Comparison
StackAttest vs SOC 2 for early-stage AI startups
They solve different problems. SOC 2 audits your process over months. StackAttest checks whether your software is production ready, now, from evidence. Here is how they compare, and how they fit together.
| Dimension | StackAttest | SOC 2 |
|---|---|---|
| What it examines | The software itself and the evidence behind technical controls | The organization's controls over the audit period |
| How it is checked | Live URL, repository, dependency, and isolated runtime checks | Auditor review of policies, records, samples, and management assertions |
| Standards referenced | OWASP ASVS 5, NIST SSDF, CWE, OWASP API Security Top 10, WSTG, SLSA | AICPA Trust Services Criteria |
| Application security | Can exercise authorization and injection behavior when safe runtime credentials and reachable endpoints are available | Assesses whether the organization's control design and operation meet the selected criteria |
| Evidence quality | Each control is graded E0 to E5, from unknown to independently reproduced | The audit report expresses the service auditor's opinion on the system description and controls |
| Progress model | A re-runnable L0 to L5 verification ladder tied to fresh evidence | A report covering a defined scope and period |
| What it does not cover | HR, vendors, governance, physical security, or a SOC 2 opinion | A complete technical test of every reachable application path |
| Shareable artifact | A founder-controlled Passport and signed technical attestation | A formal independent auditor's report |
They answer different questions
SOC 2 examines whether controls around a defined system were suitably designed and, for a Type 2 report, operated over a period. StackAttest examines technical claims about the software and records the evidence behind each control. Both can be useful. StackAttest is not a SOC 2 audit and cannot replace a report required by a contract or buyer.
StackAttest tests the software against named mappings
URL checks, source analysis, dependency audits, and isolated runtime probes feed controls mapped to OWASP ASVS 5, NIST SSDF, CWE, OWASP API Security Top 10, WSTG, SLSA. Where safe credentials and reachable endpoints are available, runtime validation can test cross-account authorization and send bounded injection payloads. Where evidence is missing, the control stays uncovered rather than being treated as passed.
Every control says how strongly it was proven
StackAttest grades evidence from E0 unknown through E5 independently reproduced. Source-verified evidence reads differently from a runtime-observed result, and the Passport shows that distinction through Score, Evidence Coverage, Validation Confidence, and AI Consensus.
Use technical evidence before and alongside an audit
A founder can validate the product, work through findings, and share a Passport while organizational compliance work follows its own schedule. The Passport gives buyers and investors a current technical signal without claiming to satisfy a compliance requirement.
Re-run when the software changes
Each validation captures a commit, evidence graph, control outcomes, and ladder level. Re-running after a change creates a new technical record, while SOC 2 continues to answer the separate organizational assurance question.
Prove your software is ready this week.
Want the founder's version of this? Read a SOC 2 alternative for early-stage AI startups.