Drata

What is Drata?

Drata is an AI-powered trust management and compliance platform that helps companies automate security, risk, and regulatory processes in one centralized system. It enables businesses to achieve and maintain frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA through continuous monitoring, automated evidence collection, and real-time risk tracking. Instead of manual audits and spreadsheets, Drata streamlines governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), helping organizations stay audit-ready, reduce operational effort, and prove their security posture to customers and stakeholders at any time.

Drata is an AI-powered trust management and compliance automation platform founded in 2020, helping companies automate governance, risk, and compliance workflows while maintaining continuous audit readiness. It has grown rapidly to 8,000+ customers across 80+ countries, crossed $100M+ annual recurring revenue in under 4 years, and delivers 60%+ YoY revenue growth. The platform processes 15.7M+ evidence items daily, supports 30+ compliance frameworks, and powers 3,000+ trust centers, enabling enterprises to monitor security controls in real time and reduce manual compliance work.

• Platform Role: Security Compliance Automation, Continuous Control Monitoring & Enterprise GRC Platform
• Leadership & Founding: Adam Markowitz (CEO) and Daniel Marashlian; founded in San Diego, California
• Supported Frameworks: SOC 2 (Type 1 & Type 2), ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, NIST CSF/AI RMF, ISO 42001, and custom internal frameworks

Use Cases:

• Preparing for and maintaining SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 compliance with automated daily evidence collection
• Automating multi-framework certification audits across ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR simultaneously without duplicating control evidence
• Continuously monitoring cloud configurations (AWS, GCP, Azure) to prevent security drift and misconfigurations
• Managing third-party vendor risk with automated vendor assessments, security questionnaires, and scoring
• Publishing real-time customer trust centers with automated NDA gating to accelerate enterprise sales cycles

Technology:

• Direct API telemetry engine connecting to 150+ native SaaS, developer, cloud, identity, and HR platforms
• Continuous compliance agent tracking endpoint security (macOS, Windows, Linux) for employee workstations
• Audit Hub module providing independent auditors with dedicated read-only access to verify test evidence
• Automated risk assessment matrix analyzing threat vectors, asset criticality, and remediation workflows

Target Users:

• Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and security leads running multi-framework GRC operations
• B2B SaaS founders looking to earn their first SOC 2 or ISO 27001 badge to unblock enterprise sales
• DevOps and platform engineers automating cloud security posture management and access reviews
• Compliance and risk managers coordinating external audit examinations with certified CPA firms

Acquisition: Enterprise cloud compliance platform 

What are the key features of Drata?

Drata's key platform features are

• Continuous Control Monitoring: Automatically tests cloud infrastructure and operational controls around the clock, alerting teams to non-compliant configurations.
• Automated Evidence Gathering: Collects and timestamps configuration data, pull requests, access logs, and policy attestations directly via API integrations.
• Audit Hub: Centralizes auditor collaboration in a dedicated portal, giving CPAs direct access to validated evidence to reduce audit cycle times.
• Real-Time Trust Center: Showcase live security posture, certifications, and compliance statuses to prospective buyers with automated NDA gating.
• Vendor Risk Management: Ingests vendor profiles, tracks security documentation, and evaluates supply-chain risk automatically.
• Automated Personnel Onboarding: Tracks security awareness training, device compliance, and background checks across employees via HRIS connections.
• Open API & Custom Frameworks: Map custom internal security policies and build custom integration pipelines into proprietary backend systems.

How much does Drata cost?

Drata uses an annual subscription model structured around company headcount bands, selected compliance frameworks, and modular enterprise add-ons.

Pricing Plans:

• Foundation Plan (approx. $7,500 - $15,000 / year): Best for early-stage startups (up to 50 employees) pursuing a single framework (such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001), including core automation and standard integrations.
• Advanced Plan (approx. $15,000 - $25,000 / year): Designed for scaling companies (50–200 employees) requiring multiple frameworks, custom controls, open API access, and user access reviews.
• Enterprise Plan (approx. $50,000 - $100,000+ / year): Tailored for complex organizations requiring multi-entity workspaces, dedicated customer success, advanced vendor risk management pro, and premium automation.

Disclaimer: Third-party auditor examination fees (typically $8,000 to $25,000+ per certification) are paid directly to the CPA audit firm and are not included in platform subscriptions. Review drata.com for active contract terms.

Who should use Drata?

Drata is designed for security-conscious software organizations, including

• Growing SaaS Startups: Streamlining SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 compliance to pass vendor security reviews.
• Healthcare Tech Platforms: Proving strict HIPAA data privacy and encryption safeguards across production environments.
• International Software Companies: Layering ISO 27001 and GDPR compliance onto existing US-focused controls.
• Enterprise IT Teams: Replacing fragmented point solutions with unified continuous control monitoring and vendor risk management.

What are the best alternatives to Drata?

Some of the strongest Drata alternatives include

• Vanta
• Secureframe
• Sprinto
• Thoropass (formerly Laika)
• OneTrust GRC
• Comp AI

What are the pros and cons of Drata?

What are the pros of Drata?

• Robust continuous monitoring automatically flags control failures before formal audits
• Audit Hub simplifies collaboration with independent CPA auditors, cutting weeks off audit timelines
• Deep API-first architecture with native support for custom frameworks and internal controls
• Customer Trust Centers with automated NDA gating accelerate enterprise sales deals
• Responsive customer support and dedicated compliance advisory teams

What are the cons of Drata?

• The annual subscription model with tiered pricing can become expensive for very early-stage bootstrapped teams
• Independent auditor fees are separate and must be budgeted in addition to the software platform
• Requires ongoing administrative management to ensure all employee devices maintain active endpoint agents

Why should you choose Drata?

Manual compliance audits drain hundreds of engineering and operational hours every year, pulling teams away from product development to compile spreadsheets and take endless screenshots. Drata solves this challenge by turning compliance into an automated, continuous process. Through deep integrations across your cloud, developer, and identity infrastructure, Drata automatically collects audit-ready evidence 24/7, keeping your security posture intact and accelerating your path to enterprise revenue.

• Automate up to 85% of audit evidence collection across 20+ security frameworks
• Monitor infrastructure continuously to prevent security drift and control gaps
• Streamline auditor hand-offs through a dedicated, collaborative Audit Hub
• Close sales faster by proving security posture with live, gated Trust Centers

How does Drata compare to competitors?

While Vanta is known for its broad integration marketplace and pioneering market presence, and Sprinto focuses on flexible, budget-conscious packages for small teams, Drata is widely praised for its deep API architecture, dedicated Audit Hub, and strong auditor collaboration workflows.

How do we rate Drata?

What is our review and verdict on Drata?

Drata is an outstanding platform in the compliance automation and GRC landscape. Its continuous 24/7 control monitoring and dedicated Audit Hub turn the traditionally painful audit process into an organized, low-stress operation. Drata offers an exceptionally powerful, reliable solution for tech startups aiming to win enterprise deals and for mature companies scaling their governance programs across global regulatory standards.

Conclusion 

Drata helps companies simplify security and compliance by automating tasks like evidence collection, control monitoring, and audit preparation. Instead of managing compliance manually, teams get continuous visibility into their security posture with real-time insights. This reduces risk and saves time during audits. Overall, Drata streamlines compliance workflows, helping businesses stay audit-ready, maintain strong security standards, and build trust with customers more efficiently.