What’s the difference between a SOC2 Type 1 and Type 2?
The key difference between SOC 2 Type 1 and SOC 2 Type 2 is that while type 1 assesses the design of controls, type tests control effectiveness.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls) is a compliance standard based on five trust criteria: security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy. The overarching aim of the SOC 2 report is to demonstrate that any company with the attestation aligns with the chosen trust principles and takes the sanctity of its client data seriously. SOC 2 reports are of two types—type 1 and type 2.
A SOC 2 Type 1 involves an auditor assessing whether an organization has the right controls in place, essentially auditing the organization’s systems and controls at a specific point in time. It is often used by companies seeking an initial baseline certification and planning to become fully SOC 2 compliant eventually. A Type 1 report provides a preliminary understanding of the criteria auditors will use to evaluate the controls in the Type 2 report.
SOC 2 Type 2, on the other hand, involves an auditor reviewing all of the security controls you’ve implemented to determine their effectiveness. It’s a more comprehensive audit that evaluates how those controls have been operating over a period, usually between 3 and 12 months. This observation period reviews whether the controls are functioning as intended, separate from the time it takes to set up these controls, which can take a few months. However, with Sprinto, you can be audit-ready in weeks.
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