TCSA vs Vanta. Software, a services firm, or both.
Vanta suits teams that have someone in-house to own compliance and want software that tests controls every hour, collects evidence and runs a trust center for many frameworks. Tranquility Cybersecurity (TCSA) suits teams that want the work done with them, from policies to the SOC 2 attestation, in one fee fixed before work starts. Many companies use both.
Vanta facts checked on Vanta’s own pages, October 2026
Two ways to the same report.
- Vanta is software. It connects to your cloud, identity, code and device tools, runs automated tests every hour and keeps audit evidence current across 35+ frameworks, in Vanta’s own figures.[1][7]
- TCSA is a services firm. Since 2017 our consultants and auditors have worked through 1,000+ audits, including 300+ SOC 2 engagements, writing the policies, preparing the evidence and answering the auditor’s questions with our clients.
- Neither one issues your SOC 2 report. An independent CPA firm does. With Vanta that firm is a separate engagement, which Vanta helps you find and you pay for.[4] With TCSA we arrange it, and its fee sits inside ours.
- Plenty of companies use both. The platform keeps evidence flowing between audits and a services firm does the human work around it. We work inside Vanta when a client already runs it.
Sources: Vanta homepage, Vanta for startups, Vanta SOC 2 product page. Checked October 2026.
Vanta and TCSA, row by row.
Every Vanta cell comes from Vanta’s own pages or its AWS Marketplace listing, with the source numbered beside it. The TCSA column is our own published scope and pricing, which you can check on our pricing page.
| Question | Vanta | Tranquility Cybersecurity (TCSA) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Compliance automation software, which Vanta calls an agentic trust platform. Founded in 2018, it says more than 16,000 companies rely on it.[1][12] | A compliance and security services firm, at work since 2017, with 1,000+ audits and 300+ SOC 2 engagements across India, the US, the UK, Australia and the UAE. |
| Who does the work | Your team, with the software doing the collecting. Vanta connects read-only to your cloud, identity, code and device tools, pulls evidence and maps it to controls.[7] It says no compliance hire is needed and that its in-house GRC experts are there for guidance.[4] Its terms leave the customer solely responsible for its compliance obligations.[5] | Our consultants and auditors, alongside your team. We write your policies, prepare the evidence your auditor tests and answer their questions in the audit sessions. Your team approves the documents, grants access and makes the engineering changes. |
| What is included | On Essentials: one framework with an agentic policy generator, automated evidence collection, continuous controls monitoring, an Auditor API, a Trust Center and access to expert partners. Plus adds questionnaire automation and access management, and Professional adds risk management.[2] | Scoping and gap assessment, control design, policies written for your environment, evidence preparation, remediation guidance and coordination with the auditor. For SOC 2 the independent CPA attestation is included. |
| The auditor | A separate engagement. Vanta connects you with AICPA peer-reviewed auditors from a partner network of 100+ firms, or works with an auditor you already have.[4][6] | Included for SOC 2. We source and pay an independent, US-licensed CPA firm enrolled in AICPA peer review, and name it before you sign with us, together with its licence number, the state board that issued it, and its current AICPA peer review enrolment. For ISO 27001 an accredited certification body issues the certificate. |
| Penetration testing | Through partners. Vanta lists penetration tests among the services its partners provide,[10] and its terms say such services are performed by an independent third party, not by Vanta.[5] | Offered by TCSA. We run VAPT and retests, with 10,000+ vulnerabilities found to date. We deliver CERT-In audits, end to end, with our CERT-In empanelled partners. |
| Pricing model | An annual subscription, “tiered based on company size and program complexity”. No prices on Vanta’s pricing page. On AWS Marketplace, 12-month starting prices for 1–20 employees are $14,000 (Essentials), $21,500 (Plus) and $23,000 (Professional).[2][3] Audit fees are paid to the audit firm.[11] | A fee per engagement, fixed before work starts, with no subscription. SOC 2 Type 1 USD 2,500–5,000 (₹2–3 Lakh) and Type 2 USD 3,000–10,000 (₹3–5 Lakh), attestation included. ISO 27001 year one USD 3,000–6,000 (₹2–4 Lakh), including the certification body’s fee, which the body charges directly. |
| Time to a report | For SOC 2, Vanta says timing “depends on your program scope and pace”.[7] For ISO 27001 it says “Most teams certify in 12–24 weeks”.[8] | 6–8 weeks to audit-ready for SOC 2, then the Type 1 report. A Type 2 report commonly follows a 3–12 month observation window, on any route. With us, Type 2 takes 14–16 weeks end to end, including the 12-week minimum observation window. |
| Frameworks | 35+ listed, from SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS to FedRAMP, CPS 234 and Cyber Essentials, plus custom frameworks. India’s DPDP Act, CERT-In, RBI and SEBI CSCRF, and UAE frameworks, were not listed when we checked.[9] | 20+ frameworks, including SOC 1, SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA, GDPR, India’s DPDP Act and RBI audits. |
| Where it works | Offices in San Francisco, New York, Sydney, Dublin and London.[12] Hosting regions in the US, the EU and Australia.[13] | Based in India, with clients in India, the US, the UK, Australia and the UAE. There is no software to host. We work in your systems, or inside the platform you already run. |
| Best for | Teams with an internal owner for compliance, a cloud stack it integrates with, several frameworks on the roadmap and a steady flow of security questionnaires. | Teams that want experienced people to do the work, one fee that includes the SOC 2 attestation, penetration testing from the same firm, or India’s DPDP and RBI requirements alongside SOC 2 and ISO 27001. |
Sources: Vanta homepage, Vanta pricing, Vanta on AWS Marketplace (Sold by: Vanta), Vanta for startups, Vanta Master Subscription Agreement (last revised November 21, 2025), Vanta audit product page, Vanta SOC 2 product page, Vanta ISO 27001 product page, Vanta frameworks page, Vanta automated compliance page, Vanta SOC 2 audit cost guide, Vanta About page, Vanta help center: EU and AUS regions. Checked October 2026.
What Vanta does well.
These strengths come straight from Vanta’s own pages, and they are real reasons to buy it. Where a figure is Vanta’s, we say so.
Integrations and hourly tests
Vanta says it integrates with 400+ tools and runs 1,400+ automated tests that monitor controls hourly, through read-only connections to services like AWS, Azure, GCP, Okta and GitHub. Evidence stays current between audits instead of being gathered once a year.[7]
Breadth of frameworks
35+ frameworks on one platform, from SOC 2 and ISO 27001 to HIPAA, ISO 42001, DORA and FedRAMP, with custom frameworks for anything not on the list. For ISO 27001 it generates the Statement of Applicability.[8][9]
An auditor network
Vanta reports 100+ partner audit firms and 26,000+ audits completed through Vanta. Auditors work inside the platform or through its Auditor API, and you can bring your own.[2][6]
A hosted Trust Center
Vanta hosts 6,000+ Trust Center pages, sold on their own or as an add-on, with an AI chatbot for buyers and, on the Advanced tier, CRM and NDA integrations for access requests.[15]
Questionnaire automation
Vanta says its AI answers an average of 80% or more of security questions and that its answers are accepted up to 95% of the time, adding that results vary with the knowledge base behind them.[16]
Sources: Vanta homepage, Vanta pricing, Vanta audit product page, Vanta SOC 2 product page, Vanta ISO 27001 product page, Vanta frameworks page, Vanta Series D announcement (July 23, 2025), Vanta Trust Center page, Vanta Questionnaire Automation page. Checked October 2026.
What a Vanta subscription leaves to others.
This is how compliance platforms are built, not a gap peculiar to Vanta, and Vanta says it plainly. It only matters when you compare prices or plan who will do the work.
- The audit. Vanta’s startup FAQ says “The audit is a separate engagement”, with an auditor from its partner network or your own.[4] Its SOC 2 cost guide puts a typical audit fee at $10,000 to $50,000, paid every year alongside the platform renewal.[11]
- Penetration tests and other third-party services. Vanta’s terms say audits and penetration tests ordered through it are performed by an independent third party, not by Vanta, and that the customer may need a separate engagement letter with that party.[5]
- The compliance work itself. Vanta drafts policies with AI and flags failing tests, and its terms say the services, “to the extent applicable, are only tools for assisting customer in meeting the various compliance obligations for which it solely is responsible” (capitals in the original).[5] Its own cost guide estimates about $10,000 for writing policies, defining controls and training staff, “often with a consultant”.[11]
- Extra modules. On AWS Marketplace, Trust Center Advanced, Questionnaire Automation and third-party risk management are listed as separate 12-month items.[3]
We don’t issue SOC 2 reports either. An independent CPA firm does, on every route. The difference is who arranges the audit, who pays for it and whose hours the preparation takes. Our guide to what SOC 2 automation actually automates draws that line in detail.
Sources: Vanta on AWS Marketplace (Sold by: Vanta), Vanta for startups, Vanta Master Subscription Agreement (last revised November 21, 2025), Vanta SOC 2 audit cost guide. Checked October 2026.
What the money buys on each route.
Vanta’s figures are list prices for its smallest company band and its own estimates of the audit market. Ours are indicative bands, fixed before work starts. Read the rows, not just the totals.
| Line item | With Vanta | With TCSA |
|---|---|---|
| Software | An annual subscription, from $14,000 a year for Essentials at 1–20 employees (AWS Marketplace list price).[3] | None. If you already run a platform, we work inside it. |
| Readiness work | Your team, with Vanta’s templates and AI drafts. Vanta’s cost guide estimates about $10,000 for policies, controls and training, “often with a consultant”.[11] | Included in our fee. |
| SOC 2 audit | A separate engagement with the audit firm.[4] Vanta’s cost guide says the fee “usually runs between $10,000 and $50,000”.[11] | Included. Type 1 USD 2,500–5,000 (₹2–3 Lakh), Type 2 USD 3,000–10,000 (₹3–5 Lakh), all-in. |
| Years two and three | In Vanta’s words, every year you pay for a fresh audit and renew your compliance platform subscription.[11] | The SOC 2 re-audit is ₹2–3 Lakh (USD 3,500–4,000) a year, attestation included. |
| Extra modules | Listed separately on AWS Marketplace, per 12 months: Trust Center Advanced $10,000 (1–20 employees), Questionnaire Automation $10,000 (144 questionnaires), third-party risk management $13,600 (up to 50 vendors).[3] | We don’t sell software modules. |
A straight dollar comparison flatters us and misses the point. Vanta’s subscription buys continuous monitoring, a Trust Center and software that grows with each framework you add, which our fee doesn’t include, and our fee buys people and an attestation that its subscription doesn’t. The three-year arithmetic is in SOC 2 total cost of ownership, and our bands for every framework are on the pricing page.
Sources: Vanta on AWS Marketplace (Sold by: Vanta), Vanta for startups, Vanta SOC 2 audit cost guide. Checked October 2026.
When each one fits.
When to choose Vanta
- Someone at your company owns compliance and will work in the tool between audits.
- Most of your evidence lives in cloud and SaaS tools that Vanta integrates with.
- Several frameworks on your roadmap are on Vanta’s list, and you want one evidence base behind them.
- Security questionnaires arrive every week, and your sales team would use a Trust Center.
- You want controls watched continuously, not prepared once a year.
When to choose TCSA
- No one owns compliance yet, and you would rather have experienced people do the work than learn it on the job.
- You want one fee, fixed before work starts, that includes the SOC 2 attestation and carries no subscription.
- You want penetration testing from the same firm that prepares your audit.
- India’s DPDP Act, RBI requirements or CERT-In work sit alongside your SOC 2 or ISO 27001. We deliver CERT-In audits, end to end, with our CERT-In empanelled partners.
- You already run Vanta and want hands to close what it flags.
If the answer is still unclear, the deciding variables are set out in compliance platform vs consultant and do you need SOC 2 software.
Sources: Vanta SOC 2 product page, Vanta frameworks page, Vanta Trust Center page, Vanta Questionnaire Automation page. Checked October 2026.
Vanta and TCSA, working together.
Vanta itself pairs its platform with services firms. It runs a partner program for vCISOs, MSPs and MSSPs,[17] sells its platform bundled with partner services on AWS Marketplace,[18] and includes access to expert partners in its Essentials plan.[2]
- Vanta does the watching. Integrations pull evidence, hourly tests flag drift between audits, and the Trust Center answers buyers.
- We do the judgment calls. Scoping, policies written to how you actually operate, help closing what the tests flag, penetration testing and preparing your team for the auditor.
- The auditor stays independent. Keep an auditor you found through Vanta, or let us bring an independent CPA firm. Either way, the firm that audits you is not the one that prepared you.
- No second tool. If you already run Vanta, we work inside it, so your evidence stays in one place.
This comparison is our own, written from Vanta’s public pages, and Vanta has not reviewed or endorsed it. Vanta is a trademark of Vanta Inc. Sources: Vanta pricing, Vanta service partners program, Vanta on platform and services bundles in AWS Marketplace. Checked October 2026.
TCSA vs Vanta, the questions buyers ask.
Is Tranquility Cybersecurity (TCSA) an alternative to Vanta?
Does Vanta include the SOC 2 audit?
How much does Vanta cost?
Can TCSA work with a company that already uses Vanta?
Does Vanta cover India’s DPDP Act?
Which route gets a SOC 2 report sooner?
Who issues the SOC 2 report and the ISO 27001 certificate on each route?
Sources: Vanta pricing, Vanta on AWS Marketplace (Sold by: Vanta), Vanta for startups, Vanta Master Subscription Agreement (last revised November 21, 2025), Vanta audit product page, Vanta SOC 2 product page, Vanta frameworks page, Vanta SOC 2 audit cost guide. Checked October 2026.
Where every Vanta fact comes from.
We read each page below on 5 October 2026 (UTC) and checked it again in a second, independent pass. Vanta updates its pages and prices, so check the live page before you rely on a figure. Figures about TCSA come from our pricing and proof pages.
- 01Vanta homepage
16,000+ customers, 35+ frameworks, the Forrester Wave Q2 2026 mention.
www.vanta.com/ · checked 5 October 2026 - 02Vanta pricing
Four tiers, no published prices, what Essentials includes, access to expert partners.
www.vanta.com/pricing · checked 5 October 2026 - 03Vanta on AWS Marketplace (Sold by: Vanta)
12-month list prices in USD, “tiered based on company size and program complexity”.
aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-5ophamrbfxt44 · checked 5 October 2026 - 04Vanta for startups
The audit as a separate engagement, partner auditors, no compliance hire, the free trial.
www.vanta.com/solutions/startup · checked 5 October 2026 - 05Vanta Master Subscription Agreement (last revised November 21, 2025)
Sections 7.3 and 10.11.2: compliance responsibility, and audits and penetration tests by third parties.
www.vanta.com/legal/terms · checked 5 October 2026 - 06Vanta audit product page
100+ audit firms, 26,000+ audits completed through Vanta, bring your own auditor.
www.vanta.com/products/audit · checked 5 October 2026 - 07Vanta SOC 2 product page
1,400+ automated tests, 400+ integrations, read-only connections, SOC 2 timing and audit pricing.
www.vanta.com/products/soc-2 · checked 5 October 2026 - 08Vanta ISO 27001 product page
“Most teams certify in 12–24 weeks”, the generated Statement of Applicability.
www.vanta.com/products/iso-27001 · checked 5 October 2026 - 09Vanta frameworks page
The 35+ frameworks listed, and custom frameworks.
www.vanta.com/products/additional-frameworks · checked 5 October 2026 - 10Vanta automated compliance page
Partner services including penetration tests and vCISOs, policy templates, training and background checks.
www.vanta.com/products/automated-compliance · checked 5 October 2026 - 11Vanta SOC 2 audit cost guide
Audit fee $10,000–$50,000, first-year all-in $10,000–$80,000 or more, prep “often with a consultant”, yearly audit and renewal.
www.vanta.com/collection/soc-2/soc-2-audit-cost · checked 5 October 2026 - 12Vanta About page
Founded in 2018, offices, “over 16,000 companies rely on Vanta”.
www.vanta.com/company/about · checked 5 October 2026 - 13Vanta help center: EU and AUS regions
Hosting regions in the US, the EU and Australia.
help.vanta.com/en/articles/14667543-vanta-eu-and-aus-regions-sign-in-integrations-and-data-residency · checked 5 October 2026 - 14Vanta Series D announcement (July 23, 2025)
$150M Series D at a $4.15 billion valuation.
www.vanta.com/resources/vanta-announces-series-d · checked 5 October 2026 - 15Vanta Trust Center page
6,000+ Trust Center pages hosted, standalone or add-on, the Advanced tier’s integrations.
www.vanta.com/products/trust-center · checked 5 October 2026 - 16Vanta Questionnaire Automation page
Answer and acceptance rates, with Vanta’s caveat that results vary.
www.vanta.com/products/questionnaire-automation · checked 5 October 2026 - 17Vanta service partners program
The partner program for vCISOs, MSPs and MSSPs.
www.vanta.com/partners/service-providers · checked 5 October 2026 - 18Vanta on platform and services bundles in AWS Marketplace
“Monitoring and audit tools alongside expert guidance”.
www.vanta.com/resources/vanta-announces-the-availability-of-two-multi-product-solutions-in-aws-marketplace · checked 5 October 2026
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Read moreNot sure which route fits? Ask an auditor.
Tell us what your customers are asking for and what you already run, Vanta included. We will tell you plainly whether you need us, the platform, or both, drawing on 1,000+ audits and 300+ SOC 2 engagements.
Last reviewed October 2026. Vanta facts checked against Vanta’s own pages.