Editorial collection
AI Audit Firms: Independent Directory 2026
For procurement officers, risk managers, and compliance teams commissioning external AI audits — for EU AI Act conformity assessment, NYC Local Law 144 bias audits, ISO 42001 certification, or algorithmic accountability. Covers independent third-party AI audit firms, not software vendors.
Last verified April 21, 2026Editorial independence: aicompliancevendors.com does not accept vendor payment for inclusion or ranking. Every pick below is editor-selected against the criteria stated on this page, and every factual claim is traceable to a cited public source.
At a glance
| # | Vendor | Best for | HQ | Pricing |
|---|
Selection criteria
How we decided which vendors qualify for inclusion.
- Firm primarily conducts independent third-party AI or algorithmic audits — not only software sales.
- Published methodology or scope documentation on the firm's public website.
- At least one documented regulatory framework specialization.
- Active operations as of April 2026.
Each audit firm's public website was reviewed for service descriptions, regulatory coverage, audit methodology, and industry specialization. Luminos.Law's acquisition by ZwillGen is documented on its site; treated as a combined entity. Ranking follows breadth of services and regulatory coverage.
Note: 4 vendors originally nominated for this list are not yet covered in our directory, so they have been omitted rather than ranked from incomplete data. Rankings below are consecutive among the vendors we have profiled.
The ranking
Buyer guidance
Criteria-based recommendations for the most common shortlist scenarios.
For ISO 42001 certification audits, BABL AI is the only firm confirmed to issue certifications directly. For NYC LL 144 bias audits, BABL AI and ORCAA both have documented capabilities; ORCAA's inference methodology differentiates where protected class data is unavailable. Eticas.ai's EU presence is a practical advantage. For legal counsel alongside audit, ZwillGen's AI Division (formerly Luminos.Law) is unique.
What we did not include
Transparency about exclusions.
This directory covers independent AI audit firms only. Software vendors with compliance features are covered in separate collection pages. Consulting firms without public websites documenting AI audit services are excluded.
Frequently asked
What is an AI audit and who is required to conduct one?+
An AI audit is an independent assessment of an AI system's risks, fairness, and regulatory compliance. Mandated contexts: NYC Local Law 144 (annual bias audits), EU AI Act high-risk AI providers (conformity assessment), and ISO 42001 Stage 2. Outside these mandates, audits are voluntary but increasingly requested by procurement teams.
How is an AI audit different from an AI governance platform?+
A governance platform is software for internal AI management and documentation; an audit is an independent third-party assessment producing a report or certification. Governance platforms generate supporting evidence but do not substitute where independent assessment is required (ISO 42001 Stage 2, NYC LL 144, EU AI Act).
How long and expensive is a typical AI audit?+
BABL AI documents a 2–3 week average audit timeline after documentation submission. No firm in this directory publishes pricing. ISO 42001 certification costs are analogous to ISO 27001: $10,000–$50,000+ depending on organization size and audit firm.
Sources
Keep reading
Last verified April 21, 2026
Collections are re-verified quarterly. If a vendor claim here is stale, tell us — we update within 48 hours.