Secureframe Review (2026): ISO 42001, EU AI Act Coverage, and Honest Verdict
Secureframe sits in the same mid-market tier as Drata and Vanta. Its distinguishing factor is the integration of audit guidance into the product, which is particularly relevant for ISO 42001 where most organisations lack prior experience.
Company snapshot
| Founded | 2020 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, US |
| Employees | ~93 (2025, after 15% YoY reduction) |
| Funding | $78.5M total raised across 4 rounds |
| EU presence | No EU office; partner-delivered audits in EU |
- ✓In-house audit guidance team
- ✓Strong AI risk assessment workflow
- ✓Solid framework coverage
- ✓Quality of policy templates is high
- ✗Pricing tends higher than Sprinto for similar coverage
- ✗Trust centre is less polished than Drata's
- ✗Pricing not publicly disclosed
- ✗EU partner network smaller than Vanta's
ISO 42001 in depth
Launched: 2025. Added alongside NIST AI RMF in the same release cycle.
Scope: ISO/IEC 42001:2023 with structured AI risk assessment workflow. Policy templates are well-written and require less editing than competitors — a recurring strength in G2 reviews.
What's automated: Evidence collection automated where the source is a connected cloud or SaaS tool. AI risk assessment workflow guides the customer through high/limited/minimal risk classification.
Known gaps:
- Trust centre AI features less polished than Drata
- EU partner network smaller than Vanta
- No native model evaluation tooling
EU AI Act in depth
Status: Beta · Released: 2025
| Obligation | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Provider obligations (high-risk systems) | ◐ Partial |
| Deployer obligations | ◐ Partial |
| GPAI (Article 51+) | — |
Conformity assessment: Self-assessment workflow with in-house audit-guidance team support — distinctive in this tier.
Provider obligations are well covered; deployer and GPAI obligations still being expanded.
Framework coverage
| Framework | Coverage |
|---|---|
| ISO 42001 | ◐ Partial |
| EU AI Act | ◐ Partial |
| SOC 2 | ✓ Full |
| ISO 27001 | ✓ Full |
| GDPR | ✓ Full |
| HIPAA | ✓ Full |
| NIST CSF | ✓ Full |
| CCPA | ✓ Full |
Features
Secureframe combines automated evidence collection with in-house audit guidance. The ISO 42001 module includes an AI risk assessment workflow that maps to Annex A controls. Policy templates are well-written and require less editing than competitors.
Integrations
Catalogue size: 200+.
Notable integrations:
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | ~€7,000/yr | Single framework, audit guidance included |
| Growth | ~€16,000/yr | Multi-framework, vendor risk, trust centre |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom roles, EU residency, dedicated CSM |
Pricing model: Per framework with in-house audit guidance bundled. Not publicly listed.
What it really costs: Starter tier widely reported in the €7,000–€9,000/yr range. Growth tier €15,000–€18,000/yr. Audit guidance is included on all tiers — the differentiator vs Vanta/Drata, where audit help is sold separately.
Implementation and audit partners
Implementation timelines align with Drata: 10 to 14 weeks for ISO 42001 as a first framework. The in-house audit team is a notable accelerant for organisations without prior certification experience.
Auditor coverage: US, EU, UK.
Named partners: A-LIGN, Schellman, Insight Assurance.
Secureframe's distinguishing asset is its in-house compliance experts who act as audit guides — separate from the third-party certification auditor.
Support quality
All tiers include access to the in-house audit guidance team. Chat and email support, with phone access on enterprise contracts.
What's new in 2024–2026
- AI compliance suite expansionNew AI features rolled out across the platform.
- ISO 42001 + NIST AI RMF addedSame release added both frameworks plus AI risk assessment workflow.
- Compliance AI assistant (Comply AI)Policy generation and gap analysis via LLM.
Known weaknesses
Themes drawn from G2, Vendr, third-party reviews, and vendor documentation as of May 2026.
- Pricing tends higher than Sprinto for similar coverage
- Trust centre less polished than Drata
- Headcount reduction in 2024-2025 raised continuity concerns in buyer reports
- EU partner network smaller than Vanta
Who it is best for
- First-time ISO 42001 candidates
- Companies without internal compliance staff
- Teams that value audit guidance over self-service
Who should look elsewhere
- Companies with mature compliance functions
- Buyers prioritising the cheapest option
Alternatives
If Secureframe does not fit your requirements, consider: Vanta, Drata, Thoropass.
Frequently asked questions
Final verdict
Secureframe differentiates on the human side of certification, pairing platform automation with in-house audit guidance. For first-time ISO 42001 candidates that lack internal compliance expertise, this combination shortens the path to certification.
Sources
Numeric claims in this review (pricing, integration counts, funding, employee numbers, framework launch dates) are drawn from the sources below, last verified May 2026.