Best SOC 2 Audit Firms (2026) and Who Can Perform a SOC 2 Audit

The best SOC 2 audit firms are licensed CPA firms with an accepted peer review, real SOC 2 experience at companies your size, and a fixed fee in writing, because only a licensed CPA firm can perform a SOC 2 audit and sign the report. The ten firms below fall into three broad groups: compliance specialists that audit several frameworks (ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HITRUST, FedRAMP or CMMC, depending on the firm), smaller SOC- and startup-focused CPA firms, and larger accounting firms with SOC practices. The right one depends on your buyers, your next framework and your deadline.

This page is written by Invadel, a New York penetration testing company. We are not a CPA firm, we do not perform SOC 2 audits, and we are not on this list. We do the penetration test most SOC 2 auditors ask to see: a web application penetration test starts at $5,200 with a free retest, priced by scope on the web application testing cost page, and our SOC 2 penetration testing page shows how we scope it to your audit boundary. Every fact about the firms below comes from that firm’s own website, checked in November 2026.

Who can perform a SOC 2 audit

A SOC 2 report is an attestation, not a certificate. The AICPA describes its SOC suite as services CPAs may provide, and its peer review Q&A states that SOC 2 engagements are performed under attestation standard AT-C section 205, must be examinations, and are subject to a System Review. So three things must be true of the firm that signs your report:

1. It is a licensed CPA firm. State boards license firms as well as individuals. NASBA’s CPAverify searches licensed CPAs and firms across 53 participating jurisdictions and flags board discipline.
2. It is enrolled in AICPA peer review. Firms performing attestation examinations get a System Review, ordinarily due three years and six months after the previous review’s year-end, and rated pass, pass with deficiencies or fail.
3. It is independent of you. Under the AICPA’s nonattest services rules, the CPA cannot assume management’s responsibilities. Your auditor can point at a gap; it cannot design and run the control, then test it.

Who performs a SOC 2 audit

The CPA firm is the service auditor, and its engagement partner takes responsibility for the opinion. IT auditors, who need not be CPAs, do most fieldwork. Your management writes the system description and assertion. Consultants, compliance platforms and penetration testers help you prepare but cannot issue the opinion, so a “SOC 2 certification” sold without a named CPA firm is readiness work or a badge.

How to verify a SOC 2 auditor before you sign

Run these checks before you compare fees. A cheap quote from a firm that fails them buys a different product.

Check	Where	Good sign	Red flag
Firm license	CPAverify or the firm’s home state board	An active firm license in the name that will sign	Only individuals are licensed, or the signing entity differs from the one you contracted
Peer review	The AICPA Peer Review Public File	Enrolled, with a recent accepted review	Not enrolled, or overdue
Peer review result	Ask the firm for its latest report	Pass, ideally with a SOC engagement reviewed	Refuses to share
Who signs	The engagement letter	Names the CPA firm issuing the opinion	A platform or consultancy is your counterparty and the CPA firm is unnamed
Independence	Ask what else the firm does for you	Audit only, or a separate readiness team	The people who wrote your controls will audit them
Tailoring	Ask how they set risk assessment and sample sizes	Specific to your system	The same template for every client

The public file shows peer review documents only for some firms, so asking directly is normal. The last row matters more in 2026: in May the AICPA told peer reviewers that reviewing one SOC 2 file is often not enough, and to examine how firms use third-party SOC platforms, whether timelines are reasonable, and whether engagements are tailored rather than templated. A fast, template-driven Type 2 is exactly what peer reviewers are now told to scrutinize.

SOC 2 audit firms compared

Firm	Shape	Based in	Beyond SOC 2	Pentest practice	Fees published	Best for
Schellman	Compliance specialist	Tampa, FL	ISO certification, FedRAMP, CMMC, PCI DSS, HITRUST	Yes	No	SOC 2 plus federal or ISO work
A-LIGN	Compliance specialist	Tampa, FL	ISO certification, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, HITRUST	Yes	No; fixed fee after scoping	SOC 2, ISO, PCI and HITRUST together
KirkpatrickPrice	Compliance specialist	Nashville, TN; New York office	PCI DSS, HITRUST	Yes	No	SOC 2 plus PCI DSS or HITRUST
BARR Advisory	Compliance specialist	Kansas City, MO (press releases)	ISO 27001, HITRUST, PCI DSS, CMMC	Cloud testing	No	Adding frameworks later
Linford & Co	Startup or SOC-focused CPA firm	Denver, CO	ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HITRUST, HIPAA	Yes	No; written quote after scoping	Direct partner involvement
Johanson Group	Startup or SOC-focused CPA firm	Colorado Springs, CO	ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA, PCI DSS	Not listed	No	A planning timeline in writing
Prescient Assurance	Startup or SOC-focused CPA firm	New York, NY; Chattanooga, TN	SOC 2+, CSA STAR; ISO and PCI via Prescient Security	Via Prescient Security	No	New York startups
EisnerAmper	Accounting firm	Founded in New York	SOC 1, SOC 2+, SOC 3	Not on its SOC page	No	SOC from a full-service firm
Withum	Accounting firm	Princeton, NJ	SOC readiness, ISO 27001 consulting	Not on its SOC page	No	New York and New Jersey mid-market
Sensiba	Accounting firm	San Jose, CA	ISO, CSA STAR, HITRUST, HIPAA, CMMC readiness	Yes	No	SOC 2 plus a GRC practice

Grouped by shape, not ranked. “Beyond SOC 2” is what each firm’s site says it offers. Large public companies often want a Big Four name on the report; this list is for startups and the mid-market.

How we chose these SOC 2 audit firms

A firm is listed if its own site says it is a licensed CPA firm or licensed SOC auditor, it performs SOC 2 examinations, and it serves startups or mid-market companies. Everything said about it had to be readable on its own pages. No firm paid to be included. The Big Four (Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC) are left out because of the audience, not their quality, and other CPA firms are missing only because ten is a short list. Absence is not a judgment. For the testing side of a first audit, see penetration testing for startups.

The best SOC 2 auditors in 2026

Numbered for reference within the three groups, not ranked.

1. Schellman

Best for: SOC 2 alongside ISO, FedRAMP or CMMC from one firm.

Schellman, based in Tampa, says it began auditing service organizations more than 20 years ago and issues more than 2,000 SOC reports a year. Schellman & Company, LLC is the licensed CPA firm; its sibling Schellman Compliance, LLC is not. It is an accredited ISO certification body and FedRAMP assessor, also lists PCI DSS and HITRUST assessments, says it was among the first CMMC assessment organizations cleared, and runs a penetration testing practice.

2. A-LIGN

Best for: SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS and HITRUST from one evidence set.

A-LIGN, also in Tampa, describes itself as a licensed SOC 1 and SOC 2 auditor, an accredited ISO certification body, a PCI DSS assessor, an accredited FedRAMP assessor and a HITRUST assessor, with more than 36,000 completed audits, including more than 13,800 SOC 2 audits. It sells penetration testing separately. Its SOC 2 page says fees are fixed after a scoping session.

3. KirkpatrickPrice

Best for: SOC 2 alongside PCI DSS or HITRUST from one auditor, with a New York office.

KirkpatrickPrice has its corporate office in Nashville and describes itself as a licensed CPA firm, PCI DSS assessor and HITRUST assessor with more than 2,000 clients. Its SOC 2 page says reports come formatted and in machine-readable Markdown. It also runs a broad testing practice.

4. BARR Advisory

Best for: companies that expect to add ISO 27001, HITRUST or CMMC after SOC 2.

BARR Advisory, P.A. was founded by a CPA, datelines its press releases from Kansas City, Missouri, and says it is one of a handful of US firms eligible to audit against ISO 27001, SOC 2, HITRUST, PCI DSS and CMMC. It also sells virtual CISO work and cloud penetration testing.

5. Linford & Co

Best for: a SOC-focused CPA firm with direct partner access.

Linford & Co was founded in Denver in 2008 and is licensed by the Colorado State Board of Accountancy. It covers SOC 1 and SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001 and 27701 certification, FedRAMP, HITRUST and penetration testing. Its guide to choosing a SOC 2 audit firm is a useful list of what to demand from any auditor.

6. Johanson Group

Best for: startups that want a planning timeline in writing.

Johanson Group, founded in 2012 and based in Colorado Springs, calls itself a licensed CPA firm covering SOC 1, 2 and 3, ISO 27001 and 42001, HIPAA, PCI DSS and NIST. Its SOC 2 service, like most of its services, lists an approximate audit timeline of 4 to 8 weeks, which the firm says depends on your readiness. No penetration testing is listed.

7. Prescient Assurance

Best for: New York startups that want SOC 2 and ISO 27001 from related firms.

Prescient Assurance says it is a licensed, PCAOB-registered CPA firm with offices in Manhattan and Chattanooga. It issues SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 2+ reports and CSA STAR attestations, and links to Prescient Security for ISO 27001, PCI DSS and penetration testing.

8. EisnerAmper

Best for: New York companies that want SOC reporting from a full-service accounting firm.

EisnerAmper was founded in New York and reports more than 4,500 professionals and more than 30 offices across the United States. EisnerAmper LLP is the licensed CPA firm for attest work; its advisory affiliates are not. Its SOC services page covers SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 2+ and SOC 3 (see SOC 1 vs SOC 2 for which one you need).

9. Withum

Best for: mid-market companies in the New York and New Jersey region.

Withum was founded in 1974 in Milltown, New Jersey, and its SOC audit services page lists Princeton as headquarters. It performs SOC 1, 2 and 3 audits and sells SOC readiness and ISO 27001 consulting.

10. Sensiba

Best for: SOC 2 from an accounting firm with a broader GRC practice.

Sensiba LLP traces its history to 1977 and lists San Jose as headquarters, with offices in California, Oregon, New York, Dublin and Sydney. Its governance, risk and compliance services include SOC audits, ISO certifications, CSA STAR audits, HITRUST, HIPAA, CMMC readiness and penetration testing.

None of the ten publishes a SOC 2 fee.

A-LIGN vs Schellman for SOC 2

Both are Tampa-based compliance specialists, and on published facts they are close. The rows below come from each firm’s own pages, checked on November 11, 2026.

	A-LIGN	Schellman
CPA status as stated	“Licensed SOC 1 and SOC 2 auditor”; the pages we read do not name the licensed entity	Schellman & Company, LLC, a licensed CPA firm (Florida license AD62941)
SOC volume it reports	More than 13,800 SOC 2 audits completed	More than 2,000 SOC reports a year
Other frameworks	ISO certification, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, HITRUST	ISO certification, FedRAMP, CMMC, PCI DSS, HITRUST
Fees	Fixed fee after a scoping session	Not published
Penetration testing	Yes, sold separately	Yes

Neither firm publishes data on assessment quality, so the choice comes down to the next framework you need (Schellman lists CMMC), the fee each quotes for your scope, and the manager assigned to you. Ask both for their latest peer review report.

How to choose a SOC 2 audit firm

1. Start with your buyers. Ask your largest prospects whether they care whose name signs. Most accept any licensed, peer-reviewed firm.
2. Plan for the next framework. If ISO 27001 is coming, a firm that is also an accredited certification body can reuse evidence. See ISO 27001 vs SOC 2, and HITRUST vs SOC 2 for healthcare.
3. Ask who will be on your engagement. The assigned manager’s experience with your size and cloud stack matters more than firm volume.
4. Get the fee fixed and itemized. Ask what is inside it, what triggers a change order, and whether a multi-year letter lowers it.
5. Settle independence early. Buy readiness and the audit from different parties, or get the separation in writing.
6. Treat platform-referred auditors like any other. Vanta, Drata and Secureframe introduce partner auditors, sometimes at a bundled price. Run the same license, peer review and engagement-letter checks, and confirm the CPA firm, not the platform, signs the report.
7. Ask about the 2027 criteria. The AICPA’s October 2026 exposure drafts would revise the Trust Services Criteria for engagements beginning on or after December 31, 2027 (our SOC 2 controls list covers what they add), so ask shortlisted firms how they will handle the transition.

If you are still deciding between a technical security audit and an attestation, start with our guide to cybersecurity audit companies; for the technical kind, our IT security audit guide covers scope and method.

What SOC 2 audit firms charge

Drata’s SOC 2 cost guide (March 2026) puts the audit fee alone at $7,500 to $15,000 for a small or midsize company’s Type 1 and $12,000 to $20,000 for a Type 2, and $30,000 to $100,000 or more for a large organization’s Type 2. Report type, categories in scope and system size move the number. Readiness, platforms, staff time and the penetration test usually sit outside it; our SOC 2 cost guide breaks down the full first-year budget. For startups and the mid-market that guide shows $7,000 to $45,000 for the CPA firm’s fee, because it also uses BD Emerson’s estimate (July 2026) of $7,000 to $25,000 for a Type 1 and $12,000 to $45,000 for a Type 2.

Where the penetration test fits in a SOC 2 audit

Nothing in the criteria forces a penetration test into your audit. Penetration testing is named only in one illustrative CC4.1 point of focus of the Trust Services Criteria, where it sits beside independent certification and internal audit as ways management can evaluate its controls. Most audit firms still put a recent independent test on the request list and read it, depending on scope, as evidence for monitoring (CC4.1 and CC4.2), logical access (CC6.1), boundary protection (CC6.6) and vulnerability detection (CC7.1). Our SOC 2 controls list maps each test to its criteria, and SOC 2 pentest requirements covers the detail.

• Timing. For a Type 1, test, fix and retest before the as-of date. For a Type 2, test inside the observation period, early enough to retest before it closes. SOC 2 Type 1 vs Type 2 explains which report to start with. Book the auditor and the tester together: the auditor sets the dates the test must hit.
• What the auditor checks. Scope matching the system description, dates, methodology, a retest and an independent tester; the evidence checklist lists every document, and our sample penetration test report shows what the auditor will read.
• Should the audit firm do the test? Several firms above run separate testing practices under the AICPA’s independence rules. Many companies still split the two so nobody grades their own colleagues’ work. Our list of SOC 2 penetration testing providers compares testing firms.

What the test costs from us

Our web application test starts at $5,200 for one or two user roles and $7,800 for several roles and an admin panel, with an API penetration test from $4,000, an external network test from $4,200 and a cloud penetration test from $6,800, each fixed in writing with a free retest and a customer-shareable attestation letter. Our SOC 2 cost guide prices typical SOC 2 scopes line by line, next to the auditor’s fee. The penetration testing cost calculator adds up a mixed scope. Send us your scope for the fixed price in writing the same day; audit firms that must stay independent of testing can refer clients through our partner program.

Frequently asked questions

Who can perform a SOC 2 audit? Only a licensed CPA firm can perform the examination and sign the report, and it should be enrolled in AICPA peer review and independent of you. IT auditors who are not CPAs can do fieldwork, but the opinion comes from the licensed firm.

How do I check a SOC 2 auditor’s license and peer review? Search the firm on CPAverify, then in the AICPA Peer Review Public File, and ask for its latest peer review report, rated pass, pass with deficiencies or fail.

Who are the top SOC 2 auditors in the US? For large public companies, the Big Four and other national firms; for startups and the mid-market, specialists such as Schellman, A-LIGN and KirkpatrickPrice, SOC-focused CPA firms such as Linford & Co and Johanson Group, and accounting firms such as EisnerAmper and Withum. Check any of them on CPAverify and in the AICPA Peer Review Public File first.

Is A-LIGN a licensed SOC 2 auditor and CPA firm? A-LIGN describes itself on its own site as a licensed SOC 1 and SOC 2 auditor. The pages we read do not name the licensed legal entity, so check the entity named in your engagement letter on CPAverify, as you would for any firm.

Do I need a Big Four auditor for SOC 2? Usually not. Large public companies often want a Big Four name on the report, but most buyers accept any licensed, peer-reviewed CPA firm. Ask your largest prospects before you pay for the name.

How long does a SOC 2 audit take with these firms? Few publish a timeline. Johanson Group lists an approximate audit timeline of 4 to 8 weeks, depending on readiness. A-LIGN’s SOC 2 page says a well-prepared organization can expect the audit and reporting process to take about 3 to 5 months, on top of the Type 2 observation period.

Can Invadel perform our SOC 2 audit? No. Invadel is a penetration testing company, not a CPA firm, and does not issue SOC 2 reports. We provide the testing evidence your auditor reviews, from $5,200 for a web application with the retest included.

Does the SOC 2 auditor require a penetration test? The criteria do not name one as mandatory, but a CC4.1 point of focus lists penetration testing among the ongoing and separate evaluations management can use, and most auditors and enterprise customers expect a recent test. Some audit firms sell the test too, through separate teams; many companies use two vendors instead.

The short version

Pick a SOC 2 audit firm by shape: a compliance specialist if more frameworks are coming, a startup or SOC-focused CPA firm for a first report on a deadline, an accounting firm for one relationship across everything. Verify the license and peer review before comparing fees, and book the penetration test when you book the auditor. Our web application penetration test starts at $5,200 with a free retest (prices by scope), and the SOC 2 penetration testing page shows how we scope it. Scope your SOC 2 test for a fixed number the same day.