Drata vs Secureframe: Compliance Automation Platforms Compared — Features, Pricing, and Who They Are Built For

DrataSecureframe

Drata and Secureframe are two of the most prominent compliance automation platforms competing for the same market: companies that need to achieve and maintain SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, or other compliance certifications with minimal manual effort. Both launched around the same time — Drata in 2020, Secureframe in 2020 — and have grown rapidly to serve thousands of customers. They share a similar value proposition: connect your infrastructure, automate evidence collection, and streamline the audit process. Where they diverge is in philosophy. Drata has invested heavily in user experience, building what many consider the most visually polished compliance platform on the market, with 100+ integrations and a developer-friendly API. Secureframe has taken a more support-driven approach, pairing its platform with dedicated compliance managers and being one of the few enterprise compliance tools to publish baseline pricing on its website — a refreshing departure from the industry norm of mandatory sales calls. For companies evaluating both platforms, the decision often comes down to priorities: do you value a superior UI and integration depth (Drata), or do you prioritize transparent pricing and hands-on human support (Secureframe)? This comparison examines both platforms across six key dimensions to help you make an informed choice. We also address a reality that applies to both: these are enterprise-priced tools, and if your budget is constrained, there are more accessible alternatives worth considering.

Pricing & Transparency

Secureframe stands out in the compliance automation space by actually publishing starting prices on its website. As of 2026, Secureframe's published pricing starts at approximately $8,000-$12,000 per year for SOC 2 compliance, with higher tiers for multi-framework bundles and enterprise features. While the final price is still subject to negotiation and varies by company size, having a public starting point gives buyers a realistic baseline for budgeting. Drata does not publish pricing on its website. Like most enterprise compliance tools, Drata requires a demo call and sales conversation before revealing costs. Based on G2 reviews and industry data, Drata's pricing typically starts around $10,000-$15,000 per year for a single framework, scaling to $40,000-$70,000+ for multi-framework enterprise packages. Drata is generally perceived as slightly more expensive than Secureframe for comparable configurations, though actual pricing depends heavily on negotiation, company size, and contract length. Both platforms offer discounts for multi-year commitments (typically 2-3 year terms). Both charge incrementally for additional frameworks, premium integrations, and add-on modules like vendor risk management or trust centers. For companies that find even Secureframe's $8,000 starting price prohibitive, AuditFront offers compliance assessments starting from free with transparent, published pricing at every tier.

Framework Coverage

Drata supports 20+ compliance frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, and several industry-specific standards. Drata has been steadily expanding its framework library and now covers most frameworks that mid-market and enterprise companies typically need. Secureframe supports a similar range of frameworks: SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, CMMC, and others. Secureframe claims support for 40+ frameworks when counting sub-frameworks and regional variants, though the core list is comparable to Drata's. Both platforms support multi-framework compliance, meaning controls and evidence collected for one framework automatically map to overlapping requirements in others. If you are pursuing SOC 2 and ISO 27001 simultaneously, both platforms will identify shared controls and avoid duplicate evidence collection. For the standard set of frameworks — SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR — there is no meaningful difference between the two platforms. The gap only appears with less common or emerging frameworks, where Secureframe's broader claimed count may provide coverage that Drata does not yet offer.

Automation & Evidence Collection

Drata's Autopilot engine continuously monitors connected systems and automatically collects evidence for compliance controls. With 100+ native integrations spanning AWS, Azure, GCP, Okta, Google Workspace, GitHub, GitLab, Jira, BambooHR, Gusto, CrowdStrike, and many others, Drata can automate a significant portion of evidence collection for companies using mainstream tools. Drata's API is well-documented and developer-friendly, making it straightforward to build custom integrations for proprietary systems. Secureframe offers similar automation capabilities with 200+ integrations (by their count, including sub-integrations and variants). Secureframe connects to the same major platforms — AWS, Azure, GCP, identity providers, HR tools, endpoint management — and continuously collects evidence. Secureframe also provides automated policy generation and employee training modules as part of its platform. In practice, both platforms automate roughly the same percentage of compliance work — approximately 70-80% for companies with standard SaaS infrastructure. The remaining manual work (policy writing, vendor assessments, physical security documentation, process descriptions) is similar regardless of platform. Drata's edge is in API flexibility for custom automation. Secureframe's edge is in built-in policy templates and employee training workflows that reduce manual effort on the non-technical side of compliance.

Customer Support & Onboarding

Customer support is one of Secureframe's strongest differentiators. Secureframe assigns dedicated compliance managers to customers who provide ongoing guidance — not just technical platform support, but substantive compliance advice. These compliance managers help interpret framework requirements, review evidence, and prepare for audits. For companies without in-house compliance expertise, this human-guided approach can be the difference between a successful certification and a stalled project. Secureframe also partners with audit firms and can help coordinate the audit process end-to-end. Drata provides customer success managers for enterprise accounts and offers a comprehensive knowledge base, implementation guides, and community forums. Drata's support is responsive and well-regarded, but it is more self-service oriented than Secureframe's hands-on approach. Drata's onboarding typically takes 2-4 weeks, and the platform's intuitive UI reduces the need for ongoing support. On G2 and Gartner Peer Insights, Secureframe consistently receives high marks for customer support quality. Drata receives high marks for ease of use, which partially offsets the less intensive support model — a platform that is easy to use requires less hand-holding. If your team has compliance experience, Drata's self-service model may be preferable. If your team is navigating compliance for the first time, Secureframe's dedicated compliance managers provide significant value.

Platform Maturity

Both Drata and Secureframe launched in 2020, making them similarly aged platforms. However, their maturity trajectories differ. Drata has focused on platform polish, investing heavily in UI/UX design, integration breadth, and developer experience. The result is a visually refined product that feels modern and cohesive. Drata's dashboard, control mapping interface, and reporting tools are among the best-designed in the compliance space. Drata raised $328 million in funding and reached a $2 billion valuation, giving it substantial resources for product development. Secureframe has focused on breadth of coverage and depth of support services. The platform is functional and competent, but its interface is less polished than Drata's. Where Secureframe has invested is in the compliance expertise layer: built-in training modules, policy generators, compliance manager support, and auditor partnerships. Secureframe raised $79 million in funding — significantly less than Drata — but has built a sustainable business with strong customer retention. In terms of reliability and uptime, both platforms are mature and stable. Neither has a history of significant outages or data security incidents. Both maintain SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications for their own operations, which is expected for compliance platform vendors.

Best For (Target Audience)

Drata is best suited for growth-stage and mid-market companies (50-1,000 employees) that value clean design, developer-friendly tools, and a self-service compliance experience. Companies with engineering-led compliance programs — where developers and DevOps engineers are directly involved in evidence collection and remediation — tend to prefer Drata because the interface requires minimal training and the API enables custom automation. Drata is also a strong fit for companies that prioritize visual reporting and executive dashboards. Secureframe is ideal for companies (50-500 employees) pursuing compliance for the first time and wanting guided, human-supported onboarding. If your team lacks deep compliance expertise and you want a platform that comes with a dedicated compliance manager to advise you through the process, Secureframe delivers that experience better than most competitors. Secureframe is also compelling for companies that appreciate pricing transparency as a signal of vendor trustworthiness. Both platforms assume budgets of $8,000-$70,000+ per year and internal resources to manage the compliance process. For startups and SMBs where these assumptions do not hold, AuditFront provides an accessible entry point: self-guided assessments for ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, NIS2, and Technology Due Diligence, with transparent pricing from free and no requirement for sales calls or annual contracts.

The verdict

Drata and Secureframe are both strong compliance automation platforms that serve overlapping but slightly different audiences. Drata wins on user experience: its interface is cleaner, its API is more developer-friendly, and its visual design sets the standard for the category. Secureframe wins on accessibility and support: published pricing gives buyers a realistic starting point, and dedicated compliance managers provide substantive guidance that goes beyond technical platform support. For companies with in-house compliance expertise that want a polished, self-service platform, Drata is the stronger choice. For companies navigating compliance for the first time that want human guidance alongside automation, Secureframe offers more value. In terms of core automation — evidence collection, continuous monitoring, multi-framework support — the two platforms are closely matched. The broader question is whether either platform fits your budget and team. Both require annual commitments starting at $8,000-$15,000 and assume you have resources to configure, manage, and act on the platform's findings. If you need compliance readiness without enterprise pricing, AuditFront lets you start with a free self-assessment, understand your gaps, and build a remediation plan before committing to any paid tool. Many companies find it valuable to run an AuditFront assessment first to understand their actual compliance posture, then decide whether enterprise automation is worth the investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Secureframe really publish its pricing?

Secureframe is one of the few compliance automation platforms that publishes baseline pricing on its website. As of 2026, starting prices are approximately $8,000-$12,000/year for SOC 2 compliance. However, final pricing still depends on company size, number of frameworks, and specific requirements — so the published number is a starting point, not a fixed price. You will still need to talk to sales for a final quote, but at least you know the ballpark before the conversation begins.

Is Drata's UI really that much better than Secureframe's?

Drata's user interface is consistently rated higher than Secureframe's across review platforms like G2 and Gartner Peer Insights. The difference is most noticeable in dashboard design, navigation flow, and visual reporting. That said, Secureframe's interface is fully functional and regularly improved. The UI gap is a matter of polish and design quality, not missing features. If your team is not design-sensitive, the UI difference alone should not drive your decision — focus on pricing, support model, and integration coverage instead.

Can I switch from Drata to Secureframe or vice versa?

Switching between compliance platforms is possible but involves effort. Your compliance documentation, policies, and evidence are typically exportable, but reconfiguring integrations, remapping controls, and retraining your team takes time — usually 4-8 weeks for a full migration. The bigger friction is contractual: both platforms favor multi-year contracts, so switching mid-contract may not be financially practical. If you are unsure which platform to commit to, run a trial or proof-of-concept with both before signing a multi-year deal.

Do I need Drata or Secureframe if I am a small startup?

For startups with fewer than 50 employees and limited budgets, enterprise compliance platforms may be overkill. The cost ($8,000-$15,000+ per year), configuration effort, and feature complexity often exceed what small teams need. Consider starting with a self-assessment tool like AuditFront to identify your compliance gaps and build a remediation plan. Once you have a clear picture of your requirements and your company has grown to the point where continuous automated monitoring provides real value, you can evaluate whether an enterprise platform is worth the investment.

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