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Danda vs Big-4 auditors.

Big-4 firms (Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, EY) and specialist firms (Schellman, A-LIGN, KirkpatrickPrice, Prescient) issue the SOC 2 attestation report. Danda does not — and is not licensed to. We are sequential, not competitive: Danda compresses the gap-analysis phase before your auditor kickoff so the firm doesn't burn billable hours on basics.

Published 2026-04-23 · Author: Travis McElfresh, ProductLove, Inc.

How we labeled this page

Same standard Danda applies to every audit finding. Claims about specific auditor firms are FACT with citations to public industry pricing data, or ASSUMPTION where the claim is qualitative or industry-pattern-based. Claims about Danda carry OUR CLAIM.

Schellman, A-LIGN, KirkpatrickPrice, Prescient, Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY are real, well-resourced CPA firms. Spotted an error? hello@danda.sh.

The TL;DR

  • Danda does not replace your auditor. SOC 2 attestation requires an AICPA-member CPA firm Source 4. Danda is not one.
  • Use Danda before kickoff. Hand the signed gap-analysis artifact to the firm at engagement start so they don't burn billable hours figuring out your control inventory.
  • For most B2B SaaS, hire a specialist. Specialist CPA firms ($10k–$25k Type II) and mid-tier firms (Schellman, A-LIGN at $20k–$50k Type II) are accepted by enterprise buyers Source 1. Big-4 brand premium ($60k–$150k+) is only justified when a specific buyer demands it Source 2.
  • Pricing is apples-to-oranges. Danda is $1,500 one-shot pre-audit prep; firms charge $20k–$150k for the actual attestation. They are different deliverables.

Side-by-side: pre-audit prep vs attestation

These are different services. The table is not "head to head" — it's "what each does and what each costs."

 Danda (pre-audit)Schellman / A-LIGN / Big-4 (attestation)
Primary job
Pre-audit gap analysis — what controls exist, what is missing, with cited evidence
OUR CLAIM
Attestation — issuing the SOC 2 report (Type I or Type II) under CPA license
Definitional. SOC 2 attestation requires an AICPA-member CPA firm; Danda is not one and cannot issue the report.
Output
Signed gap-analysis artifact bundle (PDF + ZIP, Ed25519 + SHA-256 manifest) — pre-audit
OUR CLAIM
SOC 2 Type I or Type II attestation report — the document your enterprise customers ask to see
Engagement length
2 business hours per audit
OUR CLAIM
Type I: 4–8 weeks. Type II: 6–12 months observation period plus 4–8 weeks reporting.
ASSUMPTION
Industry-known ranges; varies by firm and scope.
Pricing — small SaaS, single framework
$1,500 single framework one-shot. $2,500 combined HIPAA + SOC 2.
OUR CLAIM
Specialist CPA firms: $10k–$25k for Type 2. Mid-tier (Schellman, A-LIGN, KirkpatrickPrice): $20k–$50k for Type 2.
Pricing — Big-4 specifically
— (Danda has one price tier regardless of firm comparison)
OUR CLAIM
$60k+ for Type II (often $150k+ for complex programs). Big-4 brand premium adds ~$40k+ over specialist firms.
Auditor accepts the deliverable
Yes — Danda is designed as the pre-audit gap analysis the firm consumes at engagement start
OUR CLAIM
They ARE the auditor. They issue the report.
Reads source code
Yes — file:line citations on every code-level finding
OUR CLAIM
Typically not at scale. Auditors review evidence the customer provides; they do not parse the codebase line-by-line.
ASSUMPTION
Standard auditor practice based on industry pattern; specific firms may differ.
Probes the live database
Yes — 10 SQL probes per audit, executed by the operator
OUR CLAIM
Spot interviews + sample evidence requests. Not systematic SQL probing.
ASSUMPTION
Standard auditor practice; varies by firm.
B2B buyer acceptance
Pre-audit only — B2B buyers ask for the attestation report (which Danda does not issue)
OUR CLAIM
Most B2B buyers accept specialist or mid-tier reports (Schellman, A-LIGN, KirkpatrickPrice). Big-4 brand only required if buyer specifically demands it.
CPA-licensed / AICPA-member
No — and not pretending to be. Danda is pre-audit prep, not attestation.
OUR CLAIM
Yes — required to issue a SOC 2 report.

FAQ

Can Danda replace my SOC 2 auditor?
No, and we do not try to. Issuing a SOC 2 attestation requires an AICPA-member CPA firm under the AICPA's SSAE 18 standards [Source 4]. Danda is not licensed and would not be even if we were. We are pre-audit gap analysis — the document your auditor consumes at engagement start so they don't spend their billable hours figuring out what controls you have. Use Danda first, then your CPA-qualified auditor (Schellman, A-LIGN, KirkpatrickPrice, Prescient, Big-4) issues the actual report.
Should I hire Schellman, A-LIGN, or a Big-4 firm?
For most B2B SaaS, a specialist CPA firm or mid-tier firm (Schellman, A-LIGN, KirkpatrickPrice) at $20k–$50k for Type II is fully accepted by enterprise buyers [Source 1]. Big-4 brand adds $40k+ in fees with no commercial upside unless your specific buyer demands a Big-4 name [Source 2]. Default to mid-tier; pay the Big-4 premium only when contractually required.
How does Danda fit alongside my Schellman / A-LIGN engagement?
Run Danda 2–8 weeks before the auditor kickoff. The signed gap-analysis artifact gives the audit team a head-start — they see what controls you have, what evidence cites which control, what contradictions exist between your specs and your code. The auditor still does their independent work, but the gap-analysis phase compresses dramatically. Some auditors are open to crediting client engagements when a Danda artifact lands at kickoff; we are actively pursuing partnership recognition (email partners@danda.sh).
What if my auditor wants Vanta / Drata / Secureframe instead of Danda?
Different artifacts. Vanta / Drata / Secureframe maintain ongoing evidence collection — useful for the Type II observation period. Danda produces the discrete gap-analysis document at engagement start, which the continuous-compliance platforms do not produce. The two are sequential: Danda once at kickoff; continuous-compliance platforms thereafter. Your auditor can use both.
Is Danda cheaper than Big-4?
That's the wrong comparison. Big-4 issues an attestation report Danda is not licensed to issue. The right comparison is "Big-4 alone" vs "Danda + Big-4 (or specialist)": adding Danda at $1,500 reduces the firm's billable hours on gap-analysis basics, lowers the risk of ugly surprises during fieldwork, and gives you a defensible signed artifact in case of customer due-diligence questions later.
Can Danda issue a SOC 2 report?
No. We are not an AICPA-member CPA firm. SOC 2 attestation requires CPA licensure under SSAE 18. Anyone claiming to issue SOC 2 reports without a CPA license is misrepresenting the work. Danda is pre-audit gap analysis only.

Sources

  1. soc2auditors.org — SOC 2 Audit Cost Guide 2026 (firm-type pricing) · accessed 2026-04-23
  2. Comp AI — How Much Does SOC 2 Cost? 2026 Pricing Breakdown · accessed 2026-04-23
  3. Brightdefense — SOC 2 Certification Cost in 2026 · accessed 2026-04-23
  4. Schellman — official blog: What does a SOC audit cost? · accessed 2026-04-23

All firm names are trademarks of their respective owners. Editorial opinion of ProductLove, Inc.; not endorsed by any named firm. Spotted an error? hello@danda.sh.

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Other comparisons: vs Vanta · vs Drata · vs Secureframe · vs Upwork freelancers