Penetration testing cost in 2026: 68 published prices from 21 providers
Penetration testing cost is what a provider charges to test a system for security flaws, and it is usually priced per test, per year or per asset. On 9 November 2026 we read the pricing pages of 66 providers. 21 of them publish at least one price, which gives 68 price rows. For prices in US dollars sold per test, the median is $5,000 across 21 rows from 9 providers. The range is $1,000 to $27,120. 14 of those 21 rows are starting prices.
The data comes from the PentestCompare pricing index, which our lab publishes. Every row below links to the provider's own pricing page.
Pentest prices by billing unit
Providers bill in different units, so we never mix them. A median appears only where 3 or more providers share a group. In the other groups the table shows the lowest and highest price only. Each group is split by currency.
| Billing unit | Rows | Providers | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| per test (USD) | 21 | 9 | $1,000 | $5,000 | $27,120 |
| per test (EUR) | 1 | 1 | EUR 1,250 | Not computed | EUR 1,250 |
| per year (USD) | 4 | 2 | $2,999 | Not computed | $49,990 |
| per year (EUR) | 4 | 1 | EUR 500 | Not computed | EUR 15,000 |
| per month (USD) | 6 | 3 | $20 | $199.95 | $2,000 |
| per asset per year (USD) | 3 | 1 | $50 | Not computed | $85 |
| per asset per month (USD) | 2 | 2 | $100 | Not computed | $850 |
| per asset or app, one-off (USD) | 3 | 2 | $15 | Not computed | $10,000 |
| per credit (USD) | 4 | 2 | $99 | Not computed | $2,520 |
| per hour or day (USD) | 1 | 1 | $340 | Not computed | $340 |
| per hour or day (EUR) | 1 | 1 | EUR 640 | Not computed | EUR 640 |
Only the per-test group in US dollars has enough providers for a median in a project-sized unit. The per-month median comes from 6 monthly plans from 3 providers. Those are subscription tiers, so we do not read it as the price of one test.
The dataset has no field for test type, such as web application, API, cloud or network. It cannot give a median for each test type. Where a provider names a scope in a price row, the table of per-test prices below shows it. For example, Secure Ideas lists a smallest-scope External Penetration Test at $8,160, an API Penetration Test at $10,880 and a Web Application Test at $13,600.
Every per-test price in US dollars
Each row is one published price. "Starting price" is Yes when the amount or unit says "from", "starts at" or "starting", or when the provider calls it the smallest scope.
| Provider | Item | Amount as published | Unit as published | Starting price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescient Security | Human in the Loop | $1,000 | per test | No | prescientsecurity.com |
| CYBRI | Custom Projects | $2,500 | starts at, per engagement | Yes | cybri.com |
| Prescient Security | Compliance Pentest | from $3,000 | per engagement (scope-based) | Yes | prescientsecurity.com |
| Stingrai | Autonomous Pentest | US$3,000 | per assessment | No | stingrai.io |
| Cobalt | Autonomous Pentest (limited-time offer) | $3,500 | per test | No | cobalt.io |
| Intruder | Same day pentest | $3,500 | per test | No | intruder.io |
| Payatu | AI-Native Express | $3,500 | per test (starts from) | Yes | payatu.com |
| Aikido | TYPICAL Pentest | $4,000 | per assessment | No | aikido.dev |
| Intruder | AI Pentesting (product page) | $4,000 | per test, standalone purchase | No | intruder.io |
| CYBRI | Web Application | $5,000 | starts at, per engagement | Yes | cybri.com |
| Payatu | AI-Led Expert | $5,000 | per test (starts from) | Yes | payatu.com |
| Synack | Sara Pentest | $5,085 | per test (starting price) | Yes | synack.com |
| Prescient Security | Traditional Pentest | from $6,000 | per engagement (scope-based) | Yes | prescientsecurity.com |
| Stingrai | Hybrid Pentest | US$6,800 | per assessment | No | stingrai.io |
| Secure Ideas | External Penetration Test (smallest scope) | $8,160 | per test (flat fee, starting) | Yes | secureideas.com |
| CYBRI | Web App, API, Cloud, or AI | $9,500 | starts at, per engagement | Yes | cybri.com |
| Synack | SynackST (compliance) | $10,283 | per test (starting price) | Yes | synack.com |
| Secure Ideas | API Penetration Test (smallest scope) | $10,880 | per test (flat fee, starting) | Yes | secureideas.com |
| Secure Ideas | Web Application Test (smallest scope) | $13,600 | per test (flat fee, starting) | Yes | secureideas.com |
| CYBRI | Multiple Apps, APIs, and Clouds | $20,000 | starts at, per engagement | Yes | cybri.com |
| Synack | Synack14 | $27,120 | per test (starting price) | Yes | synack.com |
One euro row sits outside this table. Hadrian lists "From EUR 1,250" per test, excluding VAT.
The widest spread is inside single providers. Synack's three starting prices run from $5,085 to $27,120. CYBRI's four run from $2,500 to $20,000. A provider's scope note decides whether two numbers describe similar work.
The 7 exact prices, without a starting label, have a median of $3,500 across 5 providers: Aikido, Cobalt, Intruder, Prescient Security and Stingrai. The Cobalt $3,500 row is a limited-time offer. Its page says the test must start and finish before 31 December 2026.
Per-test prices by delivery model
The delivery model is the dataset's label for each provider: human-led, hybrid or automated.
| Delivery model | Rows | Providers | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| human-led | 7 | 2 | $2,500 | Not computed | $20,000 |
| hybrid | 11 | 5 | $1,000 | $5,000 | $27,120 |
| automated | 3 | 2 | $3,500 | Not computed | $4,000 |
Human-led and automated providers each have 2 providers with per-test rows, so we compute no median for them. The sample is too small to call one model cheaper than another.
How we counted
- Predicate. A price counts when the provider shows an amount on its own public pricing page. We copied the amount, unit, scope note and page URL. We used no search snippets and no estimates.
- Date. We checked every row on 9 November 2026. We have not rechecked them since this page was written. Prices change often.
- Count. 66 providers in the set. 21 publish at least one price. 45 publish none. The 21 providers give 68 price rows. 50 rows fit a unit class and 18 do not, for example free tiers and packs. We list the 18 rows and the reason for each in the data file.
- Number used. For a range such as "640 EUR to 890 EUR" we use the first number.
- Provider set. The 66 providers are a researched set, not every pentest provider. We did not choose by quality or size. We tested no service and read no customer quote.
How to read the numbers
These are list prices. The data holds nothing on what buyers paid. A quote after scoping can be higher or lower.
The set under-counts providers that quote after scoping. Of the 66 providers, 37 use a custom quote as their pricing model. The prices above come from the 21 that publish.
Our own price
We are not in these medians. Our lab publishes the dataset and competes with the providers in it. We publish no price list. Each test gets a written quote after a short scoping call. The pricing page lists what sets a quote. For the service itself, see penetration testing.
Data files
- prices.csv: 68 rows, each with a source URL and check date.
- pricing-index-2026.csv: the same rows with unit class, delivery model, and the reason a row is not comparable.
- README.txt and SHA256SUMS.
- PentestCompare pricing index and the full dataset on GitHub (MIT licence).