Drata vs Vanta: A Comprehensive Comparison of Compliance Automation Solutions (updated 11/2024)

Introduction to Compliance Automation

Compliance automation revolutionizes the way businesses handle regulatory requirements, ensuring they meet standards effortlessly and efficiently. Drata and Vanta are the leaders in compliance automation. Both solutions reduce complexity and increase efficiency in the compliance process. In this article, we delve into the features, benefits, and differences between Drata vs Vanta, providing insights to help businesses choose the solution that best fits their compliance needs.

Drata, with its robust framework, specializes in automating security and compliance processes, reducing the manual workload and potential for human error. Vanta, on the other hand, focuses on continuous compliance monitoring, ensuring businesses stay aligned with industry standards at all times. These platforms not only offer peace of mind but also a strategic advantage in an increasingly regulated business environment.

Drata vs. Vanta: Company Overviews

Drata

Drata’s journey began with a mission to make the complex world of compliance more accessible and manageable for businesses of all sizes. Since its inception, the company has dedicated itself to providing an automated platform that simplifies the compliance process, ensuring businesses can easily meet various standards and regulations. Drata has raised over $300 million in funding to support its growth and innovation. It has also made several strategic acquisitions, including oak9 and Harmonize in 2024.

Key features and services of Drata include:

• Automated Compliance Monitoring: Drata offers continuous monitoring of a business’s systems, ensuring they remain compliant with standards like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and more.
• Streamlined Evidence Collection: The platform automates the collection of evidence needed for compliance audits, saving time and reducing errors.
• Integration with Existing Tools: Drata seamlessly integrates with a wide array of tools and services, allowing for efficient tracking and management of compliance data.
• Customizable Controls and Frameworks: Businesses can tailor controls and frameworks to fit their specific needs, ensuring a personalized compliance journey.

Vanta

Vanta started with a vision to demystify and streamline the compliance process for companies, especially those in the technology sector. Their approach revolves around making compliance an attainable goal for startups and established businesses alike. Vanta has raised over $200 million to date. This funding has been used to accelerate growth and for the acquisition of Trustpage.

Key features and services of Vanta include:

• Continuous Compliance Tracking: Vanta provides real-time tracking of a company’s compliance status, ensuring they are always prepared for audits and regulatory reviews.
• Automated Security Practices: The platform automates key security practices, helping businesses maintain high standards of data protection and security.
• Diverse Compliance Framework Support: Vanta supports a range of compliance frameworks, including HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, and others, making it a versatile choice for various industries.
• User-Friendly Interface: Designed with usability in mind, Vanta’s interface simplifies the management of compliance tasks, making it accessible even for those new to compliance.

Both Drata vs Vanta have carved out significant niches in the compliance automation market. Each brings unique strengths and capabilities to the table. Next we’ll explore a detailed feature comparison between Vanta and Drata.

Key Features Comparison

At the time of this writing, here’s the current list of Security and Privacy Frameworks supported by each platform:

Frameworks	Drata	Vanta
SOC 2	X	X
HIPAA	X	X
GDPR	X	X
CCPA	X	X
PCI DSS	X	X
Cyber Essentials	X	X
CMMC	X	X
Microsoft SSPA	X	X
NIST CSF	X	X
NIST SP 800-53	X	X
NIST SP 800-171	X	X
NIST AI RMF	X	X
FFIEC	X	X
CCM (Cloud Controls Matrix)	X	X
ISO 27001	X	X
ISO 27017	X	X
ISO 27018	X	X
ISO 27701	X	X
ISO 42001	X	X
Custom Frameworks	X	X
FedRAMP	X	X
NIS 2	X	X
SOX ITGC	X	X
AWS FTR (Foundational Technical Review)		X
MVSP		X
OFDSS		X
Essential Eight		X
CIS Critical Security Controls		X
CPS 234		X
Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)		X
EU AI Act		X
Title 23 NYCRR Part 500		X
US Data Privacy (USDP)		X

Vanta has a clear advantage in terms of the number of supported frameworks. Both support the most commonly used frameworks with the ability to import your own custom frameworks.

Integration Capabilities

Integration capabilities play a pivotal role in how effectively these platforms can automate and manage compliance processes. Both platforms have the necessary integrations for core components: HRIS, IdP, Asset/Inventory, MDM, Version Control Systems, and Task Management. We have found that Vanta’s API is more comprehensive allowing for more automation tasks to be performed. Drata’s API is mainly for querying data for reporting purposes and cannot make major changes.

Drata vs Vanta Integrations Capabilities

• Drata:
  • Drata has over 219+ integrations that perform comprehensive checks beyond account provisioning with automated tests. The majority of popular apps are supported by Drata.
  • Offers integration with a wide range of cloud services, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, facilitating the management of cloud-based resources.
  • Integrates with popular HR systems, ensuring that employee data and access rights are consistently managed in line with compliance requirements.
  • Provides integration with developer tools such as GitHub and Jira, aiding in secure and compliant software development processes.
  • Drata has an open API https://developers.drata.com/docs/
  • We find that Drata’s focus on automation is a double-edged sword. Some basic things, such as being able to add a user manually, are not supported.
  • User access reviews become easier with the breadth of integrations.

• Vanta:
  • With over 350+ integrations, we have found that Vanta’s integration catalog to be expansive but lacks in depth. The integrations primarily automate the testing of user-associated accounts and the deprovisioning of accounts when offboarding employees. Vanta also checks for compliance with controls like credential management, authentication process etc.
  • Similar to Drata, Vanta integrates with major cloud service providers, helping manage and secure cloud infrastructure.
  • Offers integrations with HR systems, streamlining employee onboarding and offboarding processes in compliance with various regulations.
  • Incorporates connections with sales and customer management tools, like Salesforce, to maintain compliance in customer data management.
  • Vanta has an open API for partners and customers to utilize to run their own queries https://developer.vanta.com/
  • While Vanta allows you to add users manually, it only has a basic ability to let you add manual assets with just the name, description and owner of the asset.

User Interface and Experience

Vanta vs Drata Ease of Use

The user interfaces of Drata vs Vanta play a crucial role in how users interact with their respective platforms, impacting overall user experience and satisfaction.

• Drata:
  • The interface stands out for its clear and intuitive design. Drata allows users to navigate easily with direct access to key features and functions. Its straightforward nature particularly benefits businesses new to compliance automation.
  • The dashboard actively offers a comprehensive view of the compliance status, using visual indicators for continuous monitoring that swiftly inform users of their current state and necessary actions.
  • However, the UI’s simplicity sometimes results in hiding various items behind support center document links and non-intuitive menus.
  • While Drata’s UI is user-friendly and makes it easy to check the status of a control, it could improve in showing what is required for control readiness. Typically, this involves uploading manual evidence, a process that could be made more straightforward.

• Vanta:
  • Vanta’s interface is designed with a focus on user-friendliness, offering a clean and organized layout. Users appreciate the minimalistic approach, which reduces complexity and learning time.
  • The platform features a basic dashboard that shows the overall progress towards compliance. We find that it lacks the ability to clearly determine what actions are required at the time of viewing.
  • Vanta’s platform actively guides users towards achieving compliance, but its user interface, with its heavy emphasis on Common Control Framework mappings, can easily become monotonous and lead users to feel lost.
  • Some quirks include the fact that Vanta likes to open new browser windows and its easy to lose track of how you got a certain page. It’s also not clear how remediate a Control, it seems that you need all the Tests and Documents to be remediated first.

Onboarding Process Drata vs Vanta

The onboarding process for each platform is a critical component of the user experience, determining how quickly and effectively users can start leveraging the platforms for compliance management.

• Drata:
  • Drata’s onboarding process is structured and guided. New users receive a clear roadmap of steps to follow, which includes setting up integrations, defining compliance frameworks, and configuring settings. You can not deviate from this onboarding process!
  • Onboarding typically involves a mix of self-service resources and direct support, ensuring users can quickly become proficient with the platform.
• Vanta:
  • Vanta offers a streamlined onboarding experience, emphasizing ease of setup. The process includes automated guides and checklists that help users set up their accounts, integrate their systems, and start monitoring compliance.
  • The platform also provides educational resources and templates, assisting users in understanding compliance requirements and how to meet them using Vanta.

Customer Support Vanta vs Drata

The level and quality of customer support offered by Drata vs Vanta significantly affect user satisfaction and the ability to effectively utilize the platforms.

• Drata:
  • Drata offers comprehensive in-app customer support, including access to compliance experts, which can be invaluable for businesses navigating complex compliance landscapes.
  • The in-app ability to chat with an expert makes it easy to use, and response times have been excellent.
  • The online support documentation is also good,
• Vanta:
  • Users have access to a knowledgeable team that can assist with both technical and compliance-related queries but you need to open the inquiry in their support portal which they do a good job of hiding leading you more towards the self service options.
  • Vanta also offers an extensive knowledge base and community forums for peer support and shared learning.

Both Drata and Vanta prioritize user experience, offering intuitive interfaces and comprehensive onboarding processes. While Drata focuses on a more guided onboarding experience with extensive direct support, Vanta leans towards a more self-guided approach with robust educational resources. Their customer support systems are both well-regarded, ensuring users receive the necessary assistance for their compliance management needs.

Pricing and Plans

As an MSP partner for both Vanta and Drata, we can not provide details into their direct pricing models. Bright Defense offers both platforms with all the features including Risk Management and Trust Center which are normally additional cost if you go direct. Pricing is based off the number of frameworks and employee count in the platforms. Bright Defense is able to offer both platforms fully managed with our Continuous Compliance programs. We select the platform that will best fit the customer’s overall compliance goals, tech stack and level of interactions the customer will have directly with the platform.

Security and Reliability

As you would expect from a SaaS based compliance automation platform provider, both eat their own dog food with SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA compliance and more. You can view all this in their respective Trust Centers. Both platforms utilize extensive end-to-end encryption technologies, perform regular security audits and monitoring, along with prioritizing advanced threat detection.

Pros and Cons of Drata and Vanta

Drata

Pros:

1. Automated Compliance Monitoring: Drata excels in automated monitoring, providing continuous oversight over control testing and compliance status, which is crucial for businesses needing constant vigilance.
2. Integration with Developer Tools: Its strong and deep integration capabilities, particularly with developer tools and cloud services, make it an excellent choice for tech-focused companies that are Cloud native.
3. In-App Customer Support: With the ability to chat with experts right inside the platform, Drata makes it easy to get answers quickly and efficiently.
4. Shifting-Left Compliance: Drata’s acquisition and integration of oak9’s Compliance as Code enables developers to find errors early on in the deployment of new infrastructure.

Cons:

1. Potentially Overwhelming for Smaller Businesses: The platform’s extensive features and robustness may exceed smaller businesses’ needs, leading to resource underutilization.
2. Learning Curve: The platform’s comprehensive nature may pose a steeper learning curve for new users, especially those less experienced in compliance matters.
3. Automation checks: Each automation test performs a distinct check and if you’re not doing it exactly as Drata prescribes the test will fail. Compliance managers need to dive into the details of the tests and don’t take it for face value.

Vanta

Pros:

1. User-Friendly Interface: Vanta’s clean, organized, and intuitive interface enhances user navigation and compliance task management.
2. Broad Compliance Framework Support: The platform’s support for a diverse range of compliance frameworks, including country and industry specific frameworks.
3. Access and Vulnerability Management: Vanta has modules for access review to streamline the cumbersome process and the ability to track vulnerabilities in the platform with an integration to a third party scanner such as Snyk.

Cons:

1. Depth Shortcomings: Vanta’s integrations and documentation fall short in detailing what is tested, leaving admins uncertain about the actual tests and outcomes.
2. Vanta’s Claims Can’t be Validated: Vanta’s assertion of automating 90% of security and privacy frameworks holds only if users fully adopt their integrations, leaving numerous manual tasks otherwise.
3. Doing Anything to Win Customers: We’ve recently come across some crazy low offers from Vanta to acquire customers at all costs, which is driving the quality of the audits and penetration tests lower and lower. Vanta is definitely pushing the ethical boundaries offering a compliance automation tool and audit services to their customers.
4. Focus on Speed: Vanta still claims to be able to get customers SOC 2 compliant in days, this cannot be achieved with a reasonable level of maturity that requires time and expertise.

Other Vanta and Drata Alternatives

Vanta vs. Drata is the most common comparison in the compliance automation space today, but there are other Vanta and Drata competitors worth exploring. For a thorough evaluation, consider adding these products to your shortlist:

1. Secureframe: Known for its robust integration capabilities, Secureframe automates compliance across frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR. It efficiently manages security and compliance by monitoring cloud, vendor, and HR ecosystems, providing a streamlined process to ensure businesses are audit-ready​. Check out our Drata vs. Secureframe comparison to lear more.
2. TrustCloud: TrustCloud aids in managing governance, risk, and compliance with a suite of tools designed to automate and streamline compliance tasks. It supports continuous compliance across various standards and regulations, making it a versatile choice for organizations looking to enhance their compliance posture. Their free version for startups is compelling for small businesses on a tight budget, but lacks some of the features of Drata and Vanta. Our Drata vs. TrustCloud article highlights these differences in detail.
3. Sprinto: Targeted towards SaaS companies, Sprinto automates the compliance process for standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Its features include real-time compliance monitoring and automated evidence collection, which help rapidly growing tech companies manage their compliance needs efficiently​.
4. Hyperproof: Hyperproof offers comprehensive compliance management capabilities, including continuous monitoring, data governance, and automated control testing. It supports multiple compliance frameworks and allows for the customization of frameworks, catering to a broad range of compliance needs​.
5. Scrut Automation: This platform is aimed at simplifying governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) across numerous frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR. Scrut provides features like real-time monitoring, and automated evidence mapping, and integrates with over 70 applications to facilitate continuous compliance.

Word of Caution on Automation

Having the best tools and automation doesn’t automatically safeguard your data. Ensure that the automated tests align closely with your product’s architecture. Remember, people pose the greatest risk to an organization; therefore, conducting regular and comprehensive security awareness training is essential for maintaining a robust security program. Having a CISO to guide you through this process whether it’s a full time or fractional vCISO are critical to help startups and anyone exploring compliance. It’s like trying to climb Mount Everest without a sherpa. You will want someone that has done it numerous times before and can help you effectively reach your goals.

Conclusion

In summary, Drata and Vanta both offer strong features in compliance automation, but they cater to slightly different needs and preferences. Drata is a robust choice for tech-focused businesses needing customizable controls and extensive integration capabilities, though it might be complex for smaller businesses. Vanta, with its user-friendly interface and broad compliance support, is versatile for various business sizes but may lack the depth of developer tool integrations that some cloud native companies require.

Both companies have received significant funding, $203M for Vanta and $328M for Drata and over 4 rounds, cementing their places as #1 and #2 in the compliance automation space. Drata and Vanta, are both leaders in compliance automation and they are each others fiercest rival. If one comes out with a new feature, you can bet that a few months later the other will have the same.

About Bright Defense

Bright Defense offers three Continuous Cybersecurity Compliance-as-a-Service packages to fit various needs and stages of an SMB’s compliance journey. All packages include a compliance automation platform like Drata or Vanta.

• Sentry – Geared towards the do-it-yourself firms that are IT savvy and have a good handle on security. You can utilize our block of vCISO hours for various activities, including Risk Assessment, developing Incident Response playbooks, conducting Incident Response tabletop exercises, planning, developing, and testing Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery (BC/DR), preparing for and advising on audits, conducting Internal Audits, and planning IT Strategy.
• Guardian – Is our end-to-end delivery of a fully managed and robust Information Security Program all the way through pre-audit preparation. Customers can choose to bring in there own auditor from there.
• Defender – This plan has all the features and benefits of Guardian along with an annual SOC 2 audit with a US-based AICPA firm and monthly vulnerability scanning. Our Defender Plan is everything you need to achieve compliance in one attractive monthly cost.

Our focus frameworks include SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, and PCI. Our other services include vCISO services, risk assessments, gap analysis, managed security awareness training, multifactor authentication, endpoint protection, and more. We’ve got everyone you need to make your compliance journey a smooth one. If you’re interested in seeing a demo of Drata or Vanta, let us know!

Drata vs. Vanta: FAQ

Drata vs. Vanta FAQ

How do Drata and Vanta ensure audit readiness for compliance programs?

• Drata: Drata automates compliance monitoring and evidence collection, thereby streamlining compliance workflows to ensure audit readiness. It offers continuous automated control monitoring, helping maintain visibility and control over the security posture throughout the year​.
• Vanta: Vanta’s compliance platform automates up to 90% of the compliance processes, including evidence collection and security checks. It ensures audit readiness by providing real-time updates and consistent monitoring across compliance frameworks​.

Can Drata and Vanta manage custom frameworks to maintain compliance requirements?

• Drata: Drata supports a wide range of compliance frameworks and allows for the addition of custom frameworks. This feature helps organizations tailor the platform to their specific compliance requirements, enhancing operational efficiency and maintaining compliance​.
• Vanta: While Vanta primarily focuses on standard frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA, it also provides support for integrating custom control requirements into its automated compliance workflows, facilitating a comprehensive compliance program tailored to specific business needs​.

What features do Drata and Vanta offer to improve compliance workflows and operational efficiency?

• Drata: Drata provides an integrated compliance platform that automates workflows for monitoring, testing, and reporting on compliance statuses. This automation helps enhance operational efficiency by reducing manual efforts and streamlining compliance tasks​.
• Vanta: Vanta offers streamlined compliance workflows that integrate seamlessly with existing cloud providers and other tech stacks, which helps in reducing the complexity and time involved in achieving compliance. This integration enhances operational efficiency and simplifies the management of sensitive data​.

How do Drata and Vanta support data security and protection of sensitive data?

• Drata: Drata ensures the security of sensitive data by implementing robust data protection measures, including encrypted storage and secure data handling practices. Its continuous security monitoring helps detect and address vulnerabilities promptly, thereby strengthening an organization’s security posture​ (Zluri | Unified SaaS Management Platform)​.
• Vanta: Vanta emphasizes data security by providing comprehensive risk assessments, regular vulnerability scans, and automated alerts for any data security issues. It ensures the protection of sensitive data through strict access controls and regular compliance checks​ (Expert Insights)​.

What role do cloud providers play in the compliance solutions offered by Drata and Vanta?

• Drata: Drata integrates with multiple cloud providers to automate the gathering of compliance evidence and to ensure that the cloud services used by an organization comply with the required security standards. This helps maintain continuous compliance and security across all cloud-based assets​.
• Vanta: Vanta also integrates with a variety of cloud providers, which allows it to continuously monitor cloud environments and manage compliance with cloud-specific regulations. This integration is crucial for maintaining an up-to-date security posture and ensuring that cloud-hosted data remains protected​​.

How do Drata and Vanta handle integrations with third-party tools and services?

• Drata: Drata integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and services, including cloud providers, HR platforms, project management tools, and identity providers. This integration helps streamline compliance processes by automatically collecting evidence and monitoring controls across various systems.
• Vanta: Vanta offers extensive integrations with similar third-party tools, such as AWS, GCP, Azure, Okta, and GitHub, to automate security monitoring and evidence collection. These integrations help organizations manage compliance more effectively by providing real-time insights into their security and compliance status.

Can Drata and Vanta support organizations with multiple compliance frameworks simultaneously?

• Drata: Yes, Drata supports multiple compliance frameworks concurrently, such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA. Its unified dashboard allows organizations to manage and track their compliance efforts across different frameworks, ensuring a consistent approach to maintaining compliance.
• Vanta: Similarly, Vanta is designed to support multiple frameworks simultaneously. It provides a consolidated view of an organization’s compliance status across SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and more, allowing businesses to efficiently manage and prioritize their compliance tasks.

How do Drata and Vanta assist in maintaining continuous compliance beyond audits?

• Drata: Drata emphasizes continuous compliance by providing automated control monitoring and real-time alerts. This proactive approach ensures that organizations remain compliant throughout the year, not just during audits.
• Vanta: Vanta also focuses on continuous compliance through its automated monitoring and reporting features. By providing ongoing insights and notifications about compliance status, Vanta helps organizations identify and resolve issues before they escalate.

Do Drata and Vanta provide support for employee training and policy management?

• Drata: Drata includes features for managing security awareness training and distributing company policies. These tools help ensure that employees understand and adhere to compliance requirements, contributing to a culture of security within the organization.
• Vanta: Vanta offers similar capabilities, providing tools for employee training and policy management. This feature helps organizations maintain compliance by ensuring that staff are well-informed about security practices and regulatory requirements.

What kind of reporting and dashboards do Drata and Vanta offer for compliance tracking?

• Drata: Drata provides dashboards and detailed reporting capabilities, allowing organizations to track their compliance status in real time. The platform offers insights into control performance, audit readiness, and potential risks.
• Vanta: Vanta offers intuitive dashboards and automated reports that help organizations monitor their compliance progress. These tools provide actionable insights, making it easier to prepare for audits and address compliance gaps proactively.