Smartly vs Drata vs ISMS.online: The 2025 ISO 27001 Compliance Battle
In 2025, cybersecurity compliance has moved from a niche requirement to a fundamental business expectation. Startups and SaaS companies no longer pursue ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification for prestige — they pursue it to stay in the game. Enterprise buyers demand proof of security maturity before signing a contract, and investors see certification as a sign of operational discipline.
Quick Snapshot: Smartly vs Drata vs ISMS.online
TLDR Summary
Smartly is the fast, focused automation platform that gets startups certified quickly, without consultants, complexity, or hidden costs.
Drata is the enterprise automation engine built for organizations managing multiple frameworks simultaneously.
ISMS.online is the structured management tool for organizations that want full control over manual ISO documentation.
1. Platform Overview
Drata
Drata is one of the most recognized compliance automation solutions in the world. It is built to serve companies managing multiple frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, and NIST. Drata connects to hundreds of systems, monitors controls continuously, and simplifies evidence collection for audits.
Its strength lies in scale. For enterprises with dedicated compliance teams, Drata provides visibility, integrations, and automation across multiple frameworks. But for startups that only need ISO 27001 or SOC 2, it often feels like using an aircraft carrier to cross a lake — powerful, but unnecessarily complex and expensive.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online is a veteran in the ISO 27001 ecosystem. Unlike Drata, it focuses almost exclusively on ISO 27001. It offers structured templates, policies, risk registers, and workflows to manage information security programs.
However, ISMS.online is more of a traditional ISMS documentation management tool than an automation platform. It helps teams maintain structure, but it does not collect evidence automatically, perform continuous control checks, or integrate deeply with cloud systems. Its greatest value lies in organization and guidance, not speed or automation.
Smartly
Smartly is the new standard for fast, intelligent compliance. Built for startups and scale-ups, Smartly automates ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification end-to-end. It connects directly to your cloud systems, HR tools, and project environments to continuously collect evidence, update controls, and monitor readiness.
Unlike ISMS.online or Drata, Smartly blends automation with real human guidance. It gives teams expert direction, predictable pricing, and a clear path to certification — all within weeks, not months.
2. Framework Coverage
| Platform | Supported Frameworks | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, NIST CSF | Precision automation for ISO 27001 and SOC 2 |
| Drata | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, NIST | Multi-framework automation at enterprise scale |
| ISMS.online | ISO 27001, ISO 27701, GDPR | ISO documentation and governance management |
Verdict: Drata covers the most frameworks, ISMS.online specializes narrowly in ISO 27001 documentation, and Smartly strikes the perfect middle ground — deep automation for ISO 27001 and SOC 2 without the enterprise bloat.
3. Automation and Efficiency
True automation eliminates manual data entry and continuous spreadsheet management — the two biggest drains on compliance teams.
Smartly
Smartly automates evidence collection, risk mapping, and control validation in real time. Every connected system — from AWS to Jira — feeds live compliance data directly into your dashboard.
Drata
Drata also offers strong automation but requires complex setup and ongoing configuration. For smaller teams, that setup can feel overwhelming.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online is not an automation tool. It offers workflows and templates but relies entirely on manual data entry and control tracking.
Verdict: Smartly leads in true automation. Drata automates at scale but at the cost of complexity. ISMS.online provides structure but no real automation.
4. Risk Management
ISO 27001:2022 requires organizations to conduct risk assessments and implement treatment plans aligned with ISO 27005.
Smartly
Smartly integrates a full ISO 27005-aligned risk register that links each risk to its relevant controls and owners. It allows live tracking of risk treatment progress and auto-generates reports aligned with ISO 27001 Clause 6.
Drata
Drata has a built-in risk module, but it is framework-agnostic. It serves as a broad risk tracker rather than a true ISO 27001 treatment tool.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online provides comprehensive ISO 27001 risk registers and templates but relies entirely on manual updates. It offers depth, but no automation or live monitoring.
Verdict: Smartly offers the ideal balance of compliance alignment and automation. ISMS.online provides structure, and Drata offers scale — but Smartly gives startups both precision and speed.
5. Evidence Management
| Platform | Evidence Model | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Real-time evidence automation | Integrates directly with live systems to collect and refresh evidence continuously |
| Drata | Scheduled evidence sync | Supports hundreds of integrations but requires periodic manual review |
| ISMS.online | Manual uploads | Stores documents securely but relies on user input |
Verdict: Smartly delivers fully automated, audit-ready evidence. Drata handles scale well but introduces overhead. ISMS.online is best suited for manual governance rather than automation.
6. Onboarding and Certification Speed
| Platform | Average Setup Time | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | 2 – 3 weeks | Guided onboarding with ISO experts and automated setup |
| Drata | 3 – 6 months | Complex enterprise setup and configuration |
| ISMS.online | 2 – 4 months | Manual policy setup and documentation management |
Verdict: Smartly is the fastest by a wide margin. It turns certification into a sprint, not a marathon.
7. Pricing and Transparency
| Platform | Pricing Model | Typical Range | Transparency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartly | All-inclusive, pay-after-certification model | From $4,900 per certification | Fully transparent |
| Drata | Subscription plus paid add-ons | $10,000 – $25,000 annually | Enterprise-tier pricing, not public |
| ISMS.online | Subscription based on users and modules | $6,000 – $15,000 annually | Transparent but segmented |
Verdict: Smartly leads in simplicity and fairness. You pay only after certification, with no upsells. Drata's pricing depends on company size and add-ons, and ISMS.online's costs scale with user seats.
8. Audit Preparation
Smartly
Smartly generates all ISO 27001-required documentation automatically — including the Statement of Applicability (SoA), Risk Treatment Plan, and Internal Audit checklist. It also connects you to accredited auditors for streamlined scheduling.
Drata
Drata offers an auditor marketplace and evidence dashboards, but most coordination and reporting remain manual.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online provides documentation templates but requires users to manually prepare and cross-reference evidence for external audits.
Verdict: Smartly is the most complete and audit-ready solution. ISMS.online is good for manual management, while Drata provides structure without speed.
9. Continuous Compliance
Smartly
Smartly continuously monitors control status and evidence freshness, alerting owners when controls fall out of compliance.
Drata
Drata provides recurring control checks but relies on manual oversight for remediation tracking.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online supports manual logging of recurring tasks, but there is no live compliance monitoring.
Verdict: Smartly delivers true continuous compliance. ISMS.online and Drata provide periodic checks, not real-time automation.
10. Integration Coverage
| Platform | Integration Count | Example Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | 200+ | AWS, GCP, Azure, GitHub, Jira, Okta, Slack, Notion, BambooHR |
| Drata | 300+ | AWS, Azure, Datadog, Jira, Okta, Zoom, GitHub |
| ISMS.online | 30+ | Limited integrations; primarily document-based tools like SharePoint and MS Teams |
Verdict: Drata wins on integration count, Smartly wins on automation depth. ISMS.online remains largely manual and document-driven.
11. User Experience
Smartly
Smartly delivers a clean, intuitive interface focused on the ISO 27001 and SOC 2 journey. Its dashboards show exactly where you are in the process and what needs action.
Drata
Drata is visually impressive but dense, reflecting its enterprise focus.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online feels like a structured intranet — functional, but dated and heavy on text-based workflows.
Verdict: Smartly provides the most startup-friendly user experience.
12. Customer Support
Smartly
Smartly offers proactive human guidance, ISO specialist consultations, and one-hour response times during business hours.
Drata
Drata relies on ticket-based support and documentation libraries.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online provides live chat and email support but focuses primarily on documentation questions rather than technical troubleshooting.
Verdict: Smartly's combination of automation and expert human support makes it the most accessible and reliable.
13. Scalability
Smartly
Smartly grows seamlessly from a single certification to multi-framework readiness while maintaining simplicity.
Drata
Drata is built for scale but often too heavy for small and mid-size teams.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online scales well for organizations that prefer structured manual processes over automation.
Verdict: Smartly scales intelligently. Drata scales broadly. ISMS.online scales manually.
14. Regional Relevance
Smartly
Smartly was designed for Asia-Pacific startups and SaaS companies. It offers localized templates and auditor partnerships that speed up certification in regions like Singapore, India, and Vietnam.
Drata
Drata is U.S.-centric, with most auditor partnerships based in North America.
ISMS.online
ISMS.online is UK-based and well-known among European organizations but less optimized for APAC.
Verdict: Smartly provides the best global-local balance with strong APAC alignment and international certification credibility.
15. Best Use Cases
Choose Smartly if:
- You are a startup or SaaS company that needs ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification quickly
- You want predictable, all-inclusive pricing and guided support
- You prefer automation over consultants and spreadsheets
Choose Drata if:
- You are a large enterprise managing multiple frameworks
- You have a dedicated compliance or IT security team
Choose ISMS.online if:
- You want a traditional ISO 27001 management system with manual documentation control
- You already have internal compliance expertise but need structured organization
16. Comparative Summary
| Feature | Smartly | Drata | ISMS.online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed to Certification | 2 – 3 weeks | 3 – 6 months | 2 – 4 months |
| Automation Depth | Full real-time automation | Broad, partial | Manual |
| Risk Management | ISO 27005-aligned | Generic | Manual ISO templates |
| Evidence Management | Continuous collection | Scheduled sync | Manual uploads |
| Continuous Compliance | Yes | Partial | No |
| Pricing Transparency | 100% clear | Hidden | Clear but modular |
| Regional Fit | APAC and global SaaS | U.S.-centric | UK/Europe |
| Best Fit | Startups and scale-ups | Enterprises | Traditional organizations |
17. Final Verdict
Drata is the enterprise automation engine built for organizations managing multiple frameworks simultaneously.
ISMS.online is the structured management tool for organizations that want full control over manual ISO documentation.
Smartly is the fast, focused automation platform that gets startups certified quickly, without consultants, complexity, or hidden costs.
For teams looking to achieve ISO 27001 certification in weeks — not months — Smartly is the clear winner.
18. Why Smartly Is the Smarter Choice
Smartly transforms compliance from a slow, manual process into an automated, transparent journey. It gives startups everything they need to move from zero to certification confidently.
With Smartly, you get:
- Real-time automation across every control
- Expert human guidance from ISO professionals
- Clear pricing with no hidden fees
- Certification readiness in a matter of weeks
Drata delivers scale. ISMS.online delivers structure. But Smartly delivers speed, simplicity, and certainty.
If your goal is to prove trust, close deals faster, and maintain compliance effortlessly, Smartly is the smartest choice in 2025.
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