Platform Comparison
Both tools help tax preparers and CPA firms generate a Written Information Security Plan. Here's where they diverge — and which model fits the way compliance actually works.
By the WISPWolf Compliance Team · Updated June 2026
If you skim nothing else on this page, read this.
EasyWISP
EasyWISP is best understood as a guided questionnaire that produces a polished, IRS-structured WISP PDF. For firms replacing a downloaded Word template, that's a real upgrade. The tradeoff is that what you get is a document — a snapshot in time. Everything after "generate" is on you: the annual review, the evidence, the drift when a Conditional Access policy changes.
Best when your goal is: "produce the document."
WISPWolf
WISPWolf generates the same IRS-structured WISP, but it doesn't stop there. It connects to Microsoft 365 to continuously verify MFA, Conditional Access, audit logging, and external sharing — then maps each signal back to the FTC subsection and IRS control it satisfies. You see a live compliance score, not a static stamp. Starts at $39/mo.
Best when your goal is: "prove the program is working, on demand."
Every row reflects publicly advertised functionality as of June 2026. Verify current features with each vendor before deciding.
| Feature | EasyWISP | WISPWolf |
|---|---|---|
| WISP generation method | Guided questionnaire → PDF | Guided quiz → Living WISP |
| Customization to your firm's systems | Text fields you fill in | Live data from your M365 tenant |
| Microsoft 365 / MFA integration | ||
| Compliance readiness score | Live, updates with tenant | |
| Annual review workflow | Regenerate document | Guided review + change log |
| Evidence collection & audit exports | PDF only | PDF + JSON + evidence library |
| Policy acknowledgement tracking | ||
| Gap remediation plan | Owners + due dates | |
| Incident response playbooks | Static template text | Template + tracked workflow |
| Multi-user / multi-location support | Limited | |
| Pricing model | Flat annual fee | $39 / $99 monthly tiers |
| Free trial | No | 14 days, no card |
WISPWolf is not affiliated with EasyWISP. Comparison based on publicly advertised product descriptions.
EasyWISP is a solid fit for a solo preparer or very small firm that needs a basic, IRS-aligned WISP document quickly and plans to manage updates manually. If your firm's compliance model is "generate the PDF, file it, and revisit it during tax off-season," EasyWISP will get you a defensible document faster than a blank template — and for many one-person shops, that's genuinely enough.
It's also a reasonable choice when your tech stack is simple, you're not integrated with Microsoft 365 in a meaningful way, and no insurer or referral partner has started asking for evidence beyond the document itself.
WISPWolf is built for firms that want a living compliance program — not just a filed document. If your firm runs on Microsoft 365, WISPWolf continuously pulls MFA, Conditional Access, audit logging, and external sharing posture and maps each signal to the FTC subsection it satisfies. You stop guessing whether the WISP still reflects reality.
It's the right fit if leadership wants an ongoing compliance readiness score they can trust between annual reviews, or if a cyber insurance underwriter has already asked for evidence of MFA enforcement rather than a policy statement. Multi-preparer or multi-location firms — and any EA/CPA blend where informal tracking has stopped scaling — get the most immediate return.
In short: if you'd rather answer "yes, and here's the export" than "let me check," WISPWolf is built for that answer.
The Category Difference
The FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) is explicit: covered financial institutions — which now include tax preparers and CPA firms — must "regularly test or otherwise monitor the effectiveness of the safeguards' key controls, systems, and procedures." That's an ongoing program requirement, not a documentation requirement. IRS Publication 5708 reinforces the same expectation on the tax side, calling for an annual review and update of the WISP as systems, staff, and threats change.
A generated PDF answers the "did you write it down?" question. It does not answer the "is it still true?" question — and that second question is the one that decides audits, examinations, and cyber insurance claims. Carriers have publicly denied breach claims where the insured's stated controls (MFA enforced, encryption at rest, access reviews) turned out not to match their actual environment on the date of loss. The document existed. The program didn't.
WISPWolf is built around that gap. The WISP is generated the same way a document tool would, but a read-only Microsoft Graph connection continuously verifies the controls the document promises, re-scores your compliance readiness as your tenant changes, and turns each drift into a tracked remediation item with an owner and a due date. When an examiner, underwriter, or referral partner asks for evidence, you export it — dated, mapped to the FTC subsection and IRS control it satisfies, and provably current. That's the difference between a living WISP and a static one.
The Category Difference
A static WISP tool answers one question: do you have a document? A Living WISP platform answers a harder one: is the program described in that document actually running right now? That gap is where most firms fail an audit, even ones with a well-written WISP on file.
The Living WISP model has three properties a document generator can't reproduce:
For the regulator and carrier perspective on why this shift matters, see our brief on why a one-time WISP document is no longer enough and the 2026 FTC Safeguards Rule checklist.
From a WISPWolf Customer
"[Customer testimonial coming soon — a real quote from a tax preparer or CPA firm currently piloting WISPWolf will appear here.]"
— Firm name and role, once approved
Generate your IRS-structured WISP, connect Microsoft 365, and see your live compliance score in under 30 minutes. No credit card required.
Plans start at $39/mo after trial. Cancel anytime.