How to Choose a SOC 2 Auditor (2026): CPA Firm vs Automation Platform

If a customer has asked your SaaS company for a SOC 2 report, your next decision is who performs it. There is a hard rule worth knowing up front: only a licensed CPA firm can issue a SOC 2 report. Compliance-automation platforms are useful, but they cannot attest. Here is how the pieces fit and how to choose in 2026.

What SOC 2 actually is

SOC 2 is an attestation against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria (security, plus optionally availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, privacy). A Type 1 report assesses control design at a point in time; a Type 2 report assesses operating effectiveness over a period (commonly 3–12 months). Most enterprise buyers want Type 2.

The two roles you are actually buying

CPA firm vs automation platform — they are not alternatives

This is the most common misunderstanding. An automation platform (Vanta, Drata, Sprinto) collects evidence and monitors controls; it speeds up readiness but does not produce the report. A CPA firm performs the examination and issues the attestation. A consultant such as Praxis-Q bridges the two — building your controls and evidence so the CPA audit is fast and clean, and can run your ongoing program as a SOC-as-a-Service function. You need a CPA firm regardless of which readiness route you pick.

How to choose your readiness route

• Lean team, tight buyer deadline: consultant-led readiness, then a CPA audit.
• Engineering-heavy team wanting continuous monitoring: automation platform, ideally with advisory.
• First-ever SOC 2: a Type 1 to unblock the deal, then a Type 2 over the following months.

Frequently asked questions

Can a software platform issue a SOC 2 report?

No. Only a licensed CPA firm can perform the examination and issue a SOC 2 report. Platforms automate evidence and monitoring but cannot attest.

Type 1 or Type 2 first?

If you need something fast to unblock a deal, a Type 1 proves control design now; a Type 2 then proves the controls operated effectively over a period and is what most enterprise buyers ultimately want.

Do I need both a consultant and a CPA firm?

You always need a CPA firm for the report. A consultant or platform is optional but usually pays for itself by making the audit faster and cleaner.