A LowerPlane alternative with the first audit included
LowerPlane publishes a platform price. The auditor is a second bill with no figure on the page. Here is how to compare that with a price that carries the first audit.
Weighing a LowerPlane alternative? Start with the part LowerPlane gets right. It prints its prices, on its own pricing page, before you talk to anybody:
- LowerPlane publishes three plans, each billed annually: Starter at $4,995 a year for one framework, Growth at $9,995 a year for up to two, and Scale at $15,995 a year for up to three. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
Several larger vendors do not, as our other comparisons show with sources, and it makes this comparison easy to check. The question is what those numbers cover. The short answer: the platform, and not the auditor.
The auditor is a second bill
Every SOC 2 has two fees. One is the software that gets you ready. The other is the CPA firm that examines you and issues the report, and only a licensed CPA firm may do that.1 LowerPlane is clear about which one it sells:
- LowerPlane states that auditor fees are separate and paid directly to your chosen auditor, and that it connects customers with auditors from its partner network. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
- LowerPlane prints no dollar figure for the auditor fee on its pricing page. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
That is an honest structure. It also means the published plan price is not the cost of a SOC 2 report. It is the cost of getting ready for one. The second number comes from the firm, after an introduction, and until you have it in writing you cannot finish the sum.
So the fair comparison is not platform against platform. It is platform plus auditor, against a price that already carries the audit. What the auditor fee pays for sets out what goes into that second number, and whether a low audit fee is legitimate covers what to check when a quote comes in.
What we charge
It starts free. The free readiness assessment takes about 15 minutes, and returns your readiness score, every gap category counted with exact numbers, and your first findings written out in full. Free. No payment and no card.
To get audit-ready, onboarding is $2,000 one time. Then SOC 2 Type 2 runs at $600 per month on a 12-month term, started when you are ready, or $6,600 up front for the first 12 months.
The auditor is inside that. Your first SOC 2 Type 2 audit is included in the term, and it starts once the 3-month observation window closes. No separate invoice arrives from the CPA firm.
Added up, the first year is $9,200 all in. The SOC 2 Type 1 examination is optional: $2,000 to add it later, or $4,000 in total with onboarding, which makes the first year $11,200.
After the term, a full year on the monthly schedule is $7,200.
That one is the edge of our published list. Any audit after the included one is arranged on request.
You ask us for a quote, our team negotiates with independent audit firms on your behalf, and the engagement is priced before it starts. The SOC 2 cost page has the full split, and every figure is on the pricing page.
Polara Labs is not a CPA firm. SOC 2 examinations are performed by independent licensed U.S. CPA firms. The firm is named before you sign, and its license is on the state board register.3
Where LowerPlane is the better buy
Some buyers should pick LowerPlane. These are the cases, with its own words where it has published them.
- You need two or three frameworks now. Its Growth and Scale plans cover more than one framework on one price, as the plan list above shows. We sell two frameworks, SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and nothing else.
- You already have an auditor. If a CPA firm knows your company and has quoted you, a platform that leaves the auditor to you is the simpler contract. You can add the two numbers today.
- You want a wide catalog and a named person. Our direct connectors are AWS, GitHub, Google Cloud and Google Workspace, on the integrations page. LowerPlane lists far more.
- You want a refund window. Our Type 2 subscription is a committed 12-month term. LowerPlane publishes different terms, quoted below.
Here is what LowerPlane publishes on each of those points, checked on the date shown:
- LowerPlane lists 50+ integrations, 15+ policy templates and a dedicated compliance advisor on its Starter plan. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
- LowerPlane marks GDPR and PCI-DSS as add-ons on all three plans, and refers CCPA, NIST CSF, FedRAMP, CMMC and HITRUST to its sales team for custom pricing. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
- LowerPlane describes annual billing with no long-term contracts, cancellation on 30 days notice, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
- LowerPlane offers a free 20-question readiness assessment and a live demo in place of a free trial. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
- LowerPlane states on its homepage that you can get audit-ready in 30 days. Source, checked 2026-09-28.
Our own speed claim is audit-ready starting at about a week. Neither is a promise. Both depend on your team.
Side by side, with the gaps left in
Every cell is something one of us publishes, or it says Not published. The control set is the same AICPA criteria on either product.2
| What you are comparing | Polara Labs | LowerPlane |
|---|---|---|
| Is the price on the website? | Yes. | Yes. |
| Free first step | A readiness assessment with a score and a gap list. No card. | A 20-question readiness assessment and a live demo. |
| Getting ready | $2,000 one time. | LowerPlane Starter is $4,995 a year, billed annually, for one framework, SOC 2 or ISO 27001. |
| Recurring | $600 per month on a 12-month term. | Billed annually. |
| The auditor fee | Inside the price for the first Type 2 audit. | Separate, paid to the auditor. Not published. |
| Who does the audit | An independent licensed U.S. CPA firm. | An auditor you choose, with introductions from its partner network. |
| Frameworks | SOC 2 and ISO 27001. | One to three per plan, more through sales. |
| Contract | Onboarding is one time. Type 2 is a 12-month term. | Annual, with 30 days notice and a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Published customer proof | None. | Not compared here. |
Three questions before you choose
Put the same three to both of us. The answers settle it faster than the table.
- What is the auditor fee, in writing? Without it, a platform price is half a quote.
- Which firm, and is it licensed? Get the name before you sign, and look it up.
- What does year two cost, audit included? Renewal is where the real price shows up.
If the sum comes out in LowerPlane’s favor, buy LowerPlane. For the same test run on a vendor that publishes no price at all, see the Drata comparison.
Questions
What does LowerPlane cost?
Does the LowerPlane price include the SOC 2 audit?
Is LowerPlane better than Polara Labs?
What does Polara Labs cost in the first year?
Who performs the SOC 2 examination?
Sources
Get audit-ready without a compliance team.
The readiness assessment is free, with no payment and no card. $4,000 one time for SOC 2 Type 1 when you are ready, with the first examination and the auditor engagement fee included. audit-ready starting at about a week.
Take the free assessmentPolara Labs is not a CPA firm. SOC 2 examinations are performed by independent licensed U.S. CPA firms.