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.
| StackAttest | SOC 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Whether your software is technically production ready, from real evidence | Whether controls around your systems were followed over a period of time |
| Time to result | Hours to a day | Three to six months |
| Cost | Credits, starting free | Significant budget plus auditor fees |
| Evidence source | Your live app and code, checked directly | Policies, process, and auditor sampling |
| Best for | Early-stage teams proving readiness now | Enterprise contracts that require a formal report |
| Shareable artifact | A Passport you own and control | A formal audit report |
| Ongoing signal | Re-validate any time, watch it change | Point-in-time, renewed annually |
They are not the same thing
SOC 2 is an audit of the controls around your systems, delivered as a report by a licensed auditor. It is valuable, and for many enterprise deals it is eventually required. What it is not is fast, cheap, or a direct measure of whether your code is sound today. It measures process, over months, at cost.
Use StackAttest before you are ready for SOC 2
When a buyer or investor asks how you know your software is sound and you are too early for a full audit, StackAttest is the answer you can produce this week. You connect your live app or repository, it validates the same technical controls a careful engineer would check, and it produces a Passport you can share in a day.
And keep using it alongside SOC 2 later
SOC 2 is point-in-time and renewed once a year. StackAttest is a live technical check you can re-run whenever your code changes, so readiness is something you watch continuously, not just at audit time. Many teams use the Passport as the bridge to SOC 2, then keep it as the ongoing signal.
Want the founder's version of this? Read a SOC 2 alternative for early-stage AI startups.