Smartly vs Vanta vs Delve: Which Compliance Automation Platform Leads in 2025?
In 2025, the race to build trust through compliance has become more competitive than ever. Startups, scale-ups, and enterprises all face the same challenge: proving that they can protect customer data, meet regulatory expectations, and pass audits with confidence. Three platforms have emerged as major players—Smartly, Vanta, and Delve. Each offers automation, integrations, and visibility into your security posture, but their philosophies and performance differ sharply.
Quick Snapshot: Smartly vs Vanta vs Delve
TLDR Summary
Smartly combines real automation, rapid onboarding, and affordability in a platform designed for modern startups that need ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification quickly.
Vanta remains the well-known enterprise veteran built for large organizations with internal compliance departments and bigger budgets.
Delve is the rising contender with a strong focus on AI-driven evidence handling and modern policy workflows for mid-market teams.
1. Platform Overview
Vanta
Vanta is the oldest and most recognized compliance automation provider. It supports frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS. Known for its extensive integration ecosystem and established auditor network, Vanta is trusted by enterprises and late-stage startups alike.
However, that maturity also comes with complexity. Many users find onboarding lengthy and manual, with slower updates and higher pricing. It is a powerful but heavy platform.
Delve
Delve is a modern compliance automation and GRC platform built around AI. It focuses on simplifying evidence management, automating policy workflows, and improving collaboration across security and compliance teams.
Its strength lies in machine learning-powered mapping and evidence tagging, making it easier to collect and organize compliance artifacts. Delve also provides dashboards for audit readiness and real-time risk visibility. However, its automation depth is still developing. It leans more toward governance and visibility than full hands-off compliance.
Smartly
Smartly is the new generation of compliance automation. Built for startups and high-growth SaaS teams, Smartly automates the entire ISO 27001 and SOC 2 journey from risk assessment to audit readiness.
The platform integrates directly with cloud providers, HR systems, and development tools to collect evidence automatically, update control status in real time, and generate documents such as the Statement of Applicability (SoA) instantly.
Smartly is designed for speed and simplicity, providing an all-inclusive plan that gets companies audit-ready in weeks instead of months. Its combination of automation, clarity, and transparent pricing makes it the clear choice for fast-moving teams.
2. Supported Frameworks
| Platform | Supported Frameworks | Key Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type I & II, GDPR, NIST CSF | Complete automation for ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 |
| Vanta | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS | Broadest coverage with enterprise-level support |
| Delve | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA | Focused on policy and evidence automation across frameworks |
Verdict: Vanta offers the most frameworks, Smartly focuses on the most critical ones for startups, and Delve balances compliance and governance in a structured package.
3. Automation Depth
Automation is the foundation of every compliance platform. The more your system connects directly to your cloud and HR tools, the less time your team spends collecting screenshots or filling spreadsheets.
Smartly
Smartly uses real-time integrations to automate evidence collection, risk mapping, and control validation. It eliminates the manual spreadsheets and tracking headaches that slow down traditional compliance work.
Vanta
Vanta automates many controls but requires periodic manual verification and checklists. Automation is wide but not deep.
Delve
Delve automates policy management and evidence categorization using AI but still depends on manual configuration for control ownership and workflow approvals.
Verdict: Smartly wins with the deepest automation layer. Vanta provides reliable but slower automation, while Delve focuses on intelligent assistance rather than full automation.
4. Risk Management
Risk management is at the heart of ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2.
Smartly
Smartly provides a built-in ISO 27005-compliant risk register. Risks are automatically linked to controls, with clear visibility into ownership, treatment, and progress. Leadership can instantly see which risks are mitigated, accepted, or overdue.
Vanta
Vanta offers a simple risk documentation tool, but risk analysis and treatment tracking are limited.
Delve
Delve includes a flexible risk module that integrates with its GRC features. It allows users to create, assess, and prioritize risks but lacks automation to keep risk and control mapping continuously updated.
Verdict: Smartly provides the strongest ISO-aligned risk governance. Delve is second with a mature interface but limited automation. Vanta's risk tools are basic.
5. Evidence Management
| Platform | Evidence Model | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Real-time evidence collection | Fully automated through integrations. Each control maps directly to live systems |
| Vanta | Periodic evidence sync | Broad coverage but requires user confirmation for stale evidence |
| Delve | AI-assisted evidence tagging | Smart search and policy linkage make evidence easy to find, but some manual uploads remain |
6. Integration Coverage
| Platform | Number of Integrations | Example Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | 200+ | AWS, Azure, GCP, Jira, Slack, GitHub, Notion, Okta, BambooHR |
| Vanta | 300+ | AWS, Azure, Datadog, GitHub, Jira, Okta, Duo, Zoom |
| Delve | 150+ | AWS, GCP, GitHub, Notion, Slack, Google Workspace |
Verdict: Vanta leads in total number of integrations, Smartly focuses on automation depth and accuracy, and Delve emphasizes quality integrations for mid-sized organizations.
7. Onboarding and Time to Readiness
| Platform | Onboarding Model | Average Time to Audit Readiness |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Automated onboarding with live human guidance | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Vanta | Consultant-assisted onboarding | 6 – 8 weeks |
| Delve | Guided setup with periodic check-ins | 4 – 6 weeks |
8. Audit Preparation
Smartly
Smartly includes an automatic pre-audit readiness score, generates ISO 27001 artifacts like the Statement of Applicability, and offers direct collaboration with auditors.
Vanta
Vanta provides templates and auditor marketplace access but relies on manual coordination.
Delve
Delve simplifies audit documentation with AI-powered search and evidence linking but still requires teams to drive the process manually.
Verdict: Smartly delivers a complete audit-ready experience with the least manual effort.
9. Pricing and Transparency
| Platform | Pricing Model | Typical Range | Transparency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartly | All-inclusive automation plan | From $4,900 per certification | Transparent and published |
| Vanta | Custom enterprise quote | $10,000 – $25,000+ per year | Non-transparent |
| Delve | Tiered by company size | $7,000 – $18,000 per year | Partially transparent |
Verdict: Smartly remains the most cost-effective and predictable. Vanta and Delve both use tiered quotes, which may vary based on frameworks and number of integrations.
10. Continuous Compliance
Smartly
Smartly performs continuous, real-time control checks, alerting owners the moment configurations drift or evidence expires.
Vanta
Vanta offers recurring checks but requires user confirmation to validate evidence.
Delve
Delve monitors policy and control completion status but lacks automated detection of drift or expired controls.
Verdict: Smartly provides genuine continuous compliance. Delve's model is semi-automated and Vanta's periodic checks are reliable but slower.
11. Platform Design and User Experience
Smartly
Smartly has a clean, intuitive interface built for speed and clarity. It emphasizes audit readiness, control ownership, and real-time dashboards without clutter.
Vanta
Vanta presents a comprehensive dashboard suited to enterprise users but can feel heavy for small teams.
Delve
Delve offers a modern, workflow-driven UI with strong AI-driven search capabilities but requires configuration to unlock its full potential.
12. Customer Support
Smartly
Smartly offers proactive customer success support with a one-hour response time and dedicated guidance throughout the certification process.
Vanta
Vanta provides ticket-based support, prioritizing larger enterprise clients.
Delve
Delve maintains responsive customer success channels and strong onboarding support but lacks regional coverage.
Verdict: Smartly delivers the fastest, most personal support.
13. Scalability
Smartly
Smartly grows with you. Teams can start with ISO 27001 or SOC 2 and easily expand into GDPR or NIST without changing platforms.
Vanta
Vanta scales well for enterprises but may be excessive for smaller teams.
Delve
Delve scales for mid-size companies, offering robust governance once implemented but with higher administrative overhead.
Verdict: Smartly balances scalability and simplicity best for high-growth organizations.
14. Strengths and Weaknesses
| Platform | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Smartly | Real-time automation, transparent pricing, ISO 27001:2022 alignment, fast onboarding | Limited to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 frameworks |
| Vanta | Broadest framework support, strong auditor network, proven enterprise performance | High cost, long onboarding, manual processes |
| Delve | AI-powered evidence management, clean interface, good mid-market fit | Less automation, fewer integrations, evolving support structure |
15. Best Fit by Use Case
Choose Smartly if:
- You are a startup or fast-scaling SaaS company
- You need ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification quickly
- You want all-inclusive pricing and automation without consultants
Choose Vanta if:
- You are an enterprise with multiple frameworks and large compliance teams
- You need extensive integrations and auditor coverage
Choose Delve if:
- You are a mid-size company prioritizing AI-assisted evidence management
- You want a modern, policy-driven compliance approach
16. Comparative Summary
| Feature | Smartly | Vanta | Delve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed to Certification | 2 – 3 weeks | 6 – 8 weeks | 4 – 6 weeks |
| Automation Depth | Full real-time | Broad but partial | AI-assisted, semi-manual |
| Risk Management | ISO 27005-aligned | Basic | GRC-driven, manual |
| Evidence Management | Fully automated | Semi-automated | AI-organized |
| Pricing Transparency | Clear and fixed | Hidden | Partial |
| Continuous Compliance | Yes | Yes, manual check | Partial |
| Best Fit | Startups and scale-ups | Enterprises | Mid-market teams |
17. Final Verdict
Each of these platforms plays a vital role in today's compliance landscape, but their strengths serve different markets.
- Vanta remains the heavyweight enterprise solution, offering wide framework coverage and deep integration capabilities.
- Delve bridges compliance and AI, making documentation and collaboration smarter for mid-size teams.
- Smartly redefines compliance for startups, bringing automation, affordability, and ISO 27001 expertise into a single streamlined platform.
Smartly stands out as the fastest and most efficient way to achieve certification readiness. By automating risk management, evidence collection, and audit documentation, Smartly cuts certification time by more than half and eliminates consulting costs that often double project budgets.
18. Why Smartly Wins in 2025
Smartly delivers what modern teams need: speed, trust, and transparency. It transforms compliance from a cost center into a growth enabler.
With Smartly, companies can:
- Get ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certified in weeks, not months
- Automate all evidence and risk mapping
- Maintain continuous compliance without spreadsheets
- Access affordable pricing with no hidden fees
While Vanta serves large enterprises and Delve serves mid-size teams, Smartly is built for the next generation of startups — those who want to prove trust, close deals faster, and grow globally with security at their core.
Smartly: The fastest, simplest, and most affordable path to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification.
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