360 Advanced, Coalfire, KirkpatrickPrice

Choosing among 360 Advanced, Coalfire, and KirkpatrickPrice for a SOC 2 audit usually comes down to company size and how much beyond SOC 2 the engagement needs to cover. 360 Advanced and KirkpatrickPrice are both compact, audit-focused CPA firms serving SMB through enterprise clients, while Coalfire is a much larger cybersecurity advisory firm whose SOC 2 practice sits inside a broader federal and cloud-security business. Buyers researching 360 Advanced vs Coalfire vs KirkpatrickPrice are typically comparing two similarly sized regional firms against one much larger national firm, not three firms competing for the identical client profile. For a wider shortlist beyond these three firms, see the SOC 2 Auditors Directory.

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Quick Comparison of 360 Advanced, Coalfire, and KirkpatrickPrice

The audit types, industries served, platforms supported, and headquarters values above come directly from each firm's SOC2Auditors.io directory record, verified separately from the sourced claims below, not from an editorial assessment.

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360 Advanced

360 Advanced's own site states the firm has more than 20 years of proven success with more than 900 satisfied clients (360advanced.com). The same site's press release section states 360 Advanced ranked No. 3203 on the 2026 INC. 5000 list, its third consecutive year of that recognition (360advanced.com), a growth signal consistent with its directory focus on SaaS, technology, and financial services clients from SMB through enterprise.

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Coalfire

Coalfire organizes its services into four practices on its own site: Advisory, covering FedRAMP, CMMC, global compliance, cloud engineering, and healthcare risk; Assessment, its compliance automation platform and audit services; Security, threat-focused cybersecurity work; and Federal, CMMC advisory and assessment from an experienced C3PAO (coalfire.com). Coalfire's SOC assessment services page states its SOC reports are issued through Coalfire Controls, an affiliate that is a fully licensed, accredited CPA firm, and that SOC reports conform to reporting standards issued by the AICPA (coalfire.com/soc-assessment-services).

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KirkpatrickPrice

KirkpatrickPrice's SOC 2 audit page states the engagement typically includes a gap analysis, scoping exercises, an onsite visit, and an evidence gathering period, and that the audit process must be facilitated by a licensed CPA firm (kirkpatrickprice.com/audit/soc-2/). The same page says KirkpatrickPrice delivers the finished report as a Markdown document, which it describes as a machine-readable format meant to preserve the report's structure when it moves between systems, unlike a PDF (kirkpatrickprice.com/audit/soc-2/).

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What Is a SOC 2 Audit Firm for a Small or Mid-Size Company

A SOC 2 audit firm built for small and mid-size companies is a licensed CPA firm that can run a full SOC 2 examination without requiring the client to first build out a large internal compliance function or commit to a multi-year, multi-framework advisory relationship. 360 Advanced, Coalfire, and KirkpatrickPrice all serve this segment, but from different starting points. 360 Advanced and KirkpatrickPrice are both compact firms organized around a fixed set of audit and assessment services, while Coalfire is a much larger cybersecurity advisory firm whose SOC 2 practice sits alongside federal, cloud, and penetration-testing lines of business, which is part of why its listed directory timeline reflects a combined advisory-plus-audit scope rather than audit fieldwork alone. The practical differences a buyer should weigh are how many platforms each firm already works inside, how many industries each firm has actually served, and whether the engagement needs Coalfire's broader advisory bench or a more focused, audit-only relationship.

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360 Advanced vs Coalfire vs KirkpatrickPrice FAQs

Is 360 Advanced, Coalfire, or KirkpatrickPrice the better SOC 2 auditor?

Neither is better in general. 360 Advanced and KirkpatrickPrice both fit SMB and mid-market companies looking for a focused audit relationship, while Coalfire's broader advisory and federal practice suits companies that need more than SOC 2 alone.

Which firm has the fastest SOC 2 timeline?

KirkpatrickPrice's directory record lists the shortest range at 4 to 8 weeks. 360 Advanced does not list a timeline in its directory record, and Coalfire's listed 6 to 9 month range covers a combined advisory-plus-audit engagement, not audit fieldwork alone.

Does KirkpatrickPrice deliver the SOC 2 report in a special format?

Yes. KirkpatrickPrice's own SOC 2 page states it delivers the finished report as a Markdown document, a machine-readable format the firm says preserves structure better than a PDF when the report moves between systems.

Can 360 Advanced or KirkpatrickPrice handle a Coalfire-sized enterprise engagement?

Possibly, since both list Enterprise among their company size focus, but neither firm's directory record shows Coalfire's federal, FedRAMP, or CMMC advisory depth, so an enterprise buyer with those specific needs should confirm capacity directly with each firm.

Which platforms does each firm already work with?

360 Advanced's and KirkpatrickPrice's directory records both list Drata as a confirmed platform partner, while Coalfire's lists both Drata and Vanta.

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Choosing Between 360 Advanced, Coalfire, and KirkpatrickPrice

The comparison above is a starting point, not a final answer. The SOC 2 Auditors Directory lets you filter by industry, company size, and platform experience to build a fuller shortlist beyond these three firms, and our guide on best SOC 2 auditors for startups covers what smaller companies should weigh before signing an engagement letter.

Sources

• 360 Advanced's homepage states the firm has more than 20 years of proven success with more than 900 satisfied clients: https://www.360advanced.com
• 360 Advanced's homepage states it ranked No. 3203 on the 2026 INC. 5000 list, its third consecutive year of that recognition: https://www.360advanced.com
• Coalfire's homepage states its services are organized into four practices, Advisory, Assessment, Security, and Federal: https://coalfire.com
• Coalfire's SOC assessment services page states its SOC reports are issued through Coalfire Controls, a fully licensed, accredited CPA affiliate, conforming to AICPA reporting standards: https://coalfire.com/soc-assessment-services
• KirkpatrickPrice's SOC 2 audit page states the engagement includes a gap analysis, scoping exercises, an onsite visit, and an evidence gathering period, and must be facilitated by a licensed CPA firm: https://kirkpatrickprice.com/audit/soc-2/
• KirkpatrickPrice's SOC 2 audit page states it delivers the finished report as a Markdown document, a machine-readable format: https://kirkpatrickprice.com/audit/soc-2/