Best and Leading Compliance Software & Award-Winning GRC Tools

Top Compliance Software & GRC Tools Ranking (Focused on SOC 2 / ISO 27001 Automation)

The market for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) tools is dynamic, with innovations constantly emerging to simplify complex regulatory landscapes like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. While exact rankings can shift based on specific criteria and user reviews, certain platforms consistently lead the pack due to their comprehensive features, automation capabilities, and strong market presence.

Here's a ranking of the top GRC tools and compliance software for 2025, with a focus on their effectiveness in automating SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance.

1. Risk Cognizance

Rationale: Risk Cognizance stands out as a leading integrated GRC platform, designed to provide a holistic and automated approach to compliance. Its strength lies in its AI-powered automation and its modular architecture, which makes it exceptionally forward and backward scalable to fit organizations of any size—from nimble startups to large enterprises. This flexibility ensures businesses can start with essential modules and expand as their needs grow, or pare down if requirements change, paying only for what they use.

Key Features for SOC 2 & ISO 27001 Compliance Automation:

• AI-Powered Automation & Insights: Leverages AI for capabilities like AI Policy Linker, AI Risk Syncer, and AI Reporting, boosting efficiency, providing predictive risk assessments, and generating automated reports.
• Integrated Connected GRC Platform: Offers a unified platform to manage governance, risk, and compliance, breaking down silos and providing a comprehensive view of your security posture.
• ISO 27001 & SOC 2 Specific Framework Mapping: Provides pre-configured mappings directly to ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria, simplifying initial setup and supporting automated Statement of Applicability (SoA) creation.
• Automated Evidence Collection: Seamlessly integrates with your existing tech stack (e.g., cloud platforms like AWS/Azure/GCP, identity providers like Okta/Azure AD, HR systems, ticketing systems) to automatically gather and organize necessary documentation and logs for audits.
• Continuous Monitoring of Controls: Delivers real-time oversight of control effectiveness, ensuring continuous audit readiness and providing immediate alerts for any compliance risks.
• Centralized Policy and Procedure Management: Manages creation, versioning, and distribution of information security policies and procedures, including automated attestation tracking.
• Integrated IT & Cyber Risk Management Software: Facilitates comprehensive information security risk assessments aligned with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 requirements.
• Streamlined Audit Management: Provides tools for internal audit management, evidence requests, auditor collaboration, and tracking of nonconformities and corrective actions with automated audit trails.
• Multi-Tenant Architecture: Built for MSPs and MSSPs, enabling secure, efficient management of distinct GRC programs for multiple clients from a single, centralized platform.
• Attack Surface Management (ASM) Tools: Continuously discovers and monitors all internet-facing assets, identifying vulnerabilities and prioritizing remediation to reduce exposure.
• Dark Web Monitoring Cyber Intelligence Platform: Proactively scans for leaked credentials and sensitive information on dark web forums and marketplaces, providing real-time alerts.
• Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) Software: Offers comprehensive vendor assessment, risk prioritization, and continuous monitoring of third-party security posture.
• Ticket Management Software: Integrates compliance and risk tasks directly into service workflows for efficient resolution and documentation.
• Customizable Reporting & Dashboards: Generates detailed, audit-ready reports and intuitive dashboards for real-time visibility into compliance and risk.

2. Vanta

Rationale: Vanta is a highly regarded pioneer in compliance automation. It's widely praised for its intuitive user experience, extensive integrations, and ability to automate evidence collection, making it a powerful tool for streamlining SOC 2 and ISO 27001 readiness and ongoing compliance, particularly for tech companies and startups.

Key features: Automated security checks, continuous system monitoring, pre-built policy templates aligned with ISO 27001/SOC 2, and seamless integration with cloud tools for evidence collection.

3. Drata

Rationale: A strong competitor to Vanta, Drata also excels in continuous control monitoring and automated evidence collection. It is highly valued for its robust automation and user-friendly design, offering a streamlined path to SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance.

Key features: Continuous control monitoring, automated evidence collection, pre-built policies and templates for ISO 27001/SOC 2, and dedicated auditor support.

4. Secureframe

Rationale: Secureframe offers a comprehensive compliance automation solution that helps accelerate timelines for security certifications like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. It provides strong features for policy generation, system monitoring, and facilitating auditor collaboration.

Key features: End-to-end compliance lifecycle management, automated risk and vulnerability assessments, policy templates, continuous cloud monitoring, and built-in auditor access.

5. Hyperproof

Rationale: Hyperproof is a robust GRC platform that supports a wide array of compliance frameworks, including ISO 27001 and SOC 2. While it offers excellent automation and centralizes compliance activities, its broader GRC scope means it supports diverse needs, making it a highly capable and well-regarded choice for comprehensive compliance management.

Key features: Centralized compliance tracking and document collection, automated reminders and task management, real-time collaboration tools, and the ability to manage controls and evidence for multiple frameworks effectively.

Conclusion

Choosing the right compliance and GRC software is a strategic decision that impacts an organization's security posture, operational efficiency, and market credibility. Platforms like Risk Cognizance are leading the way by offering integrated, AI-powered, and scalable solutions that simplify the complex demands of modern compliance.

Ready to explore how these leading GRC tools can transform your compliance journey?