Comparing Vanta Alternatives: Which Compliance Tool Is Right for Your Team?

But even in the era of automated compliance, no tool is perfect.

The same rigidity that makes these platforms easy to adopt can also leave teams hemmed in by templates. Alerts multiply. Costs creep up. And what once felt like liberation starts to feel, ironically, like another layer of oversight.

This is the paradox of modern compliance software: the more it automates, the more companies expect it to anticipate, adapt, and scale. And that expectation has fueled an expanding market of competitors, each promising a smarter, leaner path through the thicket of regulations.

In our new article, we take a clear-eyed look at the leading Vanta competitors. We unpack their strengths, their weaknesses, and, most importantly, the types of companies that benefit most from each of them.

Key takeaways

• Vanta is popular but can feel rigid, pricey, and noisy for growing teams.
• Drata, Secureframe, Sprinto, Scrut, and Strike Graph are the best Vanta replacement tools. And each brings unique strengths like deeper automation, wider framework coverage, or SMB-friendly pricing.
• The right platform depends on your stage. Startups and SMBs: Sprinto, Scrut, Strike Graph for affordability and speed. Scaling teams: Drata and Secureframe for breadth, automation, and multi-framework support.
• Don’t just compare features. Look at cost, integrations, auditor familiarity, and support.
• A compliance tool should lighten your team’s workload, not add noise.

Key Drawbacks of Vanta that Make You Look for Alternatives

Vanta is a reliable tool, and it has already helped many organizations streamline compliance. However, there are some limitations that often push teams to explore other platforms and Vanta alternatives. Below you can find the list of the main challenges we’ve seen in our practice (SOC 2 compliance services, ISO 27001 consulting, etc.) and pitfalls most users report.

High cost and pricing concerns

Vanta’s pricing model can be restrictive for small and mid-sized businesses. Many advanced features, like detailed risk management or advanced questionnaires, are locked behind higher-tier subscriptions. This creates an imbalance between cost and value for teams with tight budgets, especially concerning compliance monitoring.

Limited customization and lack of flexibility

The platform relies heavily on rigid templates. On one hand, this keeps things simple. On the other hand, it limits flexibility for organizations with unique requirements.

This lack of flexibility often makes businesses look for Vanta replacement solutions. Compliance is rarely one-size-fits-all, and many teams find Vanta’s structure too narrow to cover edge cases or custom workflows.

Too basic automation

Although Vanta positions itself as an automation-first platform, many processes still require manual input and oversight. This can include evidence collection, workflow adjustments, or exception handling. The extra manual effort can offset the time savings for lean security teams expecting end-to-end automation.

Integration gaps

Vanta lists 300+ pre-built integrations and supports private integrations. However, highly custom stacks may still need one-off connectors or periodic maintenance. This can add unnecessary overhead for security and engineering leaders managing complex environments,

Alert overload and coverage gaps

Users often report being overwhelmed by the number of alerts and notifications generated by the platform. Instead of simplifying monitoring, this creates noise that requires manual filtering and increases the risk of missing critical issues.

There is another pitfall that makes users look for alternatives to Vanta Cybersecurity.  This platform focuses strongly on compliance but doesn’t always provide the deeper security functionality that serving organizations need. Those who seek advanced security insights, threat monitoring, or broader risk management may find the security coverage insufficient.

Limited customer support and scaling friction

Some users note that onboarding and ongoing support are limited. Combined with the platform’s difficult learning curve, this can slow down adoption. Additionally, as companies grow, they often find that the platform doesn’t scale well with their evolving needs, so they have to find alternatives to Vanta.

Top 5 Alternatives to Vanta

Several platforms compete with Vanta in the compliance automation area. Each has its own strengths, weaknesses, and best-fit use cases. We chose the five most common Vanta Cybersecurity alternatives based on our experience with different security projects.

1. Drata
2. Secureframe
3. Sprinto
4. Scrut Automation
5. Strike Graph

Drata

Drata is an AI-powered compliance and risk management platform. It helps organizations automate evidence collection, maintain continuous compliance, and centralize governance, risk, and assurance in a single system, fulfilling various compliance requirements. The tool supports major frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, NIST, and HITRUST.

Why choose Drata over Vanta

Drata’s biggest differentiator is automation depth. It uses AI to:

• streamline audits,
• automate access reviews,
• and answer security questionnaires.

With integrations across cloud providers, developer tools, HRIS, ticketing systems, and more, Drata provides real-time monitoring across the entire tech stack. Its “Compliance as Code” approach also allows teams to embed compliance into their software development lifecycle.

Drata drawbacks

Despite its powerful automation capabilities, Drata isn’t always the best fit for every team. Many smaller or less technical organizations find the platform complex to set up and manage, especially compared to Vanta’s simpler dashboards and templates. The learning curve can be steep, requiring more hands-on effort to fully leverage its features.

Best fit for Drata

Drata is well-suited for mid-market organizations that want to scale compliance across multiple frameworks and need strong integrations with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or developer ecosystems. It’s also a strong option for startups preparing to scale quickly and aiming to position trust as a growth driver.

Secureframe

Secureframe is a compliance automation and risk management platform built for fast onboarding and multi-framework readiness. It supports SOC 2, ISO 27001 compliance, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, CMMC 2.0, FedRAMP, NIST CSF 2.0, and even AI-related frameworks like ISO 42001.

The platform combines automation with in-house compliance expertise.

Why choose Secureframe over Vanta

Secureframe shines in breadth of coverage. It includes more frameworks out of the box and provides pre-built policies, security awareness training, and vendor risk management tools. Its onboarding process is designed to accelerate audit readiness, with AI-powered remediation and questionnaire automation.

Secureframe drawbacks

• Secureframe’s interface is less intuitive for beginners.
• Some integrations require more manual setup and maintenance.
• Pricing can also be higher, especially for smaller companies that only need SOC 2 or ISO 27001.

Vanta may be simpler for SMBs

Best fit for Secureframe

Secureframe is best for mid-sized companies managing multiple compliance frameworks, or organizations in regulated industries that need FedRAMP, CMMC, or advanced privacy and AI standards.

Sprinto

Sprinto is a cloud-native compliance management platform tailored to fast-growing companies. It supports 20+ regulatory frameworks, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, and FedRAMP.

Sprinto combines automation with expert-led implementation. The platform offers low-touch compliance workflows, continuous monitoring, and auditor-ready evidence collection.

Why choose Sprinto over Vanta

Sprinto is known for being affordable and accessible to startups and SMBs. It offers:

• Automation-led compliance programs that reduce manual work.
• Hands-on support from compliance experts from Day 1.
• Wide integration library (200+ cloud services) that makes it easy to map controls and automate checks.

Features like an auditor’s dashboard, automated alerts, and built-in risk assessment help smaller teams manage compliance without a heavy internal lift.

Sprinto drawbacks

Sprinto is built for speed and affordability, but it has some trade-offs. It doesn’t yet have the same brand recognition or long-standing auditor relationships that Vanta offers, which can matter during formal audits.

For organizations with highly complex compliance programs or multi-entity structures, Sprinto’s feature set may feel lighter compared to Vanta. Finally, while Sprinto is designed to be simple, Vanta’s polished templates and beginner-friendly dashboards can still feel easier for teams completely new to compliance.

Best fit for Sprinto

Sprinto is best suited for startups and small to mid-sized businesses that need affordable, automation-first compliance management with expert support. It’s particularly attractive for cloud-native companies looking to scale fast without building a large in-house compliance team.

Scrut Automation

Scrut Automation is a risk-first compliance automation platform that combines GRC capabilities with affordability and flexibility. It supports 60+ compliance regulations out of the box (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, NIST AI RMF, and more) and allows teams to build custom frameworks tailored to their needs.

Scrut offers continuous monitoring, automated evidence collection, configurable workflows, and hands-on expert guidance.

Why choose Scrut Automation over Vanta

Scrut is built to be highly configurable, giving startups and SMBs more flexibility to design compliance programs that reflect their unique risks instead of just following out-of-the-box checklists. It supports a wider range of frameworks than Vanta, including emerging ones like NIST AI RMF and ISO 42001, making it future-ready.

The platform also automates:

• risk assessments,
• control monitoring,
• and recurring workflows.

Lean teams can save significant time. Scrut Automation is also more affordable compared to Vanta.

Scrut Automation drawbacks

Scrut is still growing its brand recognition and auditor familiarity. While Vanta is widely known and accepted by auditors and investors, Scrut may require more explanation during due diligence or external reviews.

Its flexibility can also be a double-edged sword. Teams without compliance experience may find the configurability overwhelming compared to Vanta’s simpler, template-driven approach. Finally, Vanta’s user interface is often seen as more polished for first-time compliance projects.

Best fit for Scrut Automation

Scrut is a strong choice for startups and SMBs that:

• want more control over their compliance program,
• need coverage across multiple frameworks,
• in search of an affordable alternative to Vanta.

It’s especially useful for companies in industries like SaaS, healthcare, or fintech, where managed services evolving risk and regulatory requirements demand flexibility.

Strike Graph

Strike Graph is an AI-powered compliance automation platform built to simplify certifications like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR. It focuses on flexibility and speed. The company also aims to help smaller organizations:

• build trust with customers,
• reduce manual effort,
• stay continuously audit-ready.

The platform includes automated evidence collection, multi-framework mapping, customizable workflows, and Verify AI for streamlining security questionnaires.

Why choose Strike Graph over Vanta

Strike Graph is often more affordable and flexible for SMBs. It has flexible pricing models that allow startups to only pay for the frameworks they need.

The platform offers an AI-native approach that automates evidence collection and audit preparation and reduces the workload on small teams. Quick-start integrations make setup easier and faster than many competitors.

Strike Graph also shines in helping businesses manage multiple frameworks at once. It is possible through reusing controls across SOC 2, ISO, and GDPR, saving time and avoiding duplicate work.

Strike Graph drawbacks

Strike Graph, while flexible, may lack some of the depth of integrations and enterprise-level reporting that larger organizations expect. Its interface, although straightforward, doesn’t have the same polish as Vanta’s, and smaller teams without prior compliance experience might need extra support to configure their program effectively.

Best fit for Strike Graph

This is a smart choice for startups and SMBs that want to get audit-ready quickly and affordably. It’s especially useful for companies chasing their first SOC 2 or ISO certification and for those that want flexibility to scale into additional frameworks later.

If your team values AI-powered automation to cut down on manual tasks and prefers to grow compliance step by step, Strike Graph is a practical alternative.

Key Features of the Cybersecurity Automation and Compliance Tool

Cybersecurity automation and compliance platforms are designed to reduce manual work, improve visibility, and help organizations meet regulatory requirements more easily. Accordingly, they have to offer a specific list of features to fulfill these goals. Let’s take a closer look at basic must-have functionality.

Automated evidence collection and reporting

The tool continuously collects logs, configurations, and control evidence from integrated systems. Automated reporting then packages this data into audit-ready formats. This feature is critical as it greatly reduces preparation time and manual errors.

Continuous monitoring and data analytics

Analytics engines process large volumes of data from regulatory requirements, internal policies, and operations. This helps detect anomalies, reveal patterns, and highlight potential areas of non-compliance before they escalate.

Instead of point-in-time checks, the tool tracks compliance status in real time. Alerts highlight misconfigurations, missing controls, or security gaps as soon as they occur. This functionality lowers the risk of missed issues and the likelihood of fines or penalties.

Pre-built compliance framework mapping

Support for common standards such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR comes with ready-to-use templates. These frameworks help teams align with industry requirements without building everything from scratch. This must be the bare minimum for every truly efficient compliance tool.

Integration with existing systems

The tool connects with cloud providers, identity platforms, code repositories, and ticketing systems. Integrations allow compliance tasks to fit into existing workflows rather than requiring parallel processes.

Risk management

The compliance platform must support structured risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and compliance gaps. In most cases, identified risks are logged, tracked, and assigned to owners.

Built-in workflows help prioritize remediation, ensuring that issues don’t remain unresolved. Such functionality also helps security teams focus resources on the areas that matter most.

Policy automation

Policies can be created, updated, and distributed directly within the platform. In this case, automated policy workflows must ensure staff acknowledgment, version tracking, and consistent enforcement across the organization. So, as Vanta has this functionality, Vanta-alternative tools must also offer it.

Role-based access control (RBAC)

This feature isn’t obvious, but it’s critical. Granular permissions allow different teams (security, engineering, operations, compliance, etc.) to access only the information relevant to them. This helps maintain both security and accountability.

Audit monitoring and centralized dashboards

Dashboards consolidate compliance, risk, and security data into a single interface. This gives leadership and security teams a clear, organization-wide view of compliance status, risk trends, and outstanding issues.

AI and Machine Learning capabilities

AI and ML technologies are an integral part of any modern tool, not only compliance. They are the main way to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy in monitoring, and enable quicker threat response.

Over time, this also lowers operational costs while strengthening the organization’s overall security posture. So any reliable security and compliance automation platform actively implements such capabilities.

How to Choose the Right Compliance Automation Tool

In two words, the best choice of compliance platform depends on your size, stage, and industry. Most tools promise automation and audit readiness, but the proper one balances cost, flexibility, and support with the frameworks you actually need.

Let’s take a look at some points to pay attention to.

Clarify your goals

If you need SOC 2 or ISO 27001 fast to close deals, choose a tool with quick setup, auditor recognition, and ready-to-use templates. If you’re building a long-term GRC program, look for configurability, multi-framework support, and strong risk management.

Check framework coverage

Not all tools cover the same standards. Make sure yours supports what matters now (HIPAA for healthcare, PCI DSS for payments, GDPR for EU data, etc.) and what you’ll need as you grow.

Look at automation

Some platforms only manage tasks. Others automate evidence collection, control monitoring, and risk checks. The more it automates, the less your team has to do by hand.

Think about integrations

Your tool should work with the systems you already use: cloud, HR, ticketing, identity management, and so on. Good integrations save time and scale with your business.

Balance price and support

The cost of SOC 2 audit and the ISO 27001 audit are different. The same is true for platforms and their multiple pricing tiers.

Some tools reserve advanced features for expensive enterprise plans, while others focus on affordability. Don’t just compare prices. Look at the support you’ll get. Will you have expert help, or be left to figure it out yourself?

The right compliance tool makes the certification process easier. The best platform must:

• Fit your needs today.
• Grow with you tomorrow.
• Lighten the load on your team.

Get expert help choosing the right compliance tool

From our own experience, the right choice of a compliance platform is only half the challenge. The real task is to make it work for your business precisely, without drowning in costs or endless alerts.

That’s where our vCISO and consulting team can help. We’ll guide you in:

• Choosing the tool that best fits your stage and industry.
• Workflow customization, so they support audits instead of slowing you down.
• An automation setup that reduces noise while cutting manual work.
• Robust security measures.

Wrapping Up: What’s Next for Compliance Automation Tools?

Compliance used to mean binders, spreadsheets, and late-night panic before an audit. Now, automation platforms promise to make all that background noise disappear without significant effort. They pull evidence straight from your systems, keep an eye on risks in real time, and hand you audit-ready reports at the push of a button.

But this is just the starting line. Compliance platforms will move from simple checklist management to full-scale risk-first automation, where tools not only prove compliance but actively strengthen security. Expect to see:

• AI copilots for risk management and compliance, security documentation, security ratings, compliance reports, and so on. It will cut through noise, suggest remediations, and adapt compliance processes and frameworks automatically.
• Deeper integrations with cloud, DevOps, and third-party vendors' systems. They will make automated compliance and third-party risk management a seamless part of daily operations.
• Multi-framework unification, where one control set powers certifications across SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA, GDPR, and emerging security frameworks and standards like AI regulations.
• Continuous assurance, where real-time monitoring and compliance tracking replace point-in-time audits and vendor assessments. It will give businesses and customers ongoing trust instead of yearly reports.

For startups and SMBs, this evolution means the compliance journey will stop being a bottleneck and become a growth enabler. The right security compliance platform can open doors to enterprise deals, global markets, and stronger investor confidence while also helping to simplify compliance and security assessments.

FAQ

1. Which Vanta alternative is more affordable for startups and small businesses?

   Many startups and small businesses find alternatives like Sprinto and Drata more budget-friendly. These platforms often include essential features, such as compliance automation features, automated evidence collection, audit progress tracking, and compliance workflows, in their base plans. By contrast, Vanta’s advanced features typically require higher-tier subscriptions, which can be cost-prohibitive for smaller teams.

2. Do Vanta alternatives offer stronger integrations with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud?

   Yes. Several competitors, like Drata or Secureframe, emphasize deep integrations with cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. These integrations with proper cloud infrastructure help automate evidence collection, monitor cloud configurations, and enforce security controls.

   They may also be useful for attack surface management, data breaches mitigation, and security programs adjustment. While Vanta supports major cloud environments, some users report that alternatives offer broader coverage and require less manual configuration.

3. How does Vanta compare to competitors like Drata, Secureframe, and Sprinto?

   Drata is often praised for its strong automation and seamless integrations, which make it a good fit for scaling engineering teams. Secureframe stands out with broad compliance certifications and framework coverage and quick onboarding, making it appealing to organizations managing multiple standards at once. 

   Sprinto is known for its ongoing monitoring, affordability, and simplicity, which helps smaller companies or teams with limited compliance resources. Vanta, on the other hand, is recognized for its user-friendly interface and ready-to-use templates, but many users note limitations in customization, automation depth, and scalability.