GRC Certification Costs at a Glance
USD, direct from each vendor, as of September 2026. First-year ranges assume one attempt, self-study at the low end and an instructor-led course at the high end, plus application and first-year maintenance fees. For Security+, CISSP, cloud, and offensive security exams, see cybersecurity certification cost.
| Certification | Exam fee | Other fees | Renewal | First year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISAISACA | $575 member, $760 non-member | $50 application fee after you pass. ISACA membership is $145 plus chapter dues. | $45 per year member, $85 non-member, 120 CPE every 3 years | $900 to $4,000 |
| CISMISACA | $575 member, $760 non-member | $50 application fee. Five years of experience required. | $45 per year member, $85 non-member | $900 to $4,000 |
| CRISCISACA | $575 member, $760 non-member | $50 application fee. Three years of experience required. | $45 per year member, $85 non-member, 120 CPE every 3 years | $900 to $4,000 |
| CGRC (formerly CAP)ISC2 | $599 | Two years of experience required. | $135 per year AMF (one fee covers all ISC2 certs) | $750 to $3,000 |
| ISO/IEC 27001 Lead AuditorPECB, via training partners | Included in course | Five-day course with exam and certification fee bundled. One partner listed e-learning at $1,598. | Set by PECB maintenance policy | About $1,600 e-learning, more live |
| ISO/IEC 27001 Lead ImplementerPECB, via training partners | Included in course | Same five-day, exam-included format. Price set by the training partner. | Set by PECB maintenance policy | Quote from partner |
| CGE-P (Practitioner)GRC Engineering Club | $350 standalone | Training, labs, and exam included. Public capstone on GitHub. | None | $350, or $70 with membership |
| CGE-AUD (Auditor)GRC Engineering Club | $350 standalone | Training, labs, and exam included. Built for auditing cloud-native companies. | None | $350, or $70 with membership |
| GRC Engineering Club membershipCGE-P, CGE-AUD, CGE-AZ included | $0 (included) | $70 a year or $9.99 a month. Training, labs, and exams for all three. | None | $70 |
How Much Do CISA, CRISC, and CISM Cost?
ISACA prices its three GRC credentials identically: $575 for members and $760 for non-members per exam attempt. After you pass, a $50 application fee processes your experience. Maintenance is $45 a year for members and $85 for non-members, per credential, plus 120 CPE hours every three years.
ISACA membership is $145 a year plus chapter dues and cuts $185 off each exam, so it pays for itself only if you also use the member pricing on study material. CRISC requires three years of experience and CISM five. The full CISA line-item breakdown, including the question database and review manual, is in CISA certification cost. If CISA is not the right fit, compare CISA alternatives.
How Much Do CGRC and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor Cost?
CGRC (formerly CAP) is ISC2's GRC credential. The exam is $599, you need two years of experience and an endorsement, and the $135 annual maintenance fee covers every ISC2 credential you hold. That last detail matters if you plan to add CISSP later. The honest value question is covered in is CGRC worth it and CISA vs CGRC.
ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer work differently. PECB states that certification and exam fees are included in the price of its five-day training course, with the exam on day five, and training partners set the price. In September 2026, one PECB partner listed Lead Auditor e-learning at $1,598 (discounted that month to $799). Instructor-led classes cost more. Other bodies also certify ISO 27001 auditors, so compare the issuer your target employers name.
How Much Do CGE-P and CGE-AUD Cost?
The CGE-P (GRC engineering practitioner) and CGE-AUD (auditing cloud-native companies) are $350 each standalone, with the training, hands-on labs, and exam included. Both, plus the CGE-AZ Azure specialty, are included in a GRC Engineering Club membership at $70 a year. There is no voucher, application fee, or maintenance fee. For how these fit alongside the established credentials, read the GRC engineering certifications guide.
What $70 a year gets you in the GRC Engineering Club
Club membership is $70 per year, or $9.99 a month. Every certification in the Training Academy is included. Bought one at a time, the three current certifications are $350 each, so $1,050 of credentials come with a membership that costs less than most single exam vouchers.
- CGE-P, CGE-AUD, CGE-AZ: training, labs, exam, and certificate, no exam fee
- Hands-on AWS and Azure compliance labs you build in your own account
- Weekly private podcast and live Q&A with working GRC engineers
- Mock interviews, playbooks, and live builder sessions
- Local chapters and a Slack of 1,300+ GRC professionals
- Self-reported CPE hours for ISACA, ISC2, and IAPP renewals
Honest caveat: the CGE-P is newer and does not yet carry the name recognition of CISA or CISSP with HR screeners. It does leave you with a public capstone on GitHub that those exams cannot give you. Many members hold both. See CGE-P vs CISA or the CGE-P program page.
How Should You Budget for a GRC Certification?
Budget for three years, not one exam. Over three years, an ISACA credential costs the exam, the $50 application fee, $135 to $255 in maintenance, and whatever you spend on CPE. An ISC2 credential adds $405 in maintenance fees. Retakes cost the full exam fee again at both.
Then decide how you will prepare, because training is the widest range on this page. Self-study, courses, bootcamps, and communities are compared in GRC training cost, and the lowest-cost options are ranked in the cheapest GRC certifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a GRC certification cost?
A GRC certification costs $350 to about $1,600 in exam and course fees in 2026, and $900 to $4,000 in a realistic first year. CISA, CRISC, and CISM are $575 for ISACA members and $760 for non-members, CGRC is $599, and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor is sold as a training course with the exam included. CGE-P and CGE-AUD are $350 each or included in a $70 a year GRC Engineering Club membership.
What is the most expensive part of a GRC certification?
Usually the training, not the exam. A self-studier spends $100 to $500 on prep, while a bootcamp for CISA or CRISC runs $1,500 to $3,500. After that, maintenance adds up: ISC2 charges $135 a year for CGRC and ISACA charges $45 to $85 a year per credential, every year you hold it.
How much does ISO 27001 Lead Auditor certification cost?
PECB sells ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor as a five-day training course with the certification and exam fees included, and each training partner sets its own price. In September 2026 one PECB partner listed its e-learning package at $1,598, temporarily discounted to $799. Live instructor-led versions cost more.
Is CISA or CGRC cheaper?
CGRC has the cheaper exam ($599 versus $760 for CISA non-members), but ISC2 charges a $135 annual maintenance fee compared with $45 to $85 at ISACA. Over three years the totals end up close. Choose on role fit: CISA for IT audit, CGRC for federal RMF and authorization work.
Do GRC certifications expire?
ISACA and ISC2 credentials stay active only while you pay annual maintenance fees and log continuing education hours, 120 every three years for CISA, CRISC, CISM, and CISSP. Miss either and the credential lapses. The CGE certifications from GRC Engineering Club have no maintenance fee.