polara labs

PCI DSS for startups. From $2,000.

What your payment processor asks for before you store, process, or transmit card data. A validated PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaire is issued by you, by self-assessment, or a Qualified Security Assessor for larger scopes, never by us. We build the program, the policies and the evidence behind it.

Scope PCI DSS on a callSee pricing

Made in the USA · Featured at Startup Grind

From $2,000
Platform onboarding
Validation
a validated PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Scoped on a call
How you start
Independent
Issued by you, by self-assessment, or a Qualified Security Assessor for larger scopes

What you get for PCI DSS.

The same platform every framework runs on, pointed at this one: your answers, your evidence, your documents.

Scope and SAQ selectionWe map your card data flow and pick the Self-Assessment Questionnaire that fits, usually SAQ A or SAQ A-EP for SaaS companies that outsource card entry.
Control mapping to version 4.0.1Every applicable requirement in version 4.0.1 is mapped to a control you own, with the gaps listed in order of what an assessor would flag first.
Policies, scans, and the AttestationPolicies drafted from your answers, quarterly external scans by an Approved Scanning Vendor in the binder, and the Attestation of Compliance ready to sign.

How PCI DSS runs here.

Four steps, in this order, with the handoff at the end.

  1. Step 1

    Intake in an afternoon

    Answer the questionnaire about how cards move through your product, who touches them, and which processor you use. Most founders finish it in one sitting.

  2. Step 2

    Deterministic gap analysis

    The platform compares your answers to every requirement in your SAQ and returns a fixed list of gaps. Same answers, same list, every time.

  3. Step 3

    Policies and evidence binder

    Policies are drafted from your own answers, not a template. Scan results, access reviews, and network diagrams go into a binder organized by requirement.

  4. Step 4

    Self-attest or bring in a QSA

    For most SaaS scopes you sign the SAQ and Attestation of Compliance yourself. For larger scopes a partner Qualified Security Assessor produces the Report on Compliance.

What PCI DSS costs.

Published where it can be published, and arranged with the firm that signs it where it cannot.

$2,000 one time for platform onboarding.

That is the intake, the gap analysis, your policies, the evidence binder and the handoff package.

A validated PCI DSS Self-Assessment Questionnaire is arranged with you, by self-assessment, or a Qualified Security Assessor for larger scopes and quoted before it begins.

Requirement applicability depends on how cardholder data moves through your product; the SAQ type is confirmed on the intake call, and the future-dated requirements in version 4.0.1 became mandatory in March 2025.

Polara Labs is not an accredited assessor. Assessments are performed by the independent assessor the framework requires.

PCI DSS questions.

What buyers ask, and what the work actually involves.

Usually not. A SaaS company that hands card entry to Stripe or a similar processor validates with a Self-Assessment Questionnaire and an Attestation of Compliance you sign. A Report on Compliance by a Qualified Security Assessor is for larger transaction volumes or when an acquirer asks for one.
Platform onboarding starts at $2,000 and covers scoping, the SAQ, policies, and the evidence binder. Approved Scanning Vendor scans and any Qualified Security Assessor work are arranged through partner firms and priced separately.
It depends on how card data moves. If a processor's hosted page or iframe handles entry, SAQ A. If your own page loads the processor's script, SAQ A-EP. If you store or process card numbers yourself, SAQ D. The intake call settles this before anything is billed.
No. PCI DSS covers cardholder data only. Enterprise buyers still ask for a SOC 2 report, and much of the evidence overlaps, so the binder is built once and reused.

Unblock the deal.

Tell us where you are with PCI DSS and we will tell you what is left.

Scope PCI DSS on a callSee every framework
polara labs

Polara Labs builds both sides of the audit: the readiness platform startups use to earn a SOC 2 report, an ISO 27001 certificate or whatever their buyers ask for, and the practice OS audit firms use to run the examination. Every price is published on the page it belongs to.

© 2026 Polara Labs Inc. All rights reserved.Contact: founder@polaralabs.com

Polara Labs is not a CPA firm. SOC 2 examinations are performed by independent licensed U.S. CPA firms in our network; the audit opinion is theirs alone and is not regulated by Polara Labs. We generate custom policies, evidence checklists, and remediation guidance. You remain responsible for implementing controls and owning audit outcomes. Replace placeholders with your actual controls and have final documents reviewed by qualified professionals before your audit.