Pricing Models
Web Application Pen Test
Structured testing of a web application for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities and business logic flaws. $3,000–$20,000 per engagement.
Best for: Any company with a customer-facing web application; required for PCI-DSS compliant environments.
Network / Infrastructure Pen Test
Testing internal and external network infrastructure, firewalls, and exposed services. $5,000–$30,000 depending on scope.
Best for: Companies with on-premise infrastructure or significant internal network exposure.
Red Team Engagement
Full adversarial simulation targeting people, processes, and technology simultaneously. $20,000–$150,000+ for comprehensive engagements.
Best for: Mature security programs testing detection and response capabilities against sophisticated attackers.
Continuous / Bug Bounty
Ongoing security testing via managed bug bounty program (HackerOne, Bugcrowd) or continuous penetration testing service.
Best for: Companies wanting continuous security testing coverage rather than point-in-time assessments.
Service Tiers
Basic Web App Test
$3,000–$8,000
OWASP Top 10 assessment of a single web application with manual testing and detailed report with remediation guidance.
- OWASP Top 10 coverage
- Authenticated and unauthenticated testing
- Manual vulnerability verification (no automated-only)
- Executive and technical report
- Remediation validation retest included
Full-Scope Assessment
$8,000–$30,000
Comprehensive testing of web apps, APIs, network perimeter, and cloud environment with chained attack scenarios.
- Web app, API, and network combined
- Cloud configuration review (AWS/Azure/GCP)
- Social engineering component
- Attack chain and lateral movement testing
- Full remediation support
Enterprise Red Team
$30,000–$150,000+
Multi-week adversarial simulation against your full technology, process, and human attack surface.
- Full kill-chain simulation (MITRE ATT&CK)
- Physical security testing
- Social engineering (phishing, vishing)
- Insider threat scenarios
- Purple team debrief with blue team
What Drives the Cost?
Scope Size
The number of IPs, applications, domains, and API endpoints directly determines testing time and cost.
Tester Credentials
OSCP, CREST, or GPEN-certified testers charge premium rates but deliver higher-quality findings; avoid firms that cannot provide individual tester credentials.
Testing Methodology
Manual testing by experienced researchers finds business logic flaws that automated scanners miss — the most valuable and expensive component of any engagement.
Retest / Verification
Always negotiate a retest of remediated findings into your contract — essential for demonstrating compliance and confirming issues are truly fixed.
Report Quality
A high-quality report provides CVSS scores, reproduction steps, remediation guidance, and executive summary — the deliverable you pay for beyond the testing itself.
Compliance Requirement
Compliance-driven tests (PCI-DSS annual, SOC 2 evidence) require specific scope coverage and tester qualifications that may add to cost.
Rates by Location
| Region | Rate |
|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | $200–$400/hr |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | $175–$350/hr |
| 🇵🇱Eastern Europe | $100–$200/hr |
| 🇮🇳India | $60–$150/hr |
| 🇦🇺Australia | $175–$300/hr |
Pricing FAQ
How often should I get a penetration test?
At minimum: annually for any internet-facing application, and after significant application changes. PCI-DSS requires annual pen testing. Best practice: semi-annual tests for production web applications, continuous bug bounty for high-value targets, and a full red team exercise every 2–3 years for mature security programs.
What is the difference between a vulnerability scan and a pen test?
A vulnerability scan (automated tools like Nessus, Qualys) identifies known vulnerabilities by signature matching — fast and cheap but misses business logic flaws, chained attacks, and context-specific issues. A penetration test uses manual expertise to actively exploit findings, chain vulnerabilities, and think like an attacker — far more valuable for understanding real risk.
What should I do before a pen test?
Get written authorization (rules of engagement) in place before any testing begins. Define scope clearly — IPs, domains, applications in and out of scope. Notify your hosting provider and SIEM team so alerts from testing don't trigger incident response. Ensure critical backups are current in case testing inadvertently causes disruption.
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