ISO 27001 vs SOC 2 (2026): Which Your Customers Will Ask For, What Each Costs, and Whether You Need Both

The short answer

SOC 2 is a CPA firm's attestation report; ISO 27001 is a certificate, issued by an accredited certification body, for an information security management system. Auditors and certification bodies say…

US buyers: the sources we read say they most often ask for SOC 2, usually a Type 2 report

EU, UK and APAC buyers: they more often ask for an ISO 27001 certificate, but an EU buyer can ask for SOC 2

Cost: ISO 27001 about $6.6k to $66k all in, plus roughly a third of the audit each surveillance year. SOC 2 Type 2 audit fee $7k to $50k by company and firm. Different scopes, so not like for like

Both: one control program, two audits. Vendors claim 30 to 40 percent savings; an independent directory says no fixed discount follows

First move: read what the buyer's RFP or questionnaire actually names