Top 10 Smart Contract Auditing Firms

For many reasons, businesses and traders should study the top 10 smart contract auditing firms. For example, they are one of the strongest lines of defense against online threats. These security-focused protocols form the backbone of today's largest and most successful decentralized networks. As such, they are vital to furthering integration and innovation in the market. Here are the top 10 smart contract auditing firms you need to know, in no particular order.

1. OpenZeppelin

Open Zeppelin entered the market in 2015 and quickly earned a reputation for quality security analysis across the Ethereum ecosystem. The project is the first to introduce Solidity libraries to improve development and integration for creators. Today, these tools continue to make OpenZeppelin a strong contender.

The OpenZeppelin project has grown since its early days to include other blockchain networks and has been critical in securing some of the top-performing networks in operation today. To date, the team has helped DeFi (decentralized finance) networks like AAVE and Compound provide cutting-edge services to the market.

Source – OpenZeppelin

OpenZeppelin pioneered a new type of security process in which white hat hackers compete to find exploits. In this way, the network opened its security process to more users via a gamified model that rewards individuals for locating any vulnerabilities. Since then, this model has been copied by competitors to great success and is a main draw to the platform.

OpenZeppelin is more than just an auditing firm. The network offers a mix of helpful security applications to keep your projects on point. For example, the Defender tool provides distributed infrastructure, smart contract programming automation, and powerful administrative tools to help developers maximize efforts without sacrificing security.

2. Certik

It would be difficult to find a smart contract auditing film that’s better known than Certik. This security team is recognized for its full spectrum approach to web3 security. Founded in 2013, by a group of professors from Yale and Columbia University, Certik quickly became a pioneering force in the security market.

Certik offers a straightforward approach to web3 security that includes various smart contract auditing and monitoring tools. There are options geared specifically towards exchanges, wallets, blockchains, smart contracts, and even consortium blockchain projects. For example, Skynet provides you with a quick security analysis and score.

Features like SkyInsights take smart contract auditing a step further to ensure that you are regulatory compliant. The system goes as far as providing real-time risk management assessments to projects. There are also features to ensure your project is AML and KYC-compliant.

Today, Certik secures 4300+ projects spanning all major blockchain networks. Impressively, the team has eliminated 60,000 coding errors and currently secures $364B+ in digital assets. Those projects that currently list Certik as their smart contract auditing firm include Binance Smart Chain, Aave, Terra, Yearn, Polygon Chiliz, and many more. According to company documentation, Certik currently secures 13,300+ active projects.

3. Quantstamp

Quantstamp is another smart contract auditing firm that entered the market in 2017 amidst a flood of new projects. The network has since grown into an internationally respected smart contract auditing firm that currently secures +200B in digital assets across +250 major clients.

Quantsatamp users have access to powerful auditing tools that streamline security for smart contracts. The firm also offers off-chain, networking, and front-end audits as part of its larger security ecosystem. Additionally, the protocol is blockchain agnostic, making it more flexible than some competitors.

Quantstamp is operated by a team of security professionals who have successfully audited +700 blockchain applications. As such, it's not a surprise to learn that many of the market's biggest names rely on Quantstamp for their security needs. The platform has secured DeFi services, NFT markets, CEXs (centralized exchanges), and various Dapps.

These systems include major players such as Maker, Curve, and OpenSea, alongside a host of other ventures found on Ethereum, Solana, Flow, Binance Chain, and Avalanche. In this way, Quantstamp helps to drive innovation and keep platforms safe.

4. Consensys Diligence

Consensys Diligence is an Ethereum-focused project that seeks to help secure the world's largest DeFi and Dapp ecosystem. Consensys Diligence has some distinct advantages and disadvantages due to its focus on a singular network. For one, its tools are more effective as they are specially designed to serve Ethereum and its unique security concerns.

For Example, Scribble is a Solidity smart contract testing tool that leverages runtime verification to locate and eliminate errors. The Verifier tool also ensures your smart contracts remain Erc-20 compliant. Consequently, this tool is crucial in ensuring that you enjoy full interoperability within the Ethereum economy.

Those seeking blockchain infrastructure and production-ready options can take advantage of the Harbor tool kit. This kit streamlines the creation of dapps by eliminating the need to create core components from scratch. The results are a highly secure and efficient way to build new Ethereum platforms.

Consensys Diligence uses a combination of best practices, proven security, and a team of highly trained professionals to keep the community safe. The project has helped +120 projects and currently has +11B in digital assets under its protection. These factors, combined with its unique features, make Consensys Diligence a smart option to consider.

5. Halborn

Halborn provides full-stack security solutions to the digital marketplace. The project was founded in 2019 to provide top-quality security to vital digital assets. Today, the network is crucial in securing projects, auditing networks, and saving developers time and effort.

Halborn entered the market in 2019 and is the brainchild of two well-known developers, Rob Behnke, and Steven Walbroehl. Since its launch, the network has managed to secure some critical security contracts. These partnerships include notable protocols such as BlockFi, ApeCoin, Avalanche, THORChain, Polygon, and more.

Halborn is one of the most flexible options on this list. The network pioneered the security-as-a-service business model, which can help save projects funding over time. Additionally, the team employs strict best practices to eliminate security flaws due to human error.

Today, Halborn users can leverage a tools suite that includes automation, smart contract auditing services, advanced penetration testing, and various other security protocols to keep you safe. Uniquely, Halbourn is one of only a few security auditing firms that exist in the metaverse with no official brick-and-mortar headquarters.

6. Slowmist

Slowmist entered the market in 2018 amid a slew of project failures and hacks. Notably, the market in 2018 was in rebound from a record 2017 breakout year that resulted in a flood of new platforms entering service. The main cause of this growth was the creation and public release of the ERC-20 token standard, which streamlined ICO (Initial Coin Offering) launches.

Slowmist provides developers with a host of tools to keep their platforms running smoothly. The platform combines auditing features with defense deployment strategies and other advanced methods to locate and eliminate threats before they cause losses.

Notably, Slowmist hosts bug bounties often. These events open the security process to the community. They enable white hat hackers to compete for prizes and other rewards by discovering smart contract coding errors. This strategy is in addition to a handy threat scanner tool and real-time monitoring capabilities.

Slowmist has helped +1000 projects improve their security protocols and operation. These clients span the market from small projects to major exchanges like Huobi And Crypto.com. Additionally, the firm now supports a variety of blockchains, including all EVM-compatible options, Fabric, EOS, VeChain, ONT, and Solana, to name a few.

7. Hashlock

Hashlock serves Australia's budding web3 ecosystem. The network offers a full scope of audits, including manual, competition, and line-by-line options. The Hashlock auditing process is what has helped the firm earn a reputation for quality and reliability. As such, it’s a top option in the region today.

The Hashlock system is designed to comb through project coding manually as step one. From there, a vulnerability analysis is conducted alongside penetration testing. This data is then processed, and an updated security process is created. Lastly, the final analysis and report are presented, revealing all smart contract vulnerabilities, and appropriate suggestions are made.

Source – Hashlock

These corrections come with a risk assessment and additional industry research to support their use as the solution. In this way, Hashlock has managed a high level of quality control. Another Major draw for the smart contract auditing firm is its membership in the Blockchain Australia and Fintech Australia groups.

These groups help educate lawmakers and regular users on the key advantages of the decentralized economy. It also directly contacts Hashlock with industry-leading digital forensics experts and other industry professionals.

8. Cyfrin

Cyfrin is the newest name on this list. The project entered the market in 2023 and has taken off running. The firm combines educational and training processes with advanced smart contract auditing to create a community of cyber-vigilant users. Notably, Cyfrin was created by popular crypto influencer Patrick Collins.

The project managed to gather some of the best-known names in the web3 security space to create a team of highly recognized auditors. The network offers the community tools, services, and education. Notably, there have been +1000 developers that have completed their security course.

Smart contract auditing is easy using Cyfrin, as the platform was created to be user-friendly and transparent. Additionally, the network's auditing process begins with a line-by-line manual code analysis to help ensure all errors are found immediately. The company also hosts competitive bug bounties, which empower white-hat hackers to find coding errors in exchange for rewards.

Cyfin is one of the only platforms to make this list offering a full educational content scope. Here, users gain access to a lot of valuable data at no charge. This strategy adds to the value of the platform and its community and helps to ensure future stability as more people learn from these helpful tools.

9. Hacken

Hacken entered service in 2017 and quickly became one of the most recognizable options on this list. This all-in-one cyber security ecosystem has successfully protected +1000 decentralized applications and has never had any exploits successfully attacked.

Hacken has a stellar reputation that has helped it secure an impressive list of clients, including Solana, VeChain, Gate.io, KuCoin, Huobi, 1inch, and Avalanche. Today, the platform offers enterprise-grade security solutions to the market, including double line-by-line code auditing services and more.

Every Hacken project receives a lead auditor, who further breaks down the project to find any potential attack vectors or coding errors that could result in future losses. This step is repeated through all layers of the dapp until a 100% security rating is achieved.

Hacken also provides other helpful services, such as penetration testing. There are also proof-of-reserve features designed to ensure that exchanges remain solvent and transparent to their users. Another notable feature is the CCSS audit. This service helps your project improve its security practices to better safeguard the network against emerging threats.

10. QuillAudits

QuillAudits is a smart contract auditing firm that currently protects $30B in assets globally. The group brings a lot of flexibility to the market as it operates across all major blockchains and top-performing platforms. Currently, the firm offers auditing services, a toolkit to improve dapp creation, and an educational campaign called the QuallAudits Academy.

QuillAudits users enjoy access to a robust selection of smart contract auditing services that were built to streamline security processes. As such, it's no surprise to learn that QuillAudits provides security services for some massive platforms, including Kraken, KuCoin, Uniswap, Coinbase, and more.

Smart Contract Auditing – No Time to Slack

There's nothing sadder than learning about a new hack that occurred due to bad coding. There are too many tools available for developers to leave their security up to chance. The smart contract auditing firms listed here are crucial in ensuring the future of the market and building consumer trust in the digital economy. As such, you can expect their prominence to expand in the coming years.

You can learn more about exciting blockchain projects here.