Shieldra
A Vanta alternative built for teams shipping AI
Vanta is strong at SOC 2. Shieldra leads with AI governance — the EU AI Act, ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF, and US state AI laws — and runs SOC 2, HIPAA, and HITRUST in the same workspace. If you ship AI features and need governance depth plus security compliance, Shieldra is purpose-built, transparently priced, and AI-native.
Why teams switch from Vanta to Shieldra
Vanta built the SOC 2 automation category, and that is still where it shines. For teams shipping AI features who now face the EU AI Act and US state AI laws, three gaps come up repeatedly:
- AI governance depth: Shieldra leads with deterministic, citation-backed EU AI Act and US state-law classification, Article 50 transparency tracking, an AI system registry, shadow-AI discovery, and a verified AI vendor catalog — where Vanta treats AI governance as a lighter add-on.
- Pricing opacity: Vanta publishes no pricing on its own site; its AWS Marketplace listing starts at $14,000/year for the Essentials tier (1–20 employees), and negotiated contracts reported by Vendr span $7,500–$56,781. Shieldra publishes tiers — $299, $599, and custom — so you can budget without a sales call.
- AI-native, your choice of keys: managed AI runs through Shieldra-managed providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google) under terms that exclude training on your data, with optional bring-your-own-key if you prefer your own provider agreement. Vanta AI features are hosted-only.
AI governance: Shieldra vs Vanta
| Capability | Shieldra | Vanta |
|---|---|---|
| Deterministic EU AI Act classification with citations | Yes | No |
| US AI-law coverage (federal, 8 state regimes, state privacy, financial services, health care) | Yes | No |
| Article 50 transparency and obligation tracking | Yes | No |
| AI system registry and shadow-AI discovery | Yes | Limited |
| Verified AI vendor catalog | Yes | No |
| ISO/IEC 42001 and NIST AI RMF mapping | Yes | Add-on |
Pricing: Shieldra vs Vanta
| Capability | Shieldra | Vanta |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (published) | $299/month | $14,000/yr on AWS Marketplace; no price on vanta.com |
| 14-day free trial | Yes | No |
| No mandatory annual contract | Yes | No |
| Transparent tier pricing | Yes | No |
HIPAA depth: Shieldra vs Vanta
Beyond AI governance, Shieldra keeps deep HIPAA support in the same workspace — useful for healthcare teams that also ship AI:
| Capability | Shieldra | Vanta |
|---|---|---|
| HIPAA-specific knowledge base (73 requirements) | Yes | Generic mapping |
| AI policy scanner trained on healthcare | Yes | No |
| BAA template with 12 mandatory 2026 clauses | Yes | Generic template |
| CFR Part 164 citation per control | Yes | No |
| Subcontractor disclosure tracking (2026 rule) | Yes | Manual |
Security frameworks: Shieldra vs Vanta
| Framework | Shieldra | Vanta |
|---|---|---|
| AI governance (EU AI Act, ISO 42001, NIST AI RMF) | Native, primary | Lighter add-on |
| HIPAA (depth) | Native | Add-on |
| SOC 2 | Yes | Yes |
| HITRUST / NIST CSF | Yes | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
Why look for a Vanta alternative?
Vanta is the dominant SOC 2-first platform, but for teams shipping AI it has gaps: AI governance is a lighter add-on rather than deterministic, citation-backed EU AI Act and US state-law classification; pricing is not published (typically $7K–$30K+/year); and its HIPAA support is layered onto a generic GRC backbone rather than built around CFR Part 164 citations and the 12-clause modern BAA template now required under the 2026 HIPAA Security Rule.
How does Shieldra pricing compare to Vanta?
Shieldra publishes pricing — Starter $299/mo, Premium $599/mo, Enterprise custom. Vanta publishes no pricing on its own site; its AWS Marketplace listing starts at $14,000/year for 1–20 employees, and reported contracts range up to roughly $56,000/year for mid-market. Shieldra is typically far less expensive while providing deeper AI governance and HIPAA-specific functionality.
What does Shieldra do that Vanta does not?
AI governance depth: a deterministic EU AI Act classifier with article citations, coverage of 8 US state AI-law jurisdictions, Article 50 transparency tracking, an AI system registry, shadow-AI discovery, and a verified AI vendor catalog — alongside SOC 2, HIPAA, HITRUST, and NIST CSF in the same workspace.
Is migration from Vanta to Shieldra possible?
Yes. Shieldra supports migrating policies, control mappings, and vendor lists from Vanta exports. Most migrations complete within 2–3 weeks.
What about Drata, Secureframe, Hyperproof?
Drata and Secureframe are also SOC 2-first platforms with similar AI-governance gaps to Vanta. Hyperproof is more enterprise-GRC-focused and typically much more expensive. Shieldra differentiates on AI governance depth, transparent pricing, and AI-native architecture.