. Hosts on AWS US East or AWS London.
Sprinto
Suits: Startups on a first certification that want a broad framework directory and EU hosting.
Calls itself an autonomous trust platform with AI agents for evidence, remediation, vendors and trust. Its pricing page cites 25+ frameworks automated out of the box and 200+ digitised, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 42001 and DORA, with a NIS 2 offering.
No published prices; Foundation and Growth tiers, with additional frameworks as an add-on. Sprinto states the audit fee and subscription are separate bills, and hosts on AWS with a primary EU region in Frankfurt.
Thoropass
Suits: Teams that want one contract covering software and audit.
A licensed audit firm that also builds the compliance software, so the audit and the platform come from one vendor. Lists SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2, HIPAA, HITRUST and PCI DSS among others, with ISO 42001 audits.
No published prices; the quote reflects both the software and the audit and scales with frameworks, audit scope and company size. Announced an MCP server for AI agents in July 2026.
How to narrow the list
- Write down the frameworks and regulations you must meet in the next 18 months, not just the one a customer asked for this quarter. Price every platform against that list.
- Decide where your compliance data has to live. Some platforms host in the EU by default, some on request, and some only in the UK or US.
- Ask whether the audit is included, and if not, get an audit firm's quote before you compare platform quotes.
- Check how privacy is handled: as one more framework checklist, or as records of processing kept current from the systems that hold personal data.
- Run a demo against your own systems and evidence, and ask each vendor how you would export your programme if you left.
What does compliance automation software do?
It connects to the systems you already run, checks your controls against frameworks such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001 continuously, collects evidence automatically and flags drift before an auditor finds it. Most platforms also manage policies, a risk register, vendor reviews and a public trust center.
What is the difference between compliance automation and compliance monitoring?
Monitoring is the part that watches controls continuously and alerts when one fails. Automation also covers collecting evidence, assigning remediation and preparing the audit. The platforms on this page do both.
Which compliance automation software is best for SOC 2?
For a first SOC 2, Vanta, Drata, Secureframe and Sprinto are the platforms most often shortlisted, and Thoropass if you want the audit on the same contract. If SOC 2 is the first of several frameworks, especially GDPR or EU regulation, compare how each one prices the next.
Which compliance automation platforms publish prices?
Of the platforms on this page, only Secureframe publishes a figure, a starting price for its entry tier. Vanta, Drata, Sprinto, Thoropass and Noru quote on request. Our pricing guides set out the third-party figures on the public record.
Does Noru train AI on our compliance data?
No. Noru never uses customer data to train, fine-tune or evaluate a model, and every AI feature runs under zero data retention terms — both written into its Terms and DPA. Ask every vendor on your shortlist for the same commitments in writing.
Primary sources
Every claim about the vendors listed on this page comes from the public pages below, last checked on . Competitor products and prices change — if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
- Vanta — homepage and framework count
- Vanta — pricing and tiers
- Vanta Help Center — EU and AUS regions and data residency
- Drata — product overview
- Drata — plans
- Drata Help Center — regions and multi-instance management
- Secureframe — product overview
- Secureframe — pricing
- Secureframe — data residency
- Sprinto — product overview
- Sprinto — pricing
- Sprinto Trust Center — hosting controls
- Thoropass — product overview
- Thoropass — pricing
Put Noru on the shortlist
A walkthrough against your frameworks, integrations and evidence — and a straight answer on whether Noru belongs on your shortlist.