Cincra vs. CMMC consultants
Consultants charge $150K and leave with the spreadsheet. We charge $499/mo and you keep the artifacts.
Consultants are valuable for one-off architectural decisions. They are an expensive way to fill out a control questionnaire — and a fragile way to maintain compliance year over year. Here's the honest comparison.
Side by side
Cost, time, and what you actually walk away with.
| Traditional consultant | Cincra | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 12-month cost | $80K–$250K | Under $6K |
| Time to submittable SPRS | 9–18 months | 60–120 days |
| Artifacts you own | ||
| Live SPRS score | ||
| Per-control evidence locker | ||
| Auditor handoff workflow | ||
| Hash-chained audit log | ||
| Updates when CMMC rules change | Re-engagement | Continuous |
Where consultants still win
Honesty section: we don't claim consultants are useless.
For complex CUI enclave architecture decisions, GovCloud migration design, or M&A diligence on a defense acquisition, a senior consultant is worth their fee. Cincra is the system of record for the day-to-day compliance program; many of our customers retain a consultant for narrow advisory work. The two are complementary — what's wasteful is paying consulting rates for spreadsheet maintenance.