Is Coalfire more expensive than other QSAs?

Yes for like-for-like commercial PCI work, by roughly 10 to 25 percent versus mid-tier comparators such as ControlScan or SecurityMetrics, and roughly at parity with A-LIGN and Schellman. The premium reflects Coalfire's federal-adjacent positioning. Coalfire is one of the most active 3PAO firms for FedRAMP authorisations, and that bench depth flows into the consulting rate. Buyers who do not need federal capability often find more economic options at A-LIGN, Schellman, or boutique firms such as Linford and Co.

Who is Coalfire and when were they founded?

Coalfire was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado. As of 2026 it is one of the largest pure-play cyber risk advisory firms in the US, with offices across North America and EMEA. It is a PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV), a PA-QSA for payment application validations, a FedRAMP Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO), a HITRUST CSF Assessor, and an ISO 27001 certification body. The Coalfire QSA listing is on the official PCI SSC assessor directory at pcisecuritystandards.org.

Does Coalfire do PCI penetration testing?

Yes. Coalfire Labs is the offensive security practice, and they perform external, internal, segmentation, and application penetration tests as PCI Requirement 11 work. Pricing typically lands at $15,000 to $40,000 per network pen test and $10,000 to $35,000 per application pen test, on the higher end of the commercial market for the named-firm research depth. Many Coalfire ROC engagements bundle the pen tests for a modest combined discount versus buying separately.

Is Coalfire a good fit for a small business PCI assessment?

Generally no. Coalfire's economics are tuned for Level 1 and large Level 2 merchants where the federal-adjacent capability and brand recognition justify the fee. A small business looking at SAQ A, SAQ B-IP, or SAQ P2PE attestation will get equivalent quality at materially lower cost from SecurityMetrics, ControlScan, or a regional boutique. Coalfire's published collateral tends to focus on enterprise scope precisely for this reason.

Does Coalfire offer a multi-year discount?

Yes, typically 8 to 15 percent off the year-one quote for a three-year commitment, with annual scope adjustments built in. Multi-year terms also reduce scoping friction in years two and three because the engagement team carries forward institutional context. Most Coalfire ROCs renew with the same engagement team for at least two cycles before any rotation.

Can Coalfire bundle PCI with FedRAMP?

Yes, and this is the single strongest argument for choosing Coalfire over A-LIGN or Schellman in commercial PCI work where a FedRAMP authorisation is also on the roadmap. A combined PCI ROC plus FedRAMP 3PAO engagement runs roughly $200,000 to $500,000 in year one, materially cheaper than buying the two from separate firms because evidence, interviews, and control mappings overlap substantially.

QSA pricing

Coalfire PCI compliance cost 2026: an independent pricing read

Coalfire is the federal-adjacent QSA. Their commercial PCI work carries a 10 to 25 percent premium versus comparators, and for buyers with FedRAMP on the same roadmap, the combined engagement is usually the cheapest way to buy both. Here is what the engagement actually costs.

Updated April 2026

Year 1 ROC

$60k - $250k

Commercial Level 1 typical: $90k to $160k

Pricing model

Fixed-fee per ROC, day-rate add-ons

Best fit

Level 1, FedRAMP-adjacent, multi-framework

The Coalfire pricing model in plain English

Coalfire prices PCI engagements as fixed-fee proposals scoped to the cardholder data environment (CDE) inventory and the assessment depth required. A Coalfire proposal will name the in-scope systems, the on-site days, the named lead assessor, and the deliverable list (typically the Report on Compliance, the Attestation of Compliance, and a remediation roadmap). Day-rate add-ons cover scope expansions during fieldwork (new acquisitions, new payment channels, environments missed in scoping).

Most Coalfire QSAs bill at a day rate in the $1,800 to $2,800 range, which sits above the commercial QSA median (roughly $1,500 to $2,200) and below the Big 4 PCI advisory rates ($3,000 to $4,500). The day rate is rarely visible in the headline proposal because Coalfire prices end-to-end, but it surfaces clearly in change-orders. Buyers comparing Coalfire to A-LIGN or Schellman should ask for the assumed day count and the day rate explicitly so the fixed-fee comparison is apples to apples.

Fees are typically billed in three milestones: 30 percent at engagement start, 40 percent at the close of fieldwork, and 30 percent at ROC sign-off. Renewals follow the same milestone pattern but reduce year-one fees by roughly 35 to 50 percent because scoping, evidence templates, and control mappings carry forward. Coalfire engagement managers will frequently propose multi-year terms with the year-one fee fully visible and years two and three priced at the discount.

Three concrete cost scenarios

Scenario	Coalfire fee range	Year-1 expectation
Level 2 retailer (200 stores, P2PE)	$70k - $110k	Three week fieldwork, four named assessors, central-office scoping plus a 5-store sample
Level 1 e-commerce SaaS (single CDE)	$90k - $140k	Three week fieldwork, single-region cloud CDE, Req 6.4.3 script management deep dive
Level 1 fintech (multi-region, FedRAMP overlay)	$180k - $250k	Six week fieldwork, three regional sites, combined PCI ROC plus FedRAMP 3PAO bundle saves roughly $80k versus separate engagements

Triangulated from Vendr aggregated buyer data, public Coalfire customer case studies, and PCI engagement quotes shared on the r/pcicompliance subreddit. Quotes vary 2 to 3x by exact scope; treat as planning anchors.

What makes Coalfire different in the PCI market

Three things, in priority order. First, the federal-adjacent capability. Coalfire Federal is one of the most active FedRAMP Third Party Assessment Organizations, and that bench writes the same security narrative across PCI ROC and FedRAMP SSP work. For SaaS or fintech firms with both a PCI Level 1 obligation and a federal customer pipeline, buying both from Coalfire saves materially on duplicate evidence collection.

Second, the research depth. Coalfire Labs publishes the Coalfire Penetration Risk Report annually, which is one of the most-cited offensive security research products in the industry. Buyers who care about the technical credibility of the assessor (not just the checkbox completion) pay the premium for the Labs association.

Third, the cross-framework engagement model. Coalfire routinely runs combined PCI plus HITRUST plus SOC 2 plus FedRAMP engagements where evidence collection happens once and the four reports are written from the same control implementations. For multi-regulated firms (healthcare SaaS handling payments, fintech with federal customers, payment processors with European PSD2 exposure) this is the cheapest way to buy the stack.

When Coalfire wins and when it does not

Coalfire wins when the buyer needs federal-adjacent PCI work, when the brand recognition matters to enterprise customer procurement teams, and when the engagement requires technical depth beyond the standard QSA control-checkbox exercise. The combined PCI plus FedRAMP path is the single clearest economic win.

Coalfire does not win for Level 4 SAQ engagements, where SecurityMetrics or ControlScan offer 60 to 80 percent cheaper attestation with equivalent quality. Coalfire also does not win for buyers focused on lowest-cost mid-tier QSA work where boutique firms or A-LIGN's mid-market tier price 15 to 25 percent below Coalfire for the same scope. For service-provider SAQ D engagements at the $8,000 to $25,000 band, Coalfire is rarely competitive.

How to negotiate a Coalfire PCI engagement

Three tactics work consistently. First, bring at least one comparison quote from A-LIGN or Schellman. The PCI QSA market is competitive at the named-firm tier, and Coalfire engagement managers will match a credible competitor quote down by 8 to 15 percent without escalation. Second, time the engagement to Coalfire's fiscal Q4 (October to December) where revenue pressure widens the discount window. Third, commit to multi-year early in the conversation; the multi-year discount is typically more accessible than headline-fee reductions on a one-year deal.

For combined PCI plus FedRAMP engagements, the negotiation lever is the FedRAMP timeline. If the FedRAMP authorisation is on a flexible timeline, Coalfire will price the combined engagement aggressively to secure the multi-year FedRAMP annuity. Decoupling the two engagements removes that leverage.

Get the official Coalfire QSA listing

Coalfire is listed in the PCI SSC's official Qualified Security Assessor directory. The directory is the canonical source for QSA verification and contact information.

Coalfire on the PCI SSC directory →

Frequently asked

Coalfire first-time Level 1 PCI Report on Compliance engagements run roughly $60,000 to $250,000 depending on the cardholder data environment scope, number of sites in scope, and whether the engagement bundles FedRAMP or HITRUST work. Public Coalfire customer case studies and Vendr aggregated buyer data put the typical commercial Level 1 ROC at $90,000 to $160,000, with the upper band reflecting multi-site enterprise scopes. Renewals are usually 35 to 50 percent cheaper than the first ROC because scope is already documented.

Trustwave PCI cost

The managed-security-plus-QSA bundle pricing read.

A-LIGN PCI cost

Multi-framework efficiency at parity with Coalfire.

Schellman PCI cost

Largest single QSA shop by ROC count.

QSA assessment cost

The market-wide rate card and what is included.

Level 1 PCI cost

$50k to $500k+ for 6M+ transactions per year.

2026 outlook

What changes in PCI cost this year.