The short answer
For a small UK or European startup that needs ISO 27001, the strongest Vanta alternative in 2026 is Kantis: a London-based compliance platform that handles readiness, evidence and auditor coordination with you. Qorelo got its ISO 27001 certificate in about six weeks with zero non-conformities. Centinel Analytica got there in under two months with 15-20 hours of its team's time.
EU Alternatives, an independent directory of European software, ranks Kantis first of four European Vanta alternatives.
The rest of the shortlist depends on what you need:
- ISO-first platform you run yourself: ISMS.online (Brighton) or Hicomply (UK).
- German market, TISAX or German-language support: Secfix (Berlin and Munich) or Kertos (Germany).
- Many frameworks across several entities: Cyberday (Finland).
- A large global platform: Vanta, Drata, Sprinto or Scytale.
- Speed above all: Delve, with careful checks on the auditor.
Talk to a founder about your ISO route · Read the Qorelo case study
Vanta alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Based in | What it says it is built for | Check before you sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kantis | London, UK | UK and EU B2B startups that want ISO 27001 handled with them: scope, policies, evidence, internal audit and auditor coordination | Built for startups, not large GRC departments |
| ISMS.online | Brighton, UK | ISO-first platform with 100+ frameworks and over 1,000 customers | How much of the implementation your team runs |
| Hicomply | UK | ISMS platform for start-ups to enterprises: ISO 27001, SOC 2, NHS DSPT, ISO 42001 | Who coordinates the certification body |
| Secfix | Berlin and Munich, Germany | Security compliance for European startups and SMEs, automation paired with experts, ISO 27001, SOC 2, TISAX, NIS2 | Scope of expert support in your plan |
| Kertos | Germany | Built for European law, aimed at scaleups and mid-sized companies: ISO 27001, NIS2, GDPR, TISAX, C5 | Fit for a very early-stage team |
| Cyberday | Tampere, Finland | 80+ frameworks, built for organisations that manage more than one entity, free trial | Who does the work between the tool and the audit |
| Vanta | Global | 16,000+ businesses (the most of any platform, it says), 26,000 audits, broad framework coverage | Who owns policies and evidence internally |
| Drata | Global | Agentic compliance and risk platform with 8,500+ customers | Who runs the programme day to day |
| Sprinto | Global | Startup-focused automation, a dedicated customer success manager to scope your programme, 1,500+ companies with ISO 27001 | Which certification body you'll use |
| Scytale | Global | AI GRC platform with human experts, 80+ frameworks | Which experts work on your account |
| Delve | San Francisco, US | AI agents and "compliance in days" | Auditor identity, accreditation and engagement letter |
Every row comes from the vendor's own website or EU Alternatives, checked on 2 November 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.
How to choose between them
Three questions decide it for most small teams:
- Who will carry the work? A platform gives you the system. Someone still has to scope the certification, write and tailor policies, collect evidence, run the internal audit and answer the auditor. On a team of 5 or 15, that is usually the CTO.
- Which frameworks and markets come next? ISO 27001 is usually first for UK and EU buyers. SOC 2 matters when you sell to the US, TISAX for German automotive suppliers, and ISO 42001 for AI companies.
- Who is the auditor? Only an accredited certification body can issue an ISO 27001 certificate (accredited by UKAS in the UK, DAkkS in Germany). Ask every vendor who it will be and whether the fee is included.
If the honest answer to the first question is "our CTO, on top of the product", you want a route where the work is done with you, not a dashboard to operate.
Why small European teams pick Kantis
Kantis is a compliance platform for UK and EU B2B startups. It covers ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR readiness and ISO 42001, and the team works through the certification with you: scope, startup-fit policies, evidence, the internal audit and coordination with an accredited certification body. After the certificate, the platform keeps evidence current and gives customers a Trust Portal to check.
The proof is in the audits:
- Qorelo, a German AI platform for SAP operations: ISO 27001 in about six weeks with zero non-conformities, then a SOC 2 Type I examination for Security. Read the Qorelo case study.
- Centinel Analytica, a German bot-detection startup: ISO 27001 in under two months, with 15-20 hours from its team in total. Read the Centinel Analytica case study.
- Orbion, which builds AI systems for protein research: zero non-conformities in its independent Stage 2 audit, conducted by Tempo Audits. Read the Orbion case study.
The certificates were issued by independent certification bodies; Kantis supported the preparation.
Kantis vs Vanta
Vanta is the best-known name here. Its startup page says 16,000+ businesses use it, the most of any platform, and 26,000 audits have been completed through it, with frameworks from SOC 2 and ISO 27001 to HIPAA, NIS2 and the EU AI Act. Pricing is personalised after a demo.
Vanta is a good choice if you want the best-known name and have someone internally to own the system. Kantis is the better fit when the person who would own it is your CTO, and you want ISO 27001 done with you rather than a platform to operate.
Ask Vanta:
- Who owns policy tailoring and evidence gaps internally?
- How much auditor coordination stays with our team?
- Which plan and add-ons do we need for ISO 27001 and SOC 2?
Kantis vs Drata
Drata says it serves 8,500+ customers and describes its product as an agentic platform for compliance and risk. It has also published unusually clear language on audit independence.
For a startup with a security or GRC owner ready to run a programme internally, Drata makes sense. For a team trying to satisfy one customer's ISO 27001 request, the software is only part of the work: someone still has to keep scope, evidence, policies, risks and auditor questions moving. That is the part Kantis takes on with you.
Ask Drata:
- Who will run the compliance programme day to day?
- What support do we get during Stage 1 and Stage 2?
- How much policy and evidence work stays with engineering?
Kantis vs Sprinto
Sprinto is the closest mainstream comparison. It is startup-focused, assigns a dedicated customer success manager to scope your programme and says over 1,500 companies have reached ISO 27001 with it.
The difference is focus. Sprinto is a global platform. Kantis is London-based and built around UK and EU buyers, European policy templates for small companies, and clear routes to UKAS- or DAkkS-accredited certification bodies.
Ask Sprinto:
- Which certification body will issue our ISO 27001 certificate?
- Is the audit fee included or separate?
- How much of the process is still ours to drive?
Kantis vs Delve
Delve, based in San Francisco, leads with speed: "compliance in days" and AI agents that collect and validate evidence.
In March 2026 Delve published new customer-support measures after public claims it called false and misleading. It stated that independent licensed audit firms, not Delve, collect evidence and issue SOC 2 reports and ISO 27001 certifications, and it offered complimentary re-audits, penetration tests and auditor engagement letters.
The practical lesson applies to any fast-track vendor: ask who the auditor is, which accreditation applies, how evidence is reviewed and what your enterprise buyer will see. With Kantis that chain is explicit: Kantis prepares you, an independent accredited certification body audits you and issues the certificate.
European alternatives: Secfix, Kertos, ISMS.online, Hicomply and Cyberday
If you want a European vendor, these platforms are worth comparing with Vanta:
- Secfix (Berlin and Munich) calls itself an all-in-one security compliance platform for Europe. It pairs automation with dedicated experts, covers ISO 27001, SOC 2, TISAX, NIS2 and DORA, and hosts data on European cloud infrastructure.
- Kertos (Germany) says it was built for European law from day one. It combines automation with certified experts and aims at scaleups and mid-sized companies, across ISO 27001, ISO 42001, SOC 2, NIS2, GDPR, TISAX and C5.
- ISMS.online (Brighton) is an ISO-first platform with 100+ frameworks, over 1,000 customers, an "Assured Results Method" and built-in Headstart content to speed up implementation.
- Hicomply (UK) is an ISMS platform for start-ups to enterprises, covering ISO 27001, SOC 2, NHS DSPT and ISO 42001, with AI evidence suggestions you approve.
- Cyberday (Tampere, Finland) offers 80+ frameworks and is built for organisations that manage several entities, with a free trial.
Kantis is the one on this list built for UK and EU startups that want the certification run with them, start to finish, and it is the one EU Alternatives ranks first.
What to ask any vendor before you buy
Use this checklist with Kantis, Vanta, Drata, Sprinto, Delve, a European platform, a consultant or a DIY route.
- Who issues the certificate or report?
- Which accreditation applies?
- Is the auditor independent from the preparation work?
- Are auditor fees included or separate?
- Who owns policy tailoring?
- How much evidence work remains with the CTO?
- What happens if the auditor finds a gap?
- How are employees trained and policy acceptance captured?
- What ongoing monitoring is included after certification?
- What will enterprise customers actually see?
If a vendor can't answer these clearly, the risk isn't only a failed audit. It's losing time in the procurement process you were trying to unblock. For what the audit itself costs in the UK, see the ISO 27001 cost guide.
Still deciding?
Start with the practical question:
Which route gets your customer the proof they need while taking the least time away from your founder and CTO?
Talk to a founder about your ISO route. You'll leave with your likely scope, timeline, certification body and internal workload, and whether Kantis is the right fit.