Does Secureframe replace the QSA and ASV for PCI?

No. Secureframe automates evidence collection, control monitoring, and the SAQ workflow for PCI DSS, but it is not a Qualified Security Assessor and it is not an Approved Scanning Vendor. A Level 1 merchant still engages a QSA for the Report on Compliance, and any merchant with internet-facing systems still contracts a separate ASV for the quarterly external scan. Secureframe reduces the manual hours those engagements consume; budget the QSA, ASV, and pen test as separate line items on top of the subscription.

Is Secureframe worth it for PCI compliance?

Secureframe pays back for tech companies that value managed onboarding and want a guided path to a first PCI attestation, and for multi-framework programs sharing one evidence base across SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS. For a Level 4 merchant whose entire obligation is a short SAQ A plus a quarterly ASV scan, the platform fee is hard to justify against a $300 to $1,000 bundled SAQ-plus-ASV product. As with every automation platform, the economics improve with scope and with the number of frameworks sharing evidence.

How does Secureframe compare with Vanta and Drata for PCI?

All three support PCI DSS and none publish pricing. On observed buyer data (Vendr, June 2026) Secureframe's median is roughly $20,000 per year (matching Vanta) and Drata's is roughly $24,869. Secureframe differentiates on managed onboarding and a guided implementation model, where Vanta leans on its large integration library and Drata on transparent low per-framework add-ons. For PCI specifically the platform choice rarely turns on the framework alone; it turns on onboarding style, framework roadmap, and existing tooling.

Does Secureframe cover PCI DSS v4.0.1?

Yes. Secureframe maps its controls and evidence automation to the current PCI DSS v4.0.1 requirement set, including the v4.0 additions that became mandatory in March 2025 such as the Requirement 6.4.3 payment-page script management obligation for e-commerce merchants. The platform tracks control drift against the live standard between assessment cycles. It still does not perform the script-monitoring function itself for Requirement 6.4.3 (that needs a dedicated tool), and the QSA still validates the evidence.

Automation platform pricing

Secureframe PCI compliance cost 2026: tiered pricing read

Q: What are Secureframe's pricing tiers?

Secureframe sells three named tiers, all quote-based: Fundamentals (the entry tier, reported floor around $7,700 per year), Complete (the mainstream mid-market tier with managed onboarding and more automation), and Defense (the enterprise tier for larger estates and multi-framework programs). PCI DSS is available across the tiers as a supported framework. Which tier fits depends on company size, the number of frameworks, and how much hands-on onboarding support the team wants; Secureframe positions itself toward managed onboarding rather than self-serve.

Secureframe sells PCI DSS across three quote-based tiers (Fundamentals, Complete, Defense) and leans toward managed onboarding. It automates the evidence and monitoring work around PCI but does not replace the QSA, the ASV, or the pen test.

Pricing verified June 2026

Median annual cost

~$20,000/yr

Vendr median observed

Observed range

$7.7k - $32.6k/yr

Fundamentals floor to upper deals

Tiers

Fundamentals / Complete / Defense

What Secureframe actually does for PCI

Secureframe is a compliance-automation platform, not a QSA and not an ASV. For PCI DSS it connects to your cloud infrastructure, identity provider, code repositories, ticketing, and HR systems, then continuously collects the evidence that maps to PCI controls (access reviews, MFA enforcement, encryption state, change management, vendor inventory). It flags control drift, runs the SAQ workflow, and packages an auditor-ready evidence room. Secureframe differentiates on managed onboarding, pairing the automation with guided implementation support rather than a purely self-serve model.

What it does not do: it does not run the quarterly external ASV scan, it does not produce the Report on Compliance for a Level 1 merchant, and it does not perform the payment-page script monitoring that PCI DSS v4.0 Requirement 6.4.3 requires of e-commerce merchants. Secureframe feeds clean evidence into those engagements; it does not replace them.

The pricing model in plain English

Secureframe sells three quote-based tiers. Fundamentals is the entry tier with a reported floor around $7,700 per year. Complete is the mainstream mid-market tier with managed onboarding and broader automation. Defense is the enterprise tier for larger estates and multi-framework programs. PCI DSS is available across all three as a supported framework. Aggregated buyer data (Vendr, verified June 2026) puts the median annual contract at roughly $20,000, with observed deals from about $7,733 to $32,575.

By company profile the bands run roughly $12,000 to $20,000 for small single-framework companies, $20,000 to $35,000 for mid-market running one or two frameworks, and $55,000-plus for enterprise. Buyers who prepare and negotiate commonly land 15 to 30 percent below the opening quote.

Anchored to Vendr aggregated buyer data (median $20,000, low $7,733, high $32,575). Secureframe does not publish PCI pricing; these are planning anchors, not a quote.

Three concrete cost scenarios

Scenario	Secureframe annual	Configuration
Small tech company, PCI plus SOC 2 (Fundamentals)	$12k - $20k/yr	Entry tier, single or dual framework, guided onboarding, under 50 staff
Mid-market, PCI plus SOC 2 plus ISO (Complete)	$20k - $35k/yr	Three frameworks sharing one evidence base, 50 to 200 staff, managed implementation
Level 4 e-commerce merchant, PCI only	$7.7k - $15k/yr	Hard to justify against a $300-$1,000 bundled SAQ-plus-ASV product unless SAQ D scope

Plus the QSA, ASV, and pen test, which Secureframe does not provide and which are quoted separately. See the PCI cost calculator for the full bill.

When Secureframe wins and when it does not

Secureframe wins for tech companies that want managed onboarding and a guided path to a first PCI attestation, and for multi-framework programs that benefit from one evidence base across SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS. For these buyers the combination of automation and implementation support shortens time-to-attestation materially.

Secureframe does not win for a PCI-only Level 4 merchant on hosted checkout (a bundled SAQ-plus-ASV product is an order of magnitude cheaper), for buyers who want the lowest per-framework add-on (Drata is reported cheaper there), or for anyone expecting the platform to replace the QSA or ASV. It makes you assessable faster; it does not perform the assessment.

Secureframe supports PCI DSS across its tiers

Secureframe lists PCI DSS among its supported frameworks but does not publish pricing. Request a quote keyed to your tier and framework count, and budget the QSA, ASV, and pen test separately.

See Secureframe's framework support →

Frequently asked

Secureframe does not publish PCI pricing, but aggregated buyer data puts the median annual contract at roughly $20,000 per year, with observed deals ranging from about $7,733 at the low end to $32,575 at the high end (Vendr, verified June 2026). By company profile, small companies under 50 employees on a single framework land around $12,000 to $20,000, mid-market 50 to 200 staff around $20,000 to $35,000, and enterprise past $55,000. PCI DSS is supported across Secureframe's Fundamentals, Complete, and Defense tiers, priced by quote. The platform fee is separate from the QSA, ASV, and pen test, none of which Secureframe provides.

Vanta PCI cost

Median ~$20k/yr, larger integration library.

Drata PCI cost

Median ~$24.9k/yr, cheaper per-framework add-ons.

Sprinto PCI cost

Median ~$15k/yr, the lower-cost option.

Reduce PCI costs

Where automation fits among seven cost levers.

SAQ D cost

The scope where automation actually pays back.

QSA assessment cost

The engagement Secureframe does not replace.