ISO 27001 compliance tools compared.
Drata, Vanta, Scytale and Control Stack. If you are an Australian or AU-aligned organisation pursuing ISO 27001 certification in 2026, the global software market gives you four real options. Each takes a different approach and serves a different buyer.
This comparison is written by Control Stack, but kept honest - we explicitly tell you when one of our competitors is the better choice. The trade-off is real: full GRC platforms (Drata, Vanta, Scytale) are expensive and feature-rich; Control Stack is a focused controls reference library that costs a fraction and works alongside any of them.
Quick comparison: at a glance.
| Tool | Type | ISO 27001 | SOC 2 | ASD ISM | Essential 8 | AUD pricing | Starting at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drata | Full GRC platform | Yes | Yes | No | No | No (USD) | ~A$22,000/yr |
| Vanta | Full GRC platform | Yes | Yes | No | No | No (USD) | ~A$25,000/yr |
| Scytale | Full GRC platform | Yes | Yes | No | No | No (USD) | ~A$15,000/yr |
| Control Stack | Controls reference library | Yes | Via mapping | Yes | Yes | Yes (AUD) | Free + paid tiers |
Pricing estimates as of 2026-06; figures are approximate published starting points and review annually.
Drata, Vanta and Scytale are full GRC platforms that automate evidence collection, run continuous monitoring across your cloud accounts and serve auditor-facing portals. Control Stack is a controls reference library - it does not automate evidence collection, but it gives you the most complete, AU-localised view of ISO 27001, ASD ISM and Essential Eight controls in one tool.
Drata
Drata is one of the two most-used SaaS GRC platforms globally (the other being Vanta). It was founded in 2020 in San Diego and has raised over US$320 million in funding. It is positioned for mid-market SaaS companies pursuing SOC 2 first, ISO 27001 second, plus secondary frameworks.
What Drata does well
- Auto-evidence collection across 200+ integrations (AWS, Azure, GCP, Okta, Jira, GitHub, etc.). This is the biggest single time-saver in a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 readiness project.
- Continuous control monitoring - Drata watches your systems 24/7 and flags drift in real time.
- Auditor portal - your CPA firm has a direct read-only login that they trust and recognise.
- Trust center - public-facing security badge that your customers' procurement teams will accept.
Where Drata falls short
- No Australian framework coverage. Drata has no native support for ASD ISM, Essential Eight, IRAP, or the Australian Privacy Principles. If you need to demonstrate compliance to Australian government buyers, Drata will not help you.
- USD pricing and US-based support. Australian customers pay in USD with FX margin, and support is on US business hours.
- Pricing is steep for small AU teams. Starting around A$22,000/year (and quickly climbing past A$50,000 once you add SOC 2 modules), Drata is built for mid-market US SaaS, not 20-person Australian startups.
When Drata is the right call
If you are a SaaS company selling primarily to US enterprises, your customers will know and trust Drata's auditor portal, and you can afford the price tag, Drata is a strong choice. Many Australian SaaS founders use Drata for SOC 2 + ISO 27001 because their US customers expect it.
When to skip Drata
If you need ASD ISM, Essential Eight, or any Australian government compliance, Drata will not get you there. If you are under 30 staff and pre-funding, the price is hard to justify when Control Stack and lighter tools exist.
Vanta
Vanta is Drata's main rival. Founded in 2018 in San Francisco, raised over US$350 million, dominant in early-stage SaaS SOC 2 readiness.
What Vanta does well
- Same auto-evidence collection feature set as Drata with a slightly broader integration catalogue.
- Strong brand recognition - when a buyer asks "do you have a SOC 2 report?", Vanta's name surfaces fast.
- Vanta AI - newer AI-assisted gap analysis is genuinely useful for first-time SOC 2 readiness.
Where Vanta falls short
- Same Australian-framework gap as Drata: no ASD ISM, no Essential Eight, no IRAP, no AU Privacy Principles.
- Pricing is higher than Drata on like-for-like SOC 2 packages.
- Less customisable than Drata for non-SaaS organisations.
When Vanta is the right call
US-headquartered or US-customer-facing SaaS, SOC 2 first as the primary cert, brand recognition matters in your sales cycle.
When to skip Vanta
Same as Drata - any AU government compliance pursuit and you will need a separate tool anyway.
Scytale
Scytale is a newer entrant (founded 2019, headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in Atlanta), positioned more affordably than Drata and Vanta, with growing AI-compliance features.
What Scytale does well
- Lower starting price - typically A$15,000-A$18,000/year vs Drata and Vanta's A$22,000+.
- AI/ML compliance modules - ISO 42001 is genuinely on Scytale's roadmap, ahead of Drata.
- Faster onboarding for first-time SOC 2 candidates.
Where Scytale falls short
- Smaller integration catalogue than Drata or Vanta - some niche tools you use may not auto-sync.
- No Australian frameworks (same gap).
- Less auditor-firm recognition - your CPA firm may need an extra meeting to get comfortable with the Scytale auditor portal.
When Scytale is the right call
Mid-market SaaS that wants SOC 2 + ISO 27001 at a lower-than-Drata-Vanta price, especially if you are also planning to pursue ISO 42001 in 2026.
When to skip Scytale
If brand recognition with your buyers matters more than the cost savings, Drata or Vanta wins.
Control Stack
Control Stack is a focused controls reference library - built for organisations that need to understand and demonstrate compliance with multiple Australian frameworks alongside ISO 27001.
What Control Stack does well
- The most complete Australian-framework coverage in any compliance tool. ISO 27001 + ISO 42001 + ASD ISM + Essential Eight, all cross-mapped, all kept current with framework updates.
- Pricing built for Australian SMBs. Free tier for individual practitioners and small teams. Paid tiers start at a fraction of what Drata, Vanta or Scytale cost.
- Pure controls library, no audit automation lock-in. You can use Control Stack alongside Drata or Vanta - many AU organisations do exactly that, using Drata for SOC 2 evidence and Control Stack for ASD ISM and Essential Eight requirements.
- AU-domiciled support. AUD pricing, GST receipting, Australian business hours.
Where Control Stack falls short
- No auto-evidence collection. Control Stack tells you what the controls are; you still need to gather and present evidence yourself, or in conjunction with a separate GRC platform.
- No auditor portal. Your auditor will work from their own templates, not from Control Stack.
- No continuous monitoring. Control Stack is not watching your AWS account; it is reference content.
When Control Stack is the right call
Australian organisations pursuing ISO 27001 AND any Australian government framework (ASD ISM, Essential Eight, IRAP). AU SMBs that cannot justify A$22,000+/year for a full GRC platform. Teams that want a reference library to use alongside Drata, Vanta or Scytale.
When to skip Control Stack
If your only target is SOC 2 (no ISO 27001, no AU frameworks) and you have the budget for full GRC platform automation, go straight to Drata, Vanta or Scytale. We are not pretending to compete on SOC 2.
How these tools compare for Australian frameworks.
The single biggest difference between Control Stack and the global GRC platforms is Australian framework coverage. Here is the reality.
ASD ISM (Information Security Manual)
ASD ISM is the Australian Cyber Security Centre's guide to information security controls. It is the baseline for Commonwealth government contracts and many state government procurements. Required for any Australian organisation handling sensitive government data.
- Drata: not supported
- Vanta: not supported
- Scytale: not supported
- Control Stack: full ASD ISM control library, kept current with ACSC updates
Essential Eight
Essential Eight is the ACSC's prioritised set of eight mitigation strategies designed to make it harder for adversaries to compromise systems. Increasingly required in Australian vendor security questionnaires.
- Drata: not supported
- Vanta: not supported
- Scytale: not supported
- Control Stack: full Essential Eight maturity model coverage
IRAP (Information Security Registered Assessors Program)
If you are selling cloud services to Australian Government, IRAP assessment is the gateway. Control Stack maps the ISM controls IRAP assessors check; the global GRC tools do not.
Practical implication
If you only need SOC 2 + ISO 27001, the global GRC tools win on automation. If you need anything from the Australian compliance stack (ASD ISM, E8, IRAP), you need Control Stack or you are back to manual spreadsheets.
ISO 27000 vs ISO 27001 vs ISO 27002.
There is persistent confusion about the difference between ISO 27000, ISO 27001 and ISO 27002. Quick orientation.
ISO 27000
ISO/IEC 27000:2018 is the vocabulary standard for the ISO 27000-series. It defines all the terms (asset, threat, risk, control, etc.) used across the rest of the family. You do not certify against ISO 27000 - it is a reference document that supports the other standards.
ISO 27001
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is the requirements standard for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). This is what organisations actually get certified against. ISO 27001 specifies what controls you must consider (Annex A, 93 controls in the 2022 edition), what processes you must run (clauses 4-10) and what evidence you must produce.
ISO 27002
ISO/IEC 27002:2022 is the implementation guide for the Annex A controls in ISO 27001. It tells you, for each of the 93 controls, how to implement them in practice. ISO 27002 is not certified against - it is a companion reference.
Which standard you need
- To get certified: ISO 27001 (use ISO 27002 as your implementation guide).
- To understand the vocabulary: ISO 27000 (free reference).
- To answer "what does my organisation need to do day-to-day": ISO 27001 + ISO 27002 together.
Control Stack maps the ISO 27001 Annex A controls to their ISO 27002 implementation guidance to ASD ISM controls in one cross-referenced view - useful if you are pursuing both standards in parallel.
How to choose.
Six questions that narrow it down.
- 1 Are you selling to US enterprises?
→ SOC 2 is table-stakes. Drata or Vanta.
- 2 Do you need ASD ISM, Essential Eight, or any Australian government compliance?
→ Control Stack (alone or alongside a GRC platform).
- 3 Is your team under 30 people and pre-funding?
→ Skip the A$22k+ platforms. Start with Control Stack and a strong internal process.
- 4 Are you pursuing ISO 42001 (AI management) in 2026?
→ Scytale or Control Stack. Drata and Vanta are slower here.
- 5 Does your auditor have a preferred platform?
→ Ask them. Many AU CPA firms have established workflows with Drata; the firm preference saves you weeks.
- 6 Are you running multiple frameworks simultaneously?
→ Control Stack pairs well with Drata or Vanta. Use the GRC platform for SOC 2 evidence; use Control Stack for ASD ISM, Essential Eight, and ISO 27001 cross-mapping.
The unhappy middle: small AU organisations buying Drata for ISO 27001 because they did not know Control Stack exists. They pay 5-10x what they need to and get no Australian framework coverage in return.
Frequently asked questions.
Is Control Stack a SOC 2 audit tool? expand_more
No. Control Stack does not replace SOC 2 audit automation. If your only target is SOC 2 and you need auditor-portal automation, choose Drata, Vanta, or Scytale.
Can I use Control Stack alongside Drata or Vanta? expand_more
Yes, and many Australian organisations do exactly that. Control Stack handles your Australian framework coverage (ASD ISM, Essential Eight, IRAP), and Drata or Vanta handle your SOC 2 evidence collection.
What is the cheapest way to get ISO 27001 ready in Australia? expand_more
The cheapest viable path: Control Stack for the controls reference (free or low paid tier), an internal champion to coordinate evidence collection, and a fixed-fee external auditor for the certification audit itself. This typically lands at A$15,000 to A$30,000 all-in for a first ISO 27001 Type 1 audit at a 30-person organisation. Drata or Vanta starts at roughly 2x this.
Do I need both ISO 27001 and ASD ISM? expand_more
It depends on your customer base. ISO 27001 is the global certification; ASD ISM is the Australian Government baseline. If you sell to both, you need both. Control Stack cross-maps them so you do not duplicate work.
How often does Control Stack update its controls? expand_more
Within 30 days of an ASD ISM revision, ISO standard update, or Essential Eight maturity model change. The reference library tracks framework changes as they ship.
Try Control Stack.
Free to start with - no credit card, no trial timer. The free tier covers full ISO 27001, ISO 42001, ASD ISM and Essential Eight control browsing.