12 Best vCISO and Fractional CISO Companies for US Startups (2026)

By Marcal Santos, CISM, CDPSE. CISO and founder of SecureLeap. Previously security roles at Aircall, Citibank and Talkdesk. 20+ years in cybersecurity.

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We are SecureLeap, a vCISO and compliance firm for startups, so we are on this list and we put ourselves first. Treat this as a publisher-authored list and judge it on its evidence: every fact about another company comes from that company's own website, checked on November 3, 2026, and every entry links to it.

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For most US startups, the best vCISO companies are firms built for teams without a security person that publish their prices: SecureLeap (from $2,500 a month), Rhymetec (Mentor tier from $2,500 a month), Bright Defense (startup plans from $1,000 a month), vCISO.com (from $3,000 a month, month to month) and TrustedCISO (a first-audit package from $5,000 a month). Most US startups pay $3,000 to $9,000 a month for an active vCISO engagement. This guide compares 12 vCISO and fractional CISO companies, then covers pricing, how to choose by stage, when you do not need a vCISO yet, and what changes for a small business.

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Selling mainly into Europe? See our vCISO companies for European startups.

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Key takeaways

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• SecureLeap: best for startups that need SOC 2 and ISO 27001 (or ISO 42001) together; Navigator from $2,500 a month on a 12-month plan.
• Rhymetec (New York): best for SaaS startups that want compliance and pentesting from one firm; Mentor tier from $2,500 a month.
• Bright Defense (Los Angeles): best for a vCISO bundled with continuous compliance on a platform; from $1,000 a month for startups.
• vCISO.com (Pittsburgh): best for month-to-month terms; Advisory $3,000, Managed $5,000 and Embedded typically $10,000+ a month.
• SideChannel (Massachusetts): best for a vCISO plus zero-trust network tooling; typically $3,000 to $12,000 a month.
• Fractional CISO (Boston area): best for a vCISO plus an analyst on a fixed quarterly retainer; priced through an online calculator.
• Latacora: best for an embedded security team in an engineering-led startup; priced on request.
• Eden Data (Riveron): best for hands-on compliance work on Drata or Vanta; legacy plans from $3,000 a month.
• TrustedCISO (Charlotte): best for a first audit on a fixed package; LAUNCH from $5,000 a month.
• Network Right (San Francisco and New York): best for startups that want IT and security from one fractional team; $3,000 to $10,000 a month by company size.
• FRSecure (Minnesota): best for building a security program from zero; priced on request.
• CBIZ Pivot Point Security: best for CMMC, FedRAMP and ISO 27001 depth; priced on request.
• Budget: most US startups pay $3,000 to $9,000 a month. Advisory-only retainers start around $1,500, and regulated or multi-framework programs run $10,000 to $20,000+, against $350,000 to $600,000+ for a full-time CISO's first year.
• Timing: under about 15 people, with no compliance deadline and no customer security reviews, you probably do not need a vCISO yet.

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The 12 vCISO companies at a glance

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Prices are each firm's own published figures, checked on its website on November 3, 2026. "On request" means the firm publishes no price. The order after SecureLeap is not a score: read the "best for" column and pick the lane that matches your problem.

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How we selected these providers

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We shortlisted firms that (1) sell vCISO or fractional CISO services to US companies, (2) cover the frameworks US startups need to close enterprise deals (SOC 2 first, then ISO 27001, HIPAA, ISO 42001 or CMMC), and (3) publish enough about their model, team or price to judge fit. Firms that publish prices got extra weight, because a startup budgeting its first security hire needs a number before a sales call. Where a firm publishes no price, we say so instead of estimating one.

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We left out enterprise consultancies whose sites target mid-market and Fortune 500 buyers, and vCISO platforms (Cynomi is the best known): software that a managed service provider runs for you, right only when your MSP will own the security program.

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The 12 best vCISO and fractional CISO companies for US startups

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1. SecureLeap: best for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 together

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Best for: startups that need SOC 2 for US buyers and ISO 27001 or ISO 42001 for international or AI-focused customers, on a published monthly price.

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SecureLeap is a vCISO and compliance firm for startups, based in Porto, Portugal, with US and EU presence. It maps SOC 2, ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 controls so overlapping requirements are implemented once instead of running as separate projects. Navigator starts at $2,500 a month on a 12-month plan and covers security guidance, risk assessment, a security roadmap, and policies written and maintained, while your team owns execution. Co-Pilot adds security questionnaires, vendor reviews and a security leader for your audits and customer calls; Captain puts your security leader in front of the board and runs the program end to end. Both are quoted to scope, and a standalone SOC 2 gap assessment costs $3,995. SecureLeap works with US startups remotely, covers US business hours until 4 pm Eastern and invoices in USD.

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Bottom line: the pick for a startup that needs to get certified on more than one framework on a predictable budget. See the vCISO plans and pricing.

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2. Rhymetec: best for compliance and pentesting from one firm

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Best for: SaaS startups that want a vCISO-led compliance program and penetration testing from the same team.

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Rhymetec was founded in New York City in 2015 as a penetration testing company and has offered vCISO services to SaaS businesses since 2017; it has served more than 1,000 clients, from early-stage startups to enterprises. Its vCISO service comes in three monthly tiers: Mentor, Manager and Executive. Its pricing guide puts the Mentor tier at $2,500 a month for advisory work and help getting the most from a compliance automation platform, while its vCISO page asks you to request pricing. It covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS and CMMC, plus EU rules such as NIS2 and DORA.

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Bottom line: a strong choice when one vendor should own both the compliance program and the pentest your auditor or customer asks for. rhymetec.com

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3. Bright Defense: best for a vCISO bundled with continuous compliance

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Best for: early-stage startups that want SOC 2, ISO 27001 or HIPAA run as a monthly managed service with a compliance platform.

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Bright Defense is a cybersecurity and compliance firm in Culver City, Los Angeles, built around a monthly continuous-compliance service. For startups and growing companies it offers SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA with a dedicated vCISO and continuous compliance, starting at $1,000 a month. Its plans (Sentry, Guardian and Defender) combine CISSP- and CISA-certified experts with a compliance automation platform, and its client testimonials describe work on Drata. It also sells penetration testing and covers CMMC for defense contractors.

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Bottom line: the lowest published monthly entry price on this list. The plan tiers are named without prices, so confirm which one covers your framework and audit date. brightdefense.com

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4. vCISO.com: best for month-to-month terms

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Best for: startups whose priorities and budget shift quarter to quarter and who want published prices at every tier.

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vCISO.com is a practitioner-led virtual CISO firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, serving SaaS, healthtech, fintech and regulated small businesses. It publishes three tiers: Advisory at $3,000 a month, Managed at $5,000 a month and Embedded at typically $10,000+ a month. Retainers run month to month with 30 days' notice, or prepaid annually at a 15% discount. Every retainer has a named senior practitioner, and the founder's background in offensive security means penetration testing sits alongside SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA readiness.

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Bottom line: the most flexible terms on this list, with a price at every tier. vciso.com

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5. SideChannel: best for a vCISO plus zero-trust tooling

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Best for: companies that want security leadership and network controls from one relationship.

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SideChannel was founded in Worcester, Massachusetts, and pairs a named, experienced security executive with Enclave, its own zero-trust microsegmentation platform. Engagements typically run $3,000 to $12,000 a month, most start within two weeks, and terms are month to month. Its 2026 pricing guide gives $1,500 to $4,000 a month for startups of 1 to 50 employees, although its vCISO page speaks first to mid-market organizations. It covers NIST CSF, SOC 2, ISO 27001, CIS Controls, HIPAA and CMMC.

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Bottom line: strong when the roadmap will call for network segmentation and asset visibility, not only policies. sidechannel.com

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6. Fractional CISO: best for a vCISO plus an analyst

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Best for: later-stage startups that want a long-term, two-person security team on a fixed fee.

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Fractional CISO, based in Newton, Massachusetts, near Boston, has offered virtual CISO services since 2017. Each client gets a US-based team of an experienced vCISO and a cybersecurity analyst, so strategy and day-to-day policy work are both covered. Pricing is a fixed retainer payable quarterly, estimated through an online calculator, and contracts run three years with an option to cancel early. It covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA, CMMC and FedRAMP, and does not sell audits, pentests or managed services.

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Bottom line: built for mid-sized companies, so it fits a Series B startup better than a seed team. fractionalciso.com

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7. Latacora: best for an embedded security team

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Best for: engineering-led startups that want a whole security team, not only a compliance lead.

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Latacora builds and runs security practices for tech-forward companies as an embedded, long-term team, and has done so for nearly a decade. It typically starts with vCISO and advisory work, then adds risk and compliance (including SOC 2), application security and cryptography, cloud and infrastructure security, and detection and response on a managed SIEM. It works with early-stage companies of only a few people and is designed to hand capabilities over when you build your own team. Its site publishes no prices.

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Bottom line: the pick when product and cloud security matter as much as the audit. latacora.com

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8. Eden Data (Riveron): best for hands-on compliance on Drata or Vanta

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Best for: startups already on a compliance platform that need a team to do the implementation work.

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Riveron, a Dallas advisory firm, acquired Eden Data, an Austin cybersecurity and compliance firm, in October 2025. The team does hands-on compliance work on platforms such as Drata and Vanta for companies from pre-seed to IPO; Riveron lists it as a four-time Drata Partner of the Year, and its cybersecurity advisory includes fractional CISO leadership. Eden Data's homepage still lists Sprint (from $5,000 a month) and Engage (from $3,000 a month for up to 20 employees, plus $1,000 a month per 50 more), but those plan pages now lead to Riveron, which publishes no prices.

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Bottom line: a deep compliance-execution bench; confirm the current price and team after the acquisition. riveron.com

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9. TrustedCISO: best for a first audit on a fixed package

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Best for: companies of 5 to 200 employees facing their first SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA or CMMC audit.

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TrustedCISO is a veteran-owned and woman-owned firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, founded by a former CISO. Its LAUNCH package takes one framework to audit-ready from $5,000 a month, with most clients ready in 3 to 4 months; SUSTAIN and ASCEND cover ongoing compliance and multi-framework vCISO work, and it publishes an hourly rate of $175. It covers SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, FedRAMP and ISO 42001, and is a Drata partner and a Vanta certified service partner.

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Bottom line: a clear price for a first audit. The SUSTAIN and ASCEND pages each show two different starting prices, so get the figure in writing. trustedciso.com

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10. Network Right: best for IT and security from one team

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Best for: startups with no IT person that want devices, helpdesk and security leadership from one fractional provider.

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Network Right is a fractional IT company with offices in San Francisco and New York that adds vCISO services for startups and growth-stage tech companies. Its CISSP-certified security leaders write policies, set the risk appetite, run a SOC 2 readiness track and handle vendor security questionnaires, while the same company can run your IT. Its vCISO page gives $3,000 to $10,000 a month depending on company size and scope; fractional IT is priced per user, from $120 a month.

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Bottom line: the simplest setup when you need an IT team as much as a security lead. networkright.com

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11. FRSecure: best for building a program from zero

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Best for: companies with no policies, no risk register and no idea where to start.

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FRSecure is an information security firm headquartered in Edina, Minnesota. Its vCISO program starts with an onboarding assessment of your program's maturity and builds a custom roadmap from there, backed by a team for incident response, penetration testing and compliance work such as PCI DSS, CMMC and SOC 2. It sells no third-party products, so its advice is not tied to a tool, and it runs a long-standing free CISSP Mentor Program. Its site publishes no prices.

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Bottom line: best when you need a structured program built from the ground up, not only advice. frsecure.com

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12. CBIZ Pivot Point Security: best for CMMC, FedRAMP and ISO 27001 depth

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Best for: startups selling into defense, government or regulated supply chains that need a formal certificate early.

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CBIZ Pivot Point Security delivers vCISO work through a Virtual Security Team: a pool of specialists rather than one individual. Its depth is formal certification across ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, SOC 2, FedRAMP, HITRUST and CMMC, and it has taken hundreds of clients through ISO 27001 certification over 19 years. Its site publishes no prices, and multi-framework programs of this kind are often multi-year efforts.

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Bottom line: the pick when a specific certificate for regulated buyers is the requirement. pivotpointsecurity.com

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vCISO pricing for US startups in 2026

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Most US startups pay $3,000 to $9,000 a month for a vCISO in 2026: $3,000 to $5,000 for a foundational security program and $5,000 to $9,000 while running an active SOC 2 or ISO 27001 program. Advisory-only retainers start around $1,500 a month, and regulated or multi-framework programs run $10,000 to $20,000+. These are the bands from our vCISO cost guide, which also covers hourly rates, fixed-fee projects and European prices.

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Hourly vCISO work runs $200 to $500 an hour. For comparison, a full-time CISO costs $350,000 to $600,000+ in year one once salary, benefits, equity and recruiting are included, and most CISOs in the US and Canada earn $250,000 to $700,000 a year in total compensation (IANS Research). A $5,000 retainer is $60,000 a year. For the full comparison, see vCISO vs full-time CISO.

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How to choose a vCISO company by stage

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Choose by the problem in front of you, not the size you plan to be. First filter: if someone can run security day to day, an advisory retainer may be enough; if not, you need a firm that does the work.

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Seed (first security questionnaires, no audit date yet): buy advice, not a program, at $1,500 to $3,000 a month: vCISO.com Advisory, Rhymetec Mentor, SecureLeap Navigator or SideChannel's startup band. If no customer is asking yet, read the next section first.

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Series A (a first SOC 2 or ISO 27001 audit within a year): you need a compliance-led firm that executes, at $3,000 to $9,000 a month. Pick SecureLeap if you sell into both the US and Europe and want SOC 2 and ISO 27001 together; Bright Defense or Eden Data if you run on a compliance platform; TrustedCISO for a fixed first-audit package; Network Right if you have no IT person either.

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Series B (enterprise deals, several frameworks, board reporting): you need a security leader with a team behind them, at $5,000 to $20,000+ a month. Fractional CISO, Latacora and Rhymetec's higher tiers fit here, as does SecureLeap's Captain plan; CBIZ Pivot Point Security if CMMC or FedRAMP is on the roadmap.

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Then ask where your customers are: US-only buyers make a US firm simplest, while buyers on both sides of the Atlantic make a firm that runs SOC 2 and ISO 27001 together the cheaper path. For a step-by-step hiring process, see how to hire a fractional CISO.

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When you do not need a vCISO yet

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If you are under about 15 people, have no compliance deadline and no customers asking for security documentation, a recurring vCISO retainer is usually premature. The better spend is a one-time security risk assessment or gap assessment to find your real gaps, priced as a fixed-fee project, plus baseline hygiene your IT provider can handle: MFA everywhere, managed devices, backups and an offboarding checklist.

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Bring in a vCISO when one of these becomes true:

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• a prospect blocks a deal on a security review;
• an investor or partner requires a certification;
• you handle regulated data (health, financial or EU personal data);
• security decisions no longer have a clear owner.

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Hiring before any of those exist tends to buy polished documentation for risks you do not have yet. A good provider will tell you so on the first call.

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vCISO for small businesses: what changes

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A small business that is not a venture-backed startup buys the same service, but usually with less framework work and more need for someone to run security day to day. The buying trigger is more often a customer questionnaire, a cyber insurance renewal or a regulator than an investor.

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• Price: expect the same bands as above, most often $3,000 to $9,000 a month for an active program. SideChannel's 2026 pricing guide puts companies of 50 to 200 employees at $3,000 to $7,000 a month and startups of 1 to 50 at $1,500 to $4,000 (SideChannel).
• Firm, platform or contractor: a vCISO firm gives you a named security leader plus the firm's bench; a vCISO platform is software that your MSP operates; a contractor placed into the seat bills $200 to $500 an hour and you manage them. If nobody on your side can run a security program, buy a firm, not a platform.
• Who fits: Network Right if you also need IT run for you, FRSecure if you start from zero, vCISO.com for month-to-month terms, TrustedCISO for a first audit.

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Why US startups choose SecureLeap

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SecureLeap is built for startups that need security leadership and a certification before they can justify a full-time CISO. If you sell into both the US and Europe, the expensive trap is running SOC 2 and ISO 27001 as two separate projects: we map the overlapping controls so the work is done once, using a multi-framework approach.

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• Navigator, from $2,500 a month on a 12-month plan: security guidance, risk assessment, a roadmap, and policies written and maintained, while your team implements.
• Co-Pilot, quoted to scope: everything in Navigator, plus security questionnaires, vendor reviews and a security leader for your audits and customer calls.
• Captain, quoted to scope: everything in Co-Pilot, plus your security leader in front of the board, running your security program end to end.

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Every price is quoted before work starts and changes only if the scope does. We work with US startups from New York to San Francisco remotely, cover US business hours until 4 pm Eastern and invoice in USD. Compare the vCISO plans and pricing, or book a free 30-minute call and we will tell you whether you need a vCISO now or a gap assessment first.

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Frequently asked questions

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What is a vCISO for startups?

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A vCISO (virtual Chief Information Security Officer) is a part-time security executive who owns the security program of a startup: strategy, risk decisions, compliance such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001, policies and answers to customer security questionnaires. Unlike a project consultant, a vCISO stays on a monthly retainer and is accountable for the outcome.

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Why do US startups hire vCISO companies?

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A full-time CISO costs $350,000 to $600,000 or more in year one, which is hard to justify before security is a full-time job. A vCISO company gives a startup the security leadership that enterprise deals and audits require, and most active programs cost $3,000 to $9,000 a month.

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How much does a vCISO cost in the US?

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Most US startups pay $3,000 to $9,000 a month in 2026, with advisory-only retainers from about $1,500 and regulated or multi-framework programs at $10,000 to $20,000 or more. SecureLeap publishes its own price: the Navigator plan starts at $2,500 a month on a 12-month plan, and Co-Pilot and Captain are quoted to scope.

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What is the difference between a vCISO and a fractional CISO?

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There is no practical difference: both are senior security executives who work part-time for one or several companies instead of in a single full-time role. Virtual stresses remote delivery and fractional stresses part-time scope, and providers sell both names as the same service.

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Can a vCISO get us SOC 2 or ISO 27001?

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Yes, it is the most common reason startups hire one: the vCISO builds the program, runs the gap assessment, prepares the evidence and manages the auditor. The SOC 2 report itself is issued by an independent CPA firm and the ISO 27001 certificate by an accredited certification body, not by the vCISO.

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How much does a vCISO cost for a small business?

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A small business typically pays $3,000 to $9,000 a month for an active vCISO program, and advisory-only support starts around $1,500 a month. Below about 15 people with no compliance deadline and no customer security reviews, a one-time risk assessment is usually a better first spend than a retainer.

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Is a vCISO better than a full-time CISO at an early stage?

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For most seed to Series B startups, yes: a vCISO costs a fraction of a full-time hire and scales its hours up before an audit and down once the program runs. A full-time CISO makes sense once security leadership is a daily, full-scope job.

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