Pricing

Senior security leadership, priced like you would expect.

A full-time CISO costs $250K to $400K a year. vCISO costs a fraction of that, month to month, with no long-term contract and the same senior experience.

Save 15% on annual billing
SOC 2 Sprint
Two-week productized engagement. The fastest way to see how vCISO works before committing.
$2,500
One-time
Start a Sprint
  • Kickoff call, gap analysis, policy inventory
  • Light pentest on your app
  • Prioritized remediation roadmap
  • Exec readout deck and presentation
  • Credited in full toward month one of retainer
Recommended
Strategic vCISO
Monthly retainer with strategic guidance, customer questionnaires, policy reviews, and IR readiness.
$5,000
Per month
Book a discovery call
  • Monthly security reviews
  • Policy review and recommendations
  • Customer security questionnaire response
  • Annual IR + DR tabletop exercise
  • Slack and email access
  • 48-hour response SLA
Embedded vCISO
Hands-on security leadership for audit prep, M&A, and complex programs. Custom-scoped engagement.
Inquire
Custom scope
Inquire about availability
  • Everything in Strategic vCISO, plus:
  • Weekly syncs and embedded availability
  • Hands-on policy authoring and remediation
  • Audit preparation and fieldwork support
  • Board and investor briefings
  • Compliance platform admin (Vanta, Drata, Secureframe)
  • Incident response leadership
  • Same-day response SLA
Productized program
90-Day vCISO Foundation
Productized 90-day program build for teams without a SOC 2 deadline. Threat-informed baseline, real pentest, board briefing at day 90.
$24,000
One-time, 90 days
  • Threat-informed baseline (NIST CSF + MITRE ATT&CK)
  • 12-month prioritized roadmap with owners
  • Full pentest in days 31 to 60
  • Closed first wave of high-priority gaps
  • Board briefing and pentest summary at day 90
  • First month of retainer credited if you continue

Annual billing means a single invoice for 12 months and a 15% discount on the Strategic vCISO retainer. Retainers remain cancellable with 30 days notice; unused balance prorated on termination. Sprint and Foundation pricing are flat-fee, not affected by billing cadence.

Founding cohort

50% off retainer for 12 months.

Our first 5 retainer clients lock in Strategic vCISO at $2,500/mo or Embedded vCISO at $5,000/mo for 12 months. Plus the SOC 2 Sprint at $500. Trade: testimonial, case study rights, willingness to take a reference call. Year two reverts to list pricing.

FAQ

Common questions

Most buyer questions, answered plainly.

How is vCISO different from hiring a full-time CISO?

A full-time CISO costs $250K to $400K fully loaded, takes 3-6 months to hire, and is often overqualified for Series A or early B companies. A virtual CISO gives you senior security leadership on demand, month-to-month. When you outgrow us, we help you hire the full-time CISO.

Is the Sprint cost really credited toward the retainer?

Yes. If you sign a retainer within 30 days of Sprint delivery, the $2,500 is credited in full against your first month. The Sprint becomes your month-one discount and we've already done the discovery work.

Can I cancel the retainer?

Yes. Every retainer is month-to-month with 30 days notice. No contracts, no minimums, no renewal traps. If vCISO isn't pulling its weight in a given month, you shouldn't pay for it.

Do you carry insurance?

Yes. vCISO Services, LLC carries professional liability / errors and omissions insurance sized for growth-stage engagements. Coverage certificates are available on request during procurement review.

Something else on your mind? Send us a note.

Ready when you are

Your next move starts with a 30 minute call.

If vCISO is not a fit, we will say so on the call and point you toward someone who is. If we are, we will scope a Sprint, the 90-Day Foundation, or a retainer right then.