United States · Guide
SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 for US Companies: Which to Start With
SOC 2 is a report issued by a US-licensed CPA firm, as AICPA standards require; ISO 27001 is a certificate from an accredited certification body. US enterprise buyers usually name SOC 2, overseas buyers often name ISO 27001. Build one shared control set, then deliver the report your next US deal needs.
Did you know SOC 2 or ISO 27001 can cost less than US$10,000, all-inclusive? If you've been quoted more, talk to us before you sign.
100% success, on time: the Sterling Promise
We stay with you until your agreed outcome is achieved, through consulting, audit preparation and the resolution of audit findings. The engagement defines the standard, scope, outcome and responsibilities; your organization puts the agreed controls into use; a US-licensed CPA firm issues the SOC 2 report; an accredited certification body issues the certificate, and that decision stays independent.
Done for you, end to end
We write the policies, set up the controls and evidence, run the internal audit and coordinate the independent audit. You deal with one team from first call to final report.
Simple and quick
A free gap assessment, then one plan with dates from day one. Effivity, our GRC automation platform, is included to keep the evidence moving.
8,100+ client engagements
In 60+ countries over 20+ years, with experts who bring 30+ years of experience.
Under US$10,000, all-inclusive
For most start-ups and SMEs: SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA or ISO 9001, including the independent audit. A fixed quote follows a free gap assessment.
Included in every engagement
Every Sterling consulting engagement comes with the following, so you are not buying extras to get to the finish line:
- Effivity, Sterling's GRC automation platform, with a full-year subscription, to run your controls, evidence, tasks and audits in one place.
- Sterling Academy: preferential course access, with complimentary awareness training for your people.
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard.
- For information-security engagements, a vulnerability assessment.
These are part of the engagement, not a separate purchase. The details depend on the standard you are working toward, which we confirm during the free gap assessment.
Consulting and auditing are always separated: the people who consult never audit you. That keeps your internal audit objective and protects the independence of the CPA firm, Qualified Security Assessor or certification body that performs the final step.
Behind this are 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries over 20+ years, led by experts with 30+ years of experience.
All-inclusive pricing for start-ups and SMEs
Did you know SOC 2 or ISO 27001 can cost less than US$10,000, all-inclusive? If you've been quoted more, talk to us before you sign.
Sterling's all-inclusive fee for SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA or ISO 9001 is under US$10,000 for most start-ups and SMEs. It covers our done-for-you consulting and the independent audit: the SOC 2 report from a US-licensed CPA firm, as AICPA standards require, or the certification audit by an accredited certification body. For HIPAA, it covers HIPAA compliance consulting and an independent HIPAA assessment. Effivity, training and a vulnerability assessment are included. That's less than a month's cost of an in-house security hire: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage for information security analysts at $129,180 (May 2025), about $10,765 a month in pay alone[1].
A fixed quote follows a free gap assessment.
What the fee covers, and what it doesn't:
- It is the fee for your first SOC 2 report or your first certification only.
- Annual work is always additional and billed the following year: later SOC 2 report periods, and ISO surveillance and recertification audits.
- It assumes a typical start-up or SME scope: one product or service and one main location.
- Larger or multi-site scopes get a fixed quote after the gap assessment.
- PCI DSS is quoted separately: a fixed quote follows a free gap assessment.
[1] Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: 15-1212 Information Security Analysts, national annual median wage. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. accessed October 23, 2026.
What US buyers receive from each: a CPA report or an ISO certificate
The result for you. The right document in front of the right US buyer, delivered quickly, with one control build behind both options.
The two are different kinds of proof about the same discipline:
- SOC 2 report. A US-licensed CPA firm examines the description of your system and your controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria you select[1][2][3]. Your customer receives a detailed report, usually under NDA.
- ISO/IEC 27001 certificate. You run an information security management system built on your own risk assessment; an accredited certification body audits it and issues a certificate with a scope statement you can attach to any proposal.
Sterling never certifies and never issues reports. We do the consulting, coordinate the independent step, and the people who consult for you never audit you.
SOC 2 and ISO 27001 side by side for a US company
Read across each row to see which document fits which US or overseas request.
| Question | SOC 2 | ISO/IEC 27001 |
|---|---|---|
| Document your buyer reads | CPA report with opinion, system description and test results | Certificate with scope; audit detail stays with the certification body |
| Issued by | A US-licensed CPA firm | An accredited certification body |
| Measured against | Trust Services Criteria you choose[3] | The standard's requirements and your risk assessment |
| Where it is named most | US enterprise procurement, especially software and fintech | Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Asia and global tenders |
| Rhythm | Type 1 at a date, Type 2 over a period, as commonly described | A certificate cycle with follow-up audits, as commonly practiced |
| Scope set by | Selected categories and a described system boundary[4] | Your management-system scope and risk-based control choices |
Why US enterprise buyers and US regulators push assurance onto vendors
What this means for your deals. A ready report or certificate shortens the US vendor review, because your buyer has its own obligations to meet.
- Public-company buyers. Item 106 of SEC Regulation S-K requires registrants to describe their processes for assessing and managing material cybersecurity risks, including whether they have processes to oversee and identify such risks tied to their use of third-party service providers[5].
- Financial-services buyers. The FTC Safeguards Rule requires the financial institutions it covers to oversee service providers: select providers able to maintain appropriate safeguards, require those safeguards by contract, and periodically assess them[6].
- Everyone else. In Sterling's experience, US software buyers write "SOC 2 report" into questionnaires by name, and buyers outside the US more often write "ISO 27001".
Neither rule names SOC 2 or ISO 27001. They explain why US buyers want third-party evidence, and why a vendor who hands it over moves faster.
What US procurement and diligence teams check in either document
Fewer follow-up questions. We prepare your scope and evidence with the reviewer's checklist in mind, so the document clears review on the first read.
- Scope. Does the report or certificate cover the product the buyer is actually purchasing, or only part of the company?
- Currency. Is the SOC 2 period recent, or the ISO certificate within its cycle? A stale document reopens the questionnaire.
- Findings. Reviewers read exceptions in a SOC 2 report and ask how ISO nonconformities were closed.
- Customer responsibilities. A SOC 2 report can list controls the customer must operate; reviewers check those are reasonable.
- Subservice providers. Your cloud host and key vendors: are they included or carved out, and is their own assurance current?
In Sterling's experience, a vendor who answers these points up front often turns a long questionnaire into a short call.
One control build that serves US and overseas buyers
Done once, used twice. We build the common core so that a second standard becomes an add-on layer rather than a restart.
Shared by both: asset and supplier inventories, risk assessment, access control, change management, incident handling, security training, backup and recovery, and internal review.
Layer added for SOC 2: a system description, your choice of Trust Services categories and CPA-firm testing.
Layer added for ISO 27001: a defined management-system scope, a statement of which controls apply and why, internal audit, management review and the certification body's staged audit.
Our do you need both guide covers the sequencing decision.
Which one your US pipeline is asking for: a five-minute test
Your answer in five minutes, from documents your sales team already holds:
1. Collect the last ten questionnaires, MSAs and RFPs you have received. 2. Mark each one: SOC 2 report, ISO 27001 certificate, either, or just a description of practices. 3. Add the countries your leadership plans to sell into within two years. 4. If SOC 2 dominates, start there. If ISO 27001 shows up in overseas deals or tenders you want, plan it second or run both. 5. If neither appears, a gap assessment and a dated plan may be all you need this quarter.
What either costs a US start-up
A fixed, all-inclusive figure. Neither standard is inherently bigger; scope, sites, headcount and readiness move the effort, not the label. For most start-ups and SMEs, Sterling's all-inclusive fee for a first SOC 2 report or a first ISO 27001 certification is under US$10,000, including the independent audit, with the conditions in the pricing note on this page. Annual work after the first year is billed the following year. A fixed quote follows a free gap assessment.
Three mistakes US founders make with SOC 2 and ISO 27001
- Assuming one replaces the other. A US contract that names a SOC 2 report is not satisfied by an ISO certificate, even though the underlying work is similar.
- Assuming a SOC 2 report travels. A procurement team in a market where ISO 27001 is the norm may set an AICPA report aside and request the certificate.
- Treating either as a one-off project. A report covers a period and a certificate runs on a cycle. Both need an owner, a calendar and a budget line; Effivity, included with a full-year subscription, holds that calendar.
What we recommend for most US start-ups (Sterling's recommendation)
This is Sterling's view, not an AICPA or ISO requirement.
1. Selling mainly to US companies? Start with SOC 2. 2. Are your next five buyers or markets outside the US? Start with ISO 27001, or run both. 3. Build the shared core first, with one owner per control. 4. Keep each first scope small and accurate; widen it later. 5. Use each name correctly: SOC 2 is not an ISO standard, and ISO 27001 is not an AICPA report.
More detail sits on the SOC 2 hub, the ISO 27001 hub and our Type 1 vs Type 2 guide.
Get a proposal for the route your US buyers need, with dates your sales team can quote.
How Sterling delivers SOC 2
A SOC 2 engagement has one deliverable that no consultant can hand you: the report. The SOC 2 report is issued by a US-licensed CPA firm, as AICPA standards require[1]. What Sterling does is make sure you get there ready, and that nothing between today and the report lands on your desk.
With Sterling, you deal with one team from start to finish. We coordinate:
- a readiness review and a gap assessment against the Trust Services Criteria;
- the policies, procedures and controls you need, written for how your company actually works;
- evidence collection, so the examination does not become a scramble;
- an internal audit before the examiner arrives, carried out by people who did not advise you on the controls;
- the Type 1 or Type 2 path that fits your deal timeline, and the examination itself, including scheduling, requests and follow-ups.
Our experts bring 30+ years of experience, and the firm has completed 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries over 20+ years. You get a single plan, a single point of contact and a clear view of what happens next.
[1] SOC (System and Organization Controls) Suite of Services. AICPA & CIMA. accessed October 23, 2026.
How Sterling delivers ISO certification
ISO management system standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO 9001 are certified by an accredited certification body, not by a consultant[1]. Sterling never certifies. The certificate carries the name of the body that issued it, and that independence is what makes it credible to your buyers.
What Sterling does is prepare your company so that the certification body's audit goes smoothly. We coordinate:
- a gap assessment against the standard;
- the management system itself: scope, risk assessment, policies, procedures and records, sized for your company;
- training for your people and an internal audit before the certification audit;
- management review and corrective actions;
- the certification audit process, from choosing an accredited body to closing any findings.
Consulting and auditing are always separated. The people who consult never audit you, so the internal audit is a genuine test and the certification body's audit is independent.
Sterling has completed 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries over 20+ years, and our experts bring 30+ years of experience.
[1] About the IAF MLA (multilateral recognition arrangement). International Accreditation Forum (functions transferred to Global Accreditation Cooperation Inc., 1 Jan 2026). accessed October 23, 2026.
Sources
1. System and Organization Controls: SOC Suite of Services. AICPA & CIMA. accessed October 23, 2026.
2. SOC 2 Reporting on an Examination of Controls at a Service Organization Relevant to Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, or Privacy. AICPA & CIMA. accessed October 23, 2026.
3. 2017 Trust Services Criteria (With Revised Points of Focus - 2022). AICPA & CIMA. accessed October 23, 2026.
4. 2018 SOC 2 Description Criteria (With Revised Implementation Guidance - 2022). AICPA & CIMA. accessed October 23, 2026.
5. 17 CFR 229.106 (Regulation S-K Item 106) Cybersecurity. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). accessed October 26, 2026.
6. 16 CFR 314.4 Elements (FTC Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). accessed October 26, 2026.
Information only
The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified attorney about your own situation.
Requirements depend on your scope, your customers' contracts, your industry and the regulations that apply to you. Two companies asking for the same standard can have very different obligations. We confirm yours during a gap assessment, and we update our content as standards change, but you should check the current text of any standard or rule that matters to you.
Sterling consults and prepares. It does not decide whether you meet a standard. That decision belongs to the independent party that performs the final step: the US-licensed CPA firm for a SOC 2 report, the Qualified Security Assessor or acquirer for PCI DSS, and the accredited certification body for ISO certificates. Timelines and outcomes depend on your readiness and on those parties.
Standards and marks named on this site belong to their respective owners.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Is SOC 2 the same as ISO 27001?
No. SOC 2 is an attestation: a US-licensed CPA firm examines your system description and controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria and issues a report. ISO/IEC 27001 is a management-system standard, and an accredited certification body issues the certificate. The subject matter overlaps, so much of the preparation is shared, but the documents your buyer receives are different and are not interchangeable.
Which do US enterprise buyers prefer?
In Sterling's experience, US software and fintech buyers most often name a SOC 2 report in questionnaires and contracts, while buyers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia more often name ISO 27001. Neither outranks the other in general. What matters is the wording in your own buyers' documents, so check the questionnaires and contracts you have received before deciding.
Can one set of policies cover both?
Largely, yes. Risk assessment, access control, supplier review, incident handling, training and internal audit serve both. SOC 2 then adds a system description and evidence the CPA firm tests; ISO 27001 adds a documented management system, a statement of applicable controls and management review. We write one policy set with a short mapping to each, which keeps maintenance light.
Who issues each one?
A US-licensed CPA firm issues the SOC 2 report, as AICPA standards require. An accredited certification body issues the ISO 27001 certificate. Sterling does neither. We provide the consulting and coordinate the whole engagement, including the independent step, and the people who consult for you never audit you.
Which is faster for a US start-up?
It depends on your starting point and, for SOC 2, on the report type. A Type 2 needs an observation period to run, and an ISO certificate follows the certification body's staged audit. In our planning view, neither is dramatically quicker for a company starting from similar foundations. The free gap assessment gives you dates for both.
What can we tell US buyers while we prepare?
Describe the status exactly. Say you are preparing for a SOC 2 examination or working toward ISO 27001 certification, share a dated plan, and offer written policies and a completed questionnaire. Mention a signed CPA engagement or a booked certification audit only once it exists. Overstating status in a data room or questionnaire creates legal and commercial risk that outweighs any short-term gain.
Do I need ISO 27001 if I only sell in the US?
Not necessarily. If every buyer requests a SOC 2 report and you have no plans abroad, SOC 2 alone may be enough. When an overseas buyer, a government tender or a foreign subsidiary names ISO 27001, add it then and reuse the controls you already run. Planning the shared core from the start keeps that later step small.
Keep exploring
More in Compliance guides for US companies
Compliance guides for US companies
Free gap assessment
Start with a free gap assessment
Not sure where you stand? Start with a free gap assessment. In one conversation, a Sterling consultant looks at what your customers, investors or contracts are asking for, compares it with what you have in place today, and tells you what is missing, in what order to fix it and how long it is likely to take.
usa@sterling-grc.com+1 201 263 4443 (global headquarters) · A Sterling consultant replies within one working day
What would you like to achieve?
Choose a starting point. The enquiry form asks for your name, work email, phone with country code and company.
Book my free gap assessmentContinue to the enquiry form to share your details. Please do not include passwords, sensitive personal information or confidential files. A Sterling consultant replies within one working day. Privacy notice