What Does DORA Compliance Actually Cost?
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) applies to financial entities and their ICT third-party service providers in the EU. Costs depend on your entity type and proportionality classification. Here is a realistic breakdown for 2026:
| Approach | Estimated Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Full DIY (internal team only) | $20,000 – $60,000 | 6 – 14 months |
| Automation platform + assessor | $10,000 – $30,000 | 3 – 6 months |
| Consultant + assessor (traditional) | $40,000 – $100,000 | 6 – 12 months |
The biggest line items are ICT risk management framework implementation ($10,000 – $30,000), incident reporting system setup ($5,000 – $15,000), and digital operational resilience testing.
Budget Tier Recommendations
Small financial entity (under $18,000): Leverage the proportionality principle — smaller entities face lighter requirements. Use an automation platform to build your ICT risk management framework and incident reporting processes.
Mid-size entity ($18,000 – $40,000): Automation platform plus targeted consulting for threat-led penetration testing (TLPT) and third-party risk management. Budget for ICT incident reporting tools.
Large entity ($40,000+): Full DORA compliance with TLPT, comprehensive third-party oversight, and information sharing. Budget for dedicated digital resilience team.
Our Recommendation
For the cheapest path, we recommend LowerPlane — starting at $4,000/year, it automates ICT risk management evidence collection, tracks incident reporting obligations, manages third-party ICT risk registers, and generates regulatory-ready documentation. Customers save thousands by automating evidence collection for DORA's five core pillars.
Where to Cut Costs
- Apply proportionality. Smaller entities can implement simplified requirements. Do not over-engineer your compliance program.
- Leverage existing frameworks. If you already comply with EBA/EIOPA guidelines, much of DORA is already covered.
- Automate incident reporting. Manual incident classification and reporting is costly and error-prone.
- Consolidate third-party oversight. Use a single platform to manage all ICT third-party risk instead of multiple tools.
Where Not to Cut Costs
- ICT incident reporting. DORA mandates strict reporting timelines. Your reporting system must work reliably.
- Third-party risk management. Regulators will scrutinize your oversight of critical ICT providers.
- Resilience testing. Threat-led penetration testing is mandatory for significant entities. Budget for qualified testers.
Get Started
Try LowerPlane → and see how much you can save on your DORA compliance journey.