You know that feeling? You land a huge potential customer, everything’s going great, and then the email drops: "Can you send over your SOC 2 report?" For a small team, that question can make your heart sink. All of a sudden, you’re looking at a mountain of policies, evidence gathering, and auditor calls that you have absolutely no time for.
This is where a new wave of "AI-native" compliance platforms is popping up, promising to automate the entire headache. Delve is one of the names making noise, selling itself as a faster, smarter way to get your company audit-ready. But with AI being slapped onto everything these days, it’s fair to wonder what’s real and what’s just clever marketing.
Let’s cut through the fluff. We’ll dig into Delve’s features, pricing, and what actual users are saying in their Delve reviews to help you decide if it’s the right compliance tool for your team. And just to be clear, if you google Delve, you’ll find a few different companies. We’re talking about the one for security compliance like SOC 2, not the data analysis tool or the design firm.
What is Delve?
In a nutshell, Delve is an AI-powered compliance platform built to help companies (mostly startups and small businesses) get through security certifications like SOC 2 and HIPAA. The main promise is that its "AI agents" can take over the tedious, manual work that makes compliance such a grind. Think of it as a bot that handles the boring stuff like collecting evidence, monitoring risks, and prepping reports for you.
From what people are saying on forums like Reddit, it’s pretty clear Delve is aimed at lean IT and security teams, the kind of two-person shops that don’t have a full-time compliance manager. These are the teams that need to pass an audit yesterday to unblock a sales deal, and they can’t afford to spend months on it. Delve is positioning itself as the new, AI-first kid on the block, promising to get you there way faster than the older platforms.
Core features
So, how does Delve actually use AI to make your life easier? Let’s break down its main features to see if they hold up.
AI-powered compliance automation
Delve’s big pitch is its AI agents that plug into your company’s tech stack, everything from cloud services like AWS to code repositories like GitHub and chat apps like Slack. The whole idea is that these agents automate the tasks that would otherwise eat up your team’s time.
But is it just "AI hype," as some folks online have asked? While AI is definitely the buzzword of the year, it seems Delve applies it to some pretty practical, time-saving jobs. Its agents can automatically grab screenshots of security settings, scan for things you’ve set up wrong, and even help fill out those monster security questionnaires that customers send over. For a small team, getting that kind of busywork off your plate is a huge relief and a common theme in positive feedback.
Automated evidence collection and workflow management
One of the biggest pains of SOC 2 is constantly having to prove you’re doing what your policies say you’re doing. Delve automates this by continuously gathering proof that your security controls are in place and working. It then lines up all that evidence with the right compliance requirements, so everything is neat and tidy for an auditor.
Having everything automatically gathered and sorted saves a ton of time and stress. It’s a similar idea to how modern AI tools are being built to connect different systems to make work flow better. For example, a tool like eesel AI connects to all your company’s knowledge, whether it’s in a helpdesk, Confluence, or Slack, to automate answers for your support team. The goal is the same: let the software handle the repetitive stuff so people can focus on more important work.
This infographic from eesel AI shows how knowledge is integrated from different sources, a concept similar to how Delve handles evidence collection according to Delve reviews.:Real-time risk monitoring
Instead of waiting for your annual audit to discover problems, Delve keeps an eye on your tech environment all the time for compliance gaps or security issues. If it spots something, like a misconfigured cloud service or a user who has way too much access, it pings you. This lets you fix problems as they happen, not a year later. It addresses a key question from online discussions about whether the evidence collection is continuous or just a single snapshot. With real-time monitoring, you get a live view of your security, which is a lot more useful than a last-minute scramble before the auditors show up.
Getting started with Delve
For a small team jumping into compliance for the first time, the experience of getting set up and getting help is just as important as the features themselves. Delve seems to get this.
Their onboarding is designed to be quick, with some users reporting they were ready for an audit in just a few days or weeks. When a big contract is waiting on that SOC 2 report, that kind of speed is a game-changer. They also offer a "concierge" support model, often through a private Slack channel. This means you get direct access to compliance experts who can answer your questions and guide you through the audit. For teams without an in-house expert, this kind of hands-on support is a major benefit.
The platform itself is usually described as easy to use, which is a big deal when you can’t afford a long training period. But while that level of support is great, some teams would rather move fast and do things themselves. For them, a truly self-serve platform might be a better fit. For instance, tools like eesel AI are built so you can sign up, connect your apps, and launch an AI agent in minutes, all without needing to book a demo or talk to a salesperson. It’s a different way to get up and running quickly, one that gives you full control right away.
This workflow illustrates the quick, self-serve implementation of a modern AI tool like eesel AI, a contrast to the concierge model discussed in Delve reviews.:Delve pricing: What to expect
If you’re trying to find a price on Delve’s website, good luck. The company keeps its pricing under wraps and uses a custom quote model instead.
This means your cost will depend on things like your company’s size, how complicated your tech stack is, and which certifications you need (SOC 2, HIPAA, etc.). To get a price, you have to get on a call with their sales team. For teams that just want to do their own research and compare options, this can really slow things down.
It’s a different approach from tools that are open about their pricing. For example, eesel AI has clear, tiered plans based on how much you use it, with no weird per-resolution fees. You can start on a flexible monthly plan and know exactly what you’ll be paying, which makes budgeting a whole lot easier. For a lot of startups, that kind of predictability is a huge plus.
A screenshot of eesel AI's pricing page, showing clear, tiered plans, which contrasts with the custom quote model mentioned in Delve reviews.:The honest truth: Delve’s limitations
After looking through user feedback and what people are saying online, a clear picture starts to form about where Delve is great and where it has room for improvement.
Scalability and multi-framework support
Delve is laser-focused on getting a company its first certification, and getting it done fast. If you need SOC 2 to close a deal, it’s a really strong option. But it seems less ideal for more mature companies that need to manage several compliance frameworks at once, like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR. The platform doesn’t have great cross-framework mapping, which means adding a second certification can feel like you’re starting from scratch. As your company grows, that can create a lot of extra work.
Integration limitations
Delve connects with the big names like AWS, GitHub, and Slack, but its list of integrations isn’t as long as some competitors. This might not be a problem if you use a pretty standard set of tools. But if your company relies on less common software, you could end up having to collect evidence manually, which kind of defeats the point of using an automation platform in the first place. You’ll definitely want to check that all your key tools are supported before you commit.
The managed audit experience: A pro or a con?
Delve often handles the relationship with the auditor for you as part of its service. For a team that’s never been through an audit, this can be a massive relief. Handing off all the back-and-forth with auditors can save a lot of time and anxiety. However, some teams might not like this "black box" approach. They might prefer a platform that gives them more direct control and visibility into the process. It really just depends on whether you want a "done-for-you" service or a "do-it-with-me" tool.
Beyond compliance: Managing team knowledge
Getting compliant is a huge milestone, but it’s just one piece of the much bigger puzzle of managing company knowledge. A SOC 2 report proves you have good processes on paper, but it doesn’t actually help your employees find and use that information in their daily work.
Just think about it: how many times a day does your IT or ops team get pinged on Slack with the same questions about company policies, security rules, or how to get access to a system? It’s a massive productivity drain that a compliance tool just isn’t built to fix.
That’s where a tool dedicated to internal knowledge comes in. eesel AI’s Internal Chat plugs into all the places your company knowledge is stored, your internal wikis on Confluence or Notion, your documents in Google Docs, and your conversations in Slack or MS Teams. It gives every employee a single, smart AI assistant that can give them instant, accurate answers. This frees up your experts to focus on bigger things and makes sure all those well-documented policies are actually being used. It’s the perfect partner to a compliance tool, turning your documentation from a static file into a resource that actually helps people.
A screenshot showing the eesel AI chatbot in Slack answering a team member's question instantly, illustrating a point that goes beyond what Delve reviews typically cover.:The final verdict
So, what’s the final takeaway from our dive into Delve reviews? Delve looks like a fantastic choice for early-stage startups that need to get their first SOC 2 or HIPAA certification done fast. Its AI automation and hands-on, concierge support can be a lifesaver for small teams that are under a lot of pressure.
However, it’s not for everyone. Its limits around scaling to multiple frameworks, a smaller integration library, and fuzzy pricing mean it might not be the best long-term choice for companies with more complex needs. It’s built for speed in a specific scenario, not necessarily for scale.
If your main goal is to get through one audit with a lot of hand-holding, Delve is definitely worth checking out. But if your challenges go beyond just compliance and you’re looking to give your team automated access to all company knowledge, you may need to look a bit further.
If turning your scattered docs into a single, smart resource sounds like your next project, see how eesel AI can help you get started in just a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Delve is an AI-powered compliance platform primarily aimed at helping startups and small businesses achieve security certifications like SOC 2 and HIPAA quickly by automating tedious, manual tasks.
Its AI agents integrate with your existing tech stack (AWS, GitHub, Slack) to automatically collect evidence, scan for misconfigurations, and help fill out security questionnaires, significantly reducing manual effort.
Onboarding is designed to be quick, with users sometimes becoming audit-ready in days or weeks. Delve provides a "concierge" support model, often through dedicated Slack channels, offering direct access to compliance experts.
Delve uses a custom quote model, not publicly displaying pricing. Costs vary based on company size, tech stack complexity, and the specific certifications required, necessitating a call with their sales team.
Common limitations include challenges with scalability for multiple compliance frameworks, a potentially smaller integration library compared to competitors, and a "black box" managed audit experience that some teams might prefer more control over.
Delve is highly effective for securing a company’s initial certification, but it’s generally considered less ideal for mature companies requiring simultaneous management of multiple frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR due to limited cross-framework mapping.
