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Quick verdict: Thoropass gives you one contract for software plus a bundled in-house CPA audit; Drata gives you software with the widest independent auditor network of any compliance platform and the cheapest per-framework cost as you scale. Choose on whether you want one vendor for everything or maximum auditor choice.
Choose Thoropass if you want one in-house audit team and one contract for software plus attestation.
Choose Drata if you want the deepest independent auditor network and the cheapest path to add more frameworks.
What is the difference between Thoropass and Drata?
Thoropass and Drata both automate SOC 2 evidence collection, but they resolve the audit question in opposite directions. Thoropass includes a CPA audit practice; Drata connects you to one, and gives you 29 firms to choose from.
Thoropass (formerly Laika) bundles its compliance platform with an in-house attestation practice called Thoropass Assurance. It is a separate AICPA-peer-registered legal entity under common ownership, which satisfies AICPA independence rules. You sign one contract for the platform and the Type 2 audit, get one project team, and don’t need to source an auditor separately. Bundled pricing for an SMB runs $35,000–$80,000 for platform plus Type 2 attestation; the platform alone starts around $8,700/year on AWS marketplace, and Vendr puts the average contract at $30,728/year.
Drata is software only. It automates continuous monitoring across 300+ integrations, readies your evidence, and gives auditors a dedicated workspace called Audit Hub to work inside the platform. The audit itself comes from a CPA firm you engage separately, typically $8,000–$25,000 for an SMB SOC 2 Type 2. The Drata subscription starts at $7,500–$15,000/year. You pay two invoices, but you get to pick the firm.
That structural choice drives everything else: auditor access, multi-framework pricing, and what happens when you want to change providers.
| Attribute | Thoropass | Drata |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Bundled platform + in-house audit | Software only |
| Auditor | Single in-house practice (Thoropass Assurance) | Your choice from 29+ integrated CPA firms |
| Audit fee included | Yes | No (CPA firm billed separately, $8K–$25K SMB) |
| First-year all-in (SMB) | $35,000–$80,000 | $20,000–$40,000 (platform + mid-market auditor) |
| Per-framework add-on | Bundled into contract | ~$1,500 per added framework |
| Frameworks | SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HITRUST, PCI DSS 4.0, HIPAA, GDPR | SOC 2 + 30+ frameworks |
| Integrations | Broad coverage | 300+ |
| Audit Hub | No separate workspace | Yes, auditor works inside Drata |
| G2 rating | 4.7+ (575+ reviews) | 4.8 (1,100+ reviews) |
| Best for | One-vendor simplicity, fixed-price Type 2 | Multi-framework scaling, auditor selection |
How big is each one’s auditor network?
Thoropass uses one CPA practice. Drata connects you to 29 verified firms, more than any other compliance platform in our directory. That gap matters most when you want to shop on price, turnaround, or specialty, or when you want to change firms after the first cycle.
Drata does not assign an auditor. Its Audit Hub creates a shared workspace where any CPA firm you engage can review evidence, request samples, and track remediation without ever leaving the platform. Our independent directory of verified SOC 2 CPA firms has 29 firms that integrate directly with Drata, the highest count of any compliance platform we track. That means you can compare firms on price (some charge $8,000, some charge $25,000 for comparable engagements), on turnaround (some deliver in 6 weeks, others in 4 months), and on industry depth (healthcare HIPAA specialists vs. fintech PCI-focused firms), then make a pick. You can also switch between audit cycles without rebuilding your evidence trail, because everything stays inside the Drata environment.
Thoropass uses Thoropass Assurance, previously operating as Laika Compliance, LLC. It is a distinct legal entity with its own AICPA peer review, registered separately to satisfy auditor independence requirements. Practically, this is convenient: one firm knows your environment year over year, and your audit coordinator and your compliance platform are on the same team. The tradeoff is that you cannot get competing quotes, cannot switch audit firms without switching platforms, and tie renewal leverage on the platform to renewal leverage on the audit. Some procurement teams flag the common ownership even though it satisfies AICPA rules; others treat it as a non-issue.
For a full ranked list of firms by price and turnaround, see our best SOC 2 auditors guide.
Which is cheaper as you add frameworks?
For a single SOC 2, Thoropass and Drata land in a similar range when you account for audit fees on both sides. The math diverges sharply once you add a second or third framework.
Drata charges roughly $1,500 per added framework. A company that starts with SOC 2 and adds ISO 27001 and HIPAA pays around $3,000 more per year on the Drata subscription. The three frameworks share the same continuous monitoring infrastructure; you’re essentially paying for the control mapping and additional evidence categories.
Thoropass’s value is the bundled contract. You get platform plus attestation in one line item, with one team managing the audit. But each new attestation (ISO 27001 audit, HITRUST assessment) adds scope to the engagement and increases the overall contract price in ways that are harder to isolate on a per-framework basis.
A rough three-year comparison for a 50-person SaaS company running SOC 2 + ISO 27001 + HIPAA:
- Drata path: $15,000/year platform + $3,000/year in framework add-ons + $12,000/year blended auditor fee = approximately $90,000 over three years.
- Thoropass path: $55,000 bundled average for Year 1 scope, with multi-framework scope likely pushing toward $70,000+ in later years = approximately $180,000 or more over three years.
The Thoropass bundled model makes more sense when you value the single contract and want audit cost certainty from day one. Drata’s model makes more sense when you plan to expand frameworks and want to control audit fees by shopping the market each cycle.
For a deeper look at how audit fees vary by firm and scope, see our SOC 2 audit cost breakdown.
Is a single in-house auditor a risk or a convenience?
Convenience is real. Thoropass customers do not go through an RFP process for an auditor, do not manage two vendor relationships, and get a team that already knows their environment when the renewal audit starts. First Pass AI, Thoropass’s AI-assisted evidence review system, cut audit cycles from 73 days to 29 days in company-reported data. That speed matters if an enterprise deal is waiting on the report.
The risk is concentration. If Thoropass raises prices, changes its audit team, or the relationship sours, you have limited leverage. The platform and the audit are priced together and renewed together. Some security-conscious buyers also note the common-ownership structure as a point they raised with their board, even if AICPA rules permit it.
The practical read: for a company doing one SOC 2 Type 2 per year on a predictable schedule, the convenience of the Thoropass bundle outweighs the concentration risk. For a company running a multi-framework program, evaluating auditors on specialty, or operating in a regulated vertical where auditor independence is scrutinized more closely, Drata’s open-network model gives more flexibility.
Which fits a scaling multi-framework program?
Drata is built for breadth. Thirty-plus frameworks, 300+ integrations, ~$1,500 per added framework, and 29 integrated CPA firms mean the platform scales horizontally as your compliance surface grows. The Audit Hub handles multiple simultaneous audits (SOC 2 and ISO 27001 in parallel, for example) with different audit teams in the same environment.
Thoropass handles multi-framework compliance too, covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HITRUST, PCI DSS 4.0, HIPAA, and GDPR. Its advantage is that one audit team manages the overlap, which reduces the coordination burden when frameworks share controls. The disadvantage is that the bundled pricing model scales with scope, so a five-framework program is a larger negotiation than adding a $1,500 line item.
For a company on the way to a mature GRC program, the Drata path keeps more options open. You can use cheaper CPA firms for straightforward frameworks and specialized (higher-cost) firms for complex ones like HITRUST. You can bring in a second auditor if you need an opinion on a specific control. That flexibility does not exist in the Thoropass model.
For a company that wants compliance handled end-to-end by one vendor, Thoropass removes procurement and coordination overhead, which has real value at a smaller scale. See our full Thoropass review and Drata review for platform-specific depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Thoropass include the audit?
Yes. Thoropass bundles compliance software with Thoropass Assurance, a separate AICPA-peer-registered CPA practice under common ownership. One contract covers platform plus Type 2 attestation, typically $35,000–$80,000 for an SMB. The structure satisfies AICPA independence requirements.
Does Drata include the audit?
No. Drata is software only. You engage a licensed CPA firm separately (typically $8,000–$25,000 for an SMB SOC 2 Type 2), and that firm works inside the Drata Audit Hub. Platform pricing starts at $7,500–$15,000/year.
How many auditors integrate with Drata?
29 verified CPA firms in our directory integrate directly with Drata, more than any other compliance platform. You choose the firm on price, turnaround, and specialty, and you can switch firms between audit cycles without rebuilding your evidence trail.
Which is cheaper for multiple frameworks?
Drata is cheaper per additional framework at roughly $1,500 each. A company running SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA on Drata pays approximately $3,000 more per year in platform costs for the added frameworks, then shops auditor fees separately. Thoropass’s bundled model includes audit fees but scales with scope in ways that are less predictable across multiple attestations.
Can I switch auditors on Drata?
Yes. Because Drata is software only, you can engage a different CPA firm for each audit cycle. All 29 integrated firms in our directory work inside Drata’s Audit Hub, so switching firms does not require exporting your evidence or starting a new audit trail.
Bottom line
Thoropass is the one-vendor answer: software, auditor, and project team in a single contract. It removes procurement friction and averages 29-day audit cycles (First Pass AI). The right choice if you want cost certainty, a single relationship, and a straightforward annual SOC 2 program.
Drata is the open-network answer: deeper integration coverage, 29 verified CPA firms to choose from, and the cheapest per-framework cost on the market. The right choice if you plan to expand beyond one or two frameworks, want to shop audit fees, or operate in a vertical where auditor independence matters more than convenience.
The question is whether the Thoropass bundle’s convenience, one team managing everything, outweighs the flexibility of picking from the widest auditor network in the market.
Comparing SOC 2 software? See our side-by-side breakdown of all 12 compliance platforms — pricing, best-for, and what each one gets wrong. Independent editorial, no pay-to-rank.