SOC 2 · 2026 Auditor's Guide

The SOC 2 auditor directory & buyer’s guide

168 CPA firms licensed to issue SOC 2 reports across 7 countries. Independently sourced from the AICPA, UKAS, and CPA Canada. If you’re a SaaS company preparing for a Type 2 report, an enterprise customer requesting your first SOC 2, or a renewer evaluating a different firm this year, this is the research base.

✓ Independently verified Last updated June 14, 2026

Browse all 168 firms → Read the buyer’s guide

168

Indexed firms

Countries

All 168

Type 2 specialists

24 yrs

Avg firm age

Editorial illustration of an audit process

The buyer's guide

How to choose a firm — and what to expect

SOC 2 is the de facto security audit for SaaS and B2B tech. Unlike PCI QSA, there is no single registry of "SOC 2 auditors" — the right credential is a CPA firm licensed in the jurisdiction where your company is incorporated, with a practitioner (CISA, CISSP, or equivalent) who has experience with your trust service criteria. This guide explains what to look for, what a SOC 2 Type 2 audit costs, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

What is a SOC 2 auditor?

A SOC 2 auditor is a licensed CPA (Certified Public Accountant) firm whose practitioners are qualified to examine a service organization’s controls against the AICPA’s Trust Service Criteria (Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, Privacy). Unlike PCI QSA, there’s no centralized certification — any licensed CPA firm can in theory issue a SOC 2 report, but the market has concentrated around firms with dedicated SOC 2 practices. The deliverable is a SOC 2 Type 2 report, which covers a period (typically 3–12 months) and includes the auditor’s opinion on whether the controls were operating effectively.

How to choose a SOC 2 auditor: 6 criteria

1. SaaS experience. Not every CPA firm knows what a "trust service criterion" looks like in a multi-tenant SaaS environment. Ask: how many SOC 2 Type 2 reports did you issue for SaaS companies last year? 2. Cloud-native methodology. Auditors used to on-premise networks will ask the wrong questions and produce findings that don’t map to your actual risks. Look for firms with dedicated SaaS/cloud practices. 3. Multi-framework support. If you also need ISO 27001, HITRUST, or PCI, get a firm that can do all of them in parallel — one evidence pull, multiple reports. 4. Auditor continuity. Year-over-year audit continuity matters: a new auditor each year means re-explaining your controls, which is wasted time. 5. Report quality. Read a sample report. A good SOC 2 Type 2 is a 60-90 page document with clear opinion, system description, and tested controls. 6. Customer-accessible reports. The auditor should be set up to issue reports through a customer-facing portal (Drata, Vanta, Secureframe, Tugboat) or directly via secure PDF.

How much does a SOC 2 Type 2 audit cost?

For a typical mid-market SaaS company: $25K–$80K for the first Type 2. Renewal years: $15K–$45K. Cost drivers: number of trust service criteria in scope (Security-only is cheapest; Security + Availability + Confidentiality is more), complexity of your system description, number of subprocessors to assess, and whether the auditor does the readiness assessment too. Hourly rates: $175–$350 for senior practitioners. The new entrant firms (often using Vanta/Drata/Secureframe as their evidence collection layer) can come in at $15K–$30K for a Type 2 — the trade-off is less auditor judgment, more templated testing.

How long does a SOC 2 Type 2 audit take?

First-year Type 2: 4–8 months end-to-end. The audit window itself (the period the report covers) must be at least 3 months, usually 6–12 months. Readiness assessment (Type 1) is often done first: a point-in-time opinion on your control design, which takes 4–8 weeks. The Type 2 audit then runs over the audit window with quarterly testing. Total: 6–12 months from kickoff to first Type 2 report. Renewal: 3–4 months for the next Type 2 window.

Type 1 vs. Type 2: which do you need?

A SOC 2 Type 1 is a point-in-time opinion on control design. It’s faster (1–2 months), cheaper ($10K–$30K), and most enterprise customers will accept it as a starting point. A SOC 2 Type 2 covers a period (typically 6–12 months) and tests operating effectiveness. Most enterprise procurement teams will eventually require Type 2 — either you get there through a Type 1 first, or you go straight to Type 2. Going straight to Type 2 makes sense if you already have a mature control environment; doing Type 1 first makes sense if you’re building controls from scratch.

SOC 2 is a buyer’s market. 168 firms compete for your engagement. Use that leverage: get 2–3 proposals, ask each firm for 2 customer references in your size range, and read their sample report before you sign. The directory below is filtered by geography and trust service criteria coverage. Most firms will let you scope a single year, then renew annually — don’t lock into a 3-year contract without seeing the first year’s report quality.

Six firms worth shortlisting

For each use case below, we picked one firm from the 168 we index. These are the firms we’d shortlist first, based on volume of SOC 2 engagements, depth of cloud-native experience, and the ability to do adjacent frameworks (ISO 27001, HITRUST) in parallel.

Best for early-stage SaaS

A-LIGN

Fast-track SOC 2 for seed-Series B companies

A-LIGN built a practice specifically around early-stage SaaS: pre-built control mappings for AWS/GCP/Azure, fixed-fee Type 2 engagements, and integrated delivery with the major GRC platforms (Vanta, Drata, Secureframe). They will issue a Type 1 in 4 weeks if you already have controls documented.

▸ Issued 1,200+ SOC 2 Type 2 reports for SaaS

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Best for compliance-heavy buyers

Coalfire

SOC 2 + HITRUST + PCI, one engagement

For SaaS companies that also need HITRUST (often healthcare-adjacent) or PCI (any card processing), Coalfire runs all three in parallel with shared evidence collection. Their SOC 2 practice works closely with their PCI QSA practice — the same QSA-of-record can coordinate both audits.

▸ Joint SOC 2 + HITRUST + PCI engagements standard

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Best for enterprise-grade Type 2

Deloitte & Touche

The incumbent for F500 and pre-IPO buyers

If your customer base is enterprise (and your customer procurement teams expect to see a Big 4 firm name on the SOC 2 report), Deloitte is the safe choice. Their SOC 2 practice is a global one with consistent methodology across US, EU, and APAC. Slower and more expensive than the SaaS-specialist firms, but the report quality and the procurement-team check-the-box effect are unmatched.

▸ Big 4 firm; SOC 2 reports accepted at 100% of F500 procurement

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Best for global SaaS

KPMG

Multi-jurisdiction SOC 2 with local CPA licensing

If your data is processed in multiple jurisdictions, you need SOC 2 reports that reference local regulations (GDPR, UK DPA, LGPD, PIPL). KPMG’s SOC 2 practice has dedicated local teams in the major markets and a single global methodology. Useful for cross-border SaaS where each region needs its own report with the same opinion.

▸ SOC 2 + GDPR + local regulation in one engagement

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Best for fintech

Schellman & Co.

SOC 2 + PCI + HITRUST, single auditor

For fintechs and payment platforms, Schellman runs SOC 2 alongside PCI and HITRUST CSF in a single engagement. The benefit: one evidence-collection cycle, one auditor-of-record, and a single renewal date for all three reports.

▸ Joint SOC 2 + PCI engagements standard

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Best for ISO 27001 + SOC 2 in parallel

BARR Advisory

Dual-framework delivery, mid-market price

If you need both ISO 27001 and SOC 2, BARR is one of the few firms that runs both audits in parallel with shared evidence and shared control mapping. Pricing is mid-market ($35K–$60K for a dual-framework Type 2), well below what a Big 4 firm would charge.

▸ Joint SOC 2 + ISO 27001 engagements standard

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How we pick: Picks are based on the firm’s track record in the named use case (volume of SOC 2 Type 2 reports issued), depth of cloud-native methodology, ability to deliver adjacent frameworks in parallel, and pricing transparency. We do not accept payment for inclusion. Disagreements: <a href="/operators/claim">claim your firm’s profile</a>.

How we verify

Unlike PCI QSA, there is no single registry of SOC 2 auditors. We aggregate from four sources and direct verification.

✓ Verified quarterly ✓ Last verified June 14, 2026 ✓ Last crawled June 14, 2026

soc2auditors.org

The most comprehensive public list of SOC 2 audit firms. Cross-referenced against the AICPA registry.

AICPA

The American Institute of CPAs — the body that defines the SOC 2 standard. 168 CPA firms in our directory hold an active AICPA peer review.

CPA Canada

For Canadian-licensed CPA firms issuing SOC 2 reports.

Direct verification

Firms with a claimed profile can update their trust service criteria, vertical specializations, and geographic coverage directly.

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The full directory

All 168 SOC 2 firms

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All 168 United States 119 Canada 17 Australia 12 Germany 9 UK 9 India 1 Netherlands 1

Showing 12 firms in Australia

FAQ

Common questions

Is a SOC 2 audit the same as a SOC 1 audit?

No. SOC 1 covers financial reporting controls (like a SAS 70). SOC 2 covers security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy — the trust service criteria. SOC 2 is the one B2B tech buyers ask for.

Do I need SOC 2 if I have ISO 27001?

Usually yes. SOC 2 is the U.S. enterprise-procurement default. ISO 27001 is the international default. If you sell to F500 enterprise in the U.S., you need SOC 2. If you sell to European or APAC enterprise, ISO 27001 is increasingly accepted as a substitute. The safest move: get both.

How long is a SOC 2 report valid?

A SOC 2 Type 2 covers a specific audit period (typically 6 or 12 months). Most enterprise buyers require a current report, meaning a report whose audit period ended within the last 12 months. You need an annual renewal.

Can I share my SOC 2 report with anyone?

You can share it under NDA with customers and prospects. The report is confidential — it describes your controls in detail. Most companies distribute via a secure portal (Vanta Trust, Drata Trust Center, your own portal).

The SOC 2 auditor directory & buyer’s guide

How to choose a firm — and what to expect

What is a SOC 2 auditor?

How to choose a SOC 2 auditor: 6 criteria

How much does a SOC 2 Type 2 audit cost?

How long does a SOC 2 Type 2 audit take?

Type 1 vs. Type 2: which do you need?

Six firms worth shortlisting

A-LIGN

Coalfire

Deloitte & Touche

KPMG

Schellman & Co.

BARR Advisory

Unlike PCI QSA, there is no single registry of SOC 2 auditors. We aggregate from four sources and direct verification.

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All 168 SOC 2 firms

BDO Australia

CyberSapiens Australia

Dantia

Deloitte Australia

EY Australia

Grant Thornton Australia

HLB Mann Judd

KPMG Australia

PwC Australia

RSM Australia

Siege Cyber

Sustainable Certification

Common questions