10 Best PCI Compliance Software [Features, Pros and Cons]

PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a regulatory compliance to standardize security for companies dealing with cardholder information. It was formed to secure card transactions against data theft. Nearly 43.4% of assessed companies maintained full compliance in 2020. If this trend is to keep moving forward, the aid of PCI compliance software is a necessity.

PCI-DSS compliance software automates the 12 PCI-DSS criteria for compliance thus helping organizations in attaining & maintaining it. The PCI-DSS requirements were set by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI-SSC).  

Non-compliance leads to hefty fines, expenses related to incident recovery, and customer compensation in case of data leak. PCI-DSS compliance audit software helps maintain international security standards which are then audited or scanned by PCI-DSS-approved QSA or ASVs for successful compliance.

What is PCI Compliance Software? 

PCI compliance software are applications that help in the automation of PCI-DSS-mandated security processes such as data encryption, access management, risk assessments, and security programs. Implementing such software for security automation helps in attaining PCI-DSS compliance during PCI-DSS audits or ASV scans.

10 Best PCI-DSS Compliance Software

1. Astra Security
2. Sprinto
3. Qualys
4. Orca Security
5. Secureframe
6. Drata
7. Solarwinds
8. Vanta
9. Tripwire
10. AlertLogic

Top 10 PCI-DSS Compliance Tools in 2024

1. Astra Security

• Pricing: $199 – $7,999
• Best for: SaaS companies, financial institutions, e-commerce businesses, medical companies
• Features: Compliance scans and reporting, manual pentests, vulnerability scans

Astra Security is a PCI compliance management software that offers VAPT & PCI-DSS compliance scans for digital assets to identify areas of non-compliance and vulnerabilities. 

Astra’s VAPT offerings help with: 

• Maintenance of compliance with PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC2, ISO 27001, and GDPR through dedicated compliance scans. 
• Better security coverage for web and mobile applications, cloud infrastructure, networks, and APIs.  
• Detection and remediation of vulnerabilities and security gaps of varying criticality. 

Compliance Scans

The software offers individual scans for specific compliances such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC2, ISO 27001, and GDPR. 

It has a compliance-specific dashboard where the specific compliance can be opted and real-time results are shown. 

Constantly Evolving Vulnerability Scanner

Astra Vulnerability Scanner is constantly updated to detect the latest vulnerabilities and can currently run 8000+ tests. 

The scanner checks for payment manipulation and business logic errors and can scan behind logins. 

CI/CD Integrations

Astra Security provides integrations with multiple project development tools & web repositories like GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, Circle CI, and BitBucket. 

It also provides integrations with project management platforms such as Jira and Slack for easy communication and collaboration. 

Pros 

• Zero false positives through manual vetting of scan results. 
• Periodic penetration tests to remediate any exploitable flaws. 
• Has a comprehensive malware and vulnerability scanner.
• Provides round-the-clock customer support.

Cons 

• More scope for integrations.

2. Sprinto

• Pricing: $9,900 – $19,900
• Best for: Financial institutions, online businesses, retailers, and other companies that require or want compliance
• Features: Continuous compliance monitoring, expert PCI-DSS guidance, automated workflows

Sprinto is a PCI audit software with automation that brings a new speed to PCI-DSS compliance checks. Some of its features include a comprehensive compliance checklist and systems integration. 

The tool works by just monitoring the system’s configurations. They provide live sessions that help your organization construct a faster implementation plan.

It streamlines processes by automating PCI compliance audits through pre-configured workflows and templates. 

Pros 

• Provides zero-touch audits. 
• Automated evidence collection. 
• Live sessions to construct better security plans. 

Cons

• Can be a bit difficult to navigate.

3. Qualys 

• Pricing: Pricing on demand
• Best for: Financial institutions, online businesses, retailers, banks
• Features: PCI-DSS audits, compliance scans and continuous monitoring

Qualys is one among the PCI-DSS audit tools that makes compliance data available for auditors and helps you inventory all IT assets on the cloud and view their security status.

The tool’s vulnerability scanner helps you take care of 97% of all the PCI-DSS requirements and automates the PCI compliance scan process. 

It provides its cloud customers with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, compliance solutions, and web application firewalls. These services make Qualys a top contender among PCI compliance vendors.

Pros

• Well-designed and easy-to-navigate user interface. 
• Constant updates ensure the availability of current security measures. 

Cons

• Limited scheduling options. 

4. Orca Security

• Pricing: Quote on demand
• Best for: online retailers, financial banks and institutions
• Features: vulnerability management and anti-malware

Orca Security supports PCI-DSS, 40+ CIS benchmarks, and other security regulations. 

Other features like data encryption, antivirus, potential intrusion, and threat detection are also provided by this PCI-DSS compliance software. 

Managed services from Orca Involve a simple 3-step process – discovery, monitoring, and assessing the assets.  

Pros

• Vulnerability management services for AWS, Azure, and Google platforms. 
• Provides actionable data
• Provides data encryption and antivirus protection.

Cons

• No upfront pricing provided

5. Secureframe

• Pricing: Available on demand
• Best for: Online businesses, retailers, banks, medical and pharmaceutical companies
• Features: ISMS management, compliance automation, continuous monitoring

Secureframe assigns your company an account manager who ensures the build of an ISMS that is well-suited to your company’s needs and work processes. 

This PCI vendor monitors over 150+ cloud services and provides detailed vendor risk reports and automated evidence collection ture that your company’s compliance.

The tool provides real-time alerts for vulnerabilities found and remediation steps to stay compliant.

Pros

• Easy access to information helps avoid the back-and-forth with auditors
• Saves time and effort.
• Reports facilitate easy analysis and remediation 

Cons

• Involves a potential learning curve

6. Drata

• Pricing: $7,500 – $15,000
• Best for: Financial institutions, online businesses, hotels, hospitals, and more
• Features: PCI compliance automation, audit evidence collection, asset and personnel monitoring

Well-known among PCI compliance tools, Drata specializes in automated evidence collection for PCI-DSS compliance audits by generating an inventory of cyber assets used by your organization. 

It provides automated inventory creation through its asset and personnel tracking feature and has continuous monitoring capabilities.

Other features of Drata include its mapped security controls which enable specific security controls and MDM (Master Data Management) integration for endpoint evaluation. 

Pros

• Automates evidence collection and cataloging.
• Seamless integration with various tools and platforms simplifies compliance management.
• Streamlined the PCI-DSS audit process, with a user-friendly interface.

Cons

• Lacks risk assessment features
• Limited reporting capabilities.

7. SolarWinds

• Pricing: quote on demand
• Best for: Financial institutions, online businesses, retailers, credit unions and banks.
• Features: PCI audits, logging and monitoring, quick vulnerability scans

This PCI-DSS audit tool is used to reduce cyber threats through logging and monitoring, & quick scans, diagnoses, and resolutions of issues that may affect the performance of assets.

This is done following the PCI-DSS compliance standards and its services are available for cloud, hybrid, and on-premise solutions. 

Catering to both small and large enterprises, Solarwinds helps to troubleshoot network misconfigurations, and other flaws and risks while providing a detailed report for its timely mitigation.

Pros 

• Detailed reports
• Quick scans and resolutions. 
• Easy-to-use interface. 
• Provides reports on inventory and OS for all the devices added. 

Cons

• Better suited to larger infrastructures. 
• Can be difficult to implement for beginners. 

8. Vanta

• Pricing: available on demand
• Best for: Banks, edu-companies, SaaS companies, healthcare companies
• Features: risk assessments, compliance automation, automated workflows

Vanta, a well-known PCI-compliance management software offers a host of compliance risk assessment products for PCI-DSS, SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO27001, & GDPR. 

Vanta helps you prepare for  PCI-DSS compliance by automating the tasks around it. This PCI compliance software customizes security controls and provides continuous scans. 

It also provides a centralized dashboard that helps monitor security practices, aiding businesses in tracking compliance efforts and identifying areas for improvement.

Pros

• Continuous testing for security and compliance verification
• Faster audit report generation
• Simplified compliance management

Cons

• Limited information on reporting capabilities
• Involves potential learning curve

9. Tripwire

• Pricing: Quote on demand
• Best for: Banks, hotels, schools, SaaS companies, healthcare and other financial institutions.
• Features: compliance audit reports, policy management, file monitoring

Tripwire is a powerful PCI compliance audit software that scans a wide range of devices and programs running on a network and detects previously missed issues in on-premise devices, the cloud, and containers. 

The PCI vendor provides compliance solutions through policy management, audit-ready reporting, and continuous integrity monitoring to ensure continued PCI-DSS compliance. 

It scores the vulnerabilities based on risk, ease of exploit, and impact. Key features include discovery and profiling of network assets and risk scoring and prioritization. 

Pros

• Built-in NIST policy
• Has strong detection capabilities.
• Scalable architecture

Cons

• Remediation services could be improved

10. AlertLogic

• Pricing: Pricing on request
• Best for: Financial institutions, e-commerce businesses, retailers, & edu-companies
• Features: Managed detection and response (MDR), compliance monitoring, and remediation

AlertLogic is a well-known SOC-as-a-service and vulnerability management provider that provides managed threat detection and response services (MDR) as well as compliance monitoring for PCI-DSS.  

Their holistic services include 24*7  threat monitoring, incident validation, remediation, log management, and more. 

Pros

• User-friendly solution
• Precise and timely notifications
• Easy-to-navigate dashboards.

Cons 

• Could have better end-point protection.

Benefits Of Employing PCI Compliance Testing Tools

1. PCI compliance vendors help with PCI-DSS compliance through the automated implementation of PCI-DSS-required security measures such as data encryption, firewalls, and antivirus.
2. PCI-compliance solutions aids in enforcing strict access control measures such as role-based access control, discretionary access control, and multifactor authentication.
3. PCI-compliance tools often provides risk assessments in the form of vulnerability assessments or penetration tests to find vulnerabilities and mitigate risks to company security.  
4. PCI-DSS compliance software helps organizations continuously monitor assets and can help in the quick identification of vulnerabilities or security gaps, say, after a feature update for an application. 

Top Features To Look For In A PCI Compliance Software

Features	Functioning
A. Risk Assessments
1. Vulnerability Assessments	Scans cybersecurity of websites, mobile apps, & APIs to detect vulnerabilities for mitigation using automated tools.
2. Penetration Tests	Exploits vulnerabilities found to understand their security impact using manual or automated methods.
B. Access Management
1. Role-based Access Control	User roles are defined by administrators based on which access and permissions are granted.
2. Discretionary Access Control	Access control lists define the permitted level of access for a particular resource.
3. Attribute-based Access Control	Users can only access resources for which they have the required attributes.
4. Authentication	Confirms user identity with authorized credentials to gain access. Examples:  MFA, 2FA, and OTPs.
C. Data Encryption
1. Encryption Keys	Scrambles data using a random string of letters or numbers which can be decoded with the right decryption key.
2. Transport Layer Security	End-to-end encryption designed to increase data security during transit between two applications.
D. Security Programs
3. Firewalls	Acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks by filtering based on firewall policies.
4. Anti-Virus	Detects, and removes malicious malware like viruses, & trojans, from systems by scanning their applications, and data.

Conclusion 

PCI compliance software is crucial in your organization’s day-to-day operations with data breaches and cyberattacks increasing daily. 

With the average cost of a data breach going beyond $4 million, it is wise to invest in a good PCI compliance software like Astra Security to automate, and scan your security according to PCI standards. 

Pick the right PCI software with features such as VAPT, access management, and encryption for your organization to maintain compliance, update security protocols, and avoid non-compliance penalties, cyberattacks, and data breaches.