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Penetration Testing Cost & Pricing (2026)

Penetration testing typically costs between $3,000 and $30,000, depending on the type of test, the size of your environment, and how much of the work is done manually.

A single web application test starts around $3,000. A mid-sized organisation covering applications, cloud and internal networks typically spends $8,000–$25,000. Full-scope red team engagements run higher.

This page breaks down pricing by test type, company size and the factors that change your number — plus what’s actually included in ours.

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How Much Does Penetration Testing Cost in 2026?

Penetration testing costs in 2026 are driven by three things: how much is in scope, how complex it is, and how much of the testing is performed manually rather than by automated tooling.

Smaller environments such as a single web application sit at the lower end. Enterprise-wide internal and external network assessments require larger investment due to expanded attack surface and deeper manual testing.

Unlike automated vulnerability scans, professional penetration testing involves skilled security consultants performing controlled real-world attack simulations. This includes manual exploitation, privilege escalation attempts, business logic abuse testing, and post-exploitation analysis. Because of this manual effort, pricing reflects both technical depth and time required.

For advanced adversary simulation, see our red team cost and pricing breakdown.

What Is the Average Cost of a Penetration Test?

The average penetration test costs between $8,000 and $25,000 for a mid-sized organisation, though the range across the market runs from roughly $4,000 for a narrow single-application test to well over $100,000 for a full-scope red team engagement.

Averages are a starting point, not a price. Two organisations of identical size can receive estimates that differ by a factor of three, based on scope, testing depth, and whether the provider performs manual testing or resells automated scanning.

Penetration Testing Cost by Test Type

Type of Penetration TestTypical Cost Range
Web application penetration testing$5,000 – $20,000
External network penetration testing$2,000 – $12,000
Internal network penetration testing$5,000 – $20,000
API penetration testing$5,000 – $15,000
Mobile application penetration testing$6,000 – $18,000
Cloud penetration testing (AWS/Azure/GCP)$8,000 – $30,000
AI / LLM application penetration testing$6,500 – $15,000+
Red team engagement$10,000 – $100,000+

 

Network Penetration Testing Cost

Internal network and external network penetration testing typically ranges from $5,000 to $20,000. Cost is driven by the number of live IP addresses in scope, network size, and segmentation complexity. Testing covers vulnerability identification, firewall and segmentation validation, and simulation of realistic attack paths across the environment.

Web Application Penetration Testing Cost

Web application penetration testing ranges from approximately $5,000 to $20,000. Pricing is driven by application complexity, the number of user roles, API integrations, and authentication mechanisms. Testing identifies critical issues including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and broken access control between user accounts.

Mobile Application Penetration Testing Cost

Mobile application penetration testing ranges from around $6,000 to $18,000. Cost reflects analysis of application logic, API communication, and encryption implementation — and whether both iOS and Android builds are in scope.

Cloud Penetration Testing Cost

Cloud penetration testing ranges between $8,000 and $30,000 depending on the provider (AWS, Azure or GCP), the number of accounts in scope, and environment complexity. Testing focuses on IAM misconfiguration, privilege escalation paths, exposed storage, and data exposure risk.

Penetration Testing Cost by Company Size

Startups & Small Businesses

Typical range: $3,000 – $8,000

Typically a single web application or a limited external attack surface.

Mid-Sized Organizations

Typical range: $8,000 – $25,000

Multiple applications, cloud infrastructure, and internal networks requiring broader coverage.

Enterprises

Typical range: $25,000 – $75,000+

Multi-phase testing across internal and external networks, social engineering components, and compliance-aligned executive reporting.

These are total engagement ranges. A single test within any of them costs less — see cost by test type above.

What Factors Affect Penetration Testing Pricing?

Penetration testing costs vary because no two environments are identical. The following factors influence pricing:

1. Scope Size

The number of IP addresses, applications, APIs, users, and infrastructure components directly impacts effort and duration.

2. Application Complexity

Applications with advanced authentication mechanisms, multi-tenant logic, or complex workflows require deeper testing.

3. Authentication Levels

Black-box, gray-box, and white-box testing each require different methodologies and preparation time.

4. Compliance Requirements

If your penetration test must align with SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, or other regulatory frameworks, reporting requirements increase.

5. Manual vs Automated Testing

High-quality penetration testing includes significant manual exploitation. Automated scans alone are not sufficient.

6. Retesting & Validation

Some organizations require formal retesting after remediation. Including this in scope affects pricing.

7. Reporting & Executive Summaries

Detailed technical reports, risk ratings, remediation steps, and executive-level summaries require additional documentation time.

Why Automated Testing Costs Less — and What You Lose

Automated penetration testing typically runs $1,000–$5,000. Manual testing starts around $5,000 and rises with scope. The difference is not markup, it is method.

Automated testing finds: known CVEs, missing patches, common misconfigurations, and default credentials.

Automated testing cannot find: business logic flaws, broken access control between user accounts, chained vulnerabilities, or authorisation applied inconsistently between the UI and the API — which is where most serious breaches actually originate.

Our approach uses automation for coverage and manual testing for everything that matters. Every finding in your report is validated by an analyst.

Our Penetration Testing Pricing Packages

Professional penetration testing services such that prices may be scaled according to your company’s size and security needs. We do cost-effective security evaluations to identify vulnerabilities and help strengthen your defenses, whether your company is a startup, mid-sized, or enterprise. 

Understand what drives your price so that your company can remain within the budget while complying with the cybersecurity and compliance requirements!

BFRT Launch

Ideal for Initial Security Checks
$ 2,000 Starting Price
  • Approximate Duration: 5 Days
  • Manual + Automated Penetration Testing
  • Data Leak Check - Checking for leaked data on dark/surface web
  • General Vulnerability Report
  • External Assets Testing for vulnerabilities (Blackbox)
  • Patch Verification
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BFRT Strike

Widely Selected By Startups & SMEs
$ 4,500 Starting Price
  • Approximate Duration: 2 Weeks
  • Manual + Automated Penetration Testing
  • Data Leak Check - Checking for leaked data on dark/surface web
  • Report with technical risk rating
  • Executive & Compliance Reports
  • 2 Web applications
  • 2 Mobile Applications
  • Internal Network VAPT
  • External Network VAPT
  • 1 API(50-60 API Endpoints)
  • Remediation Support - Including Technical
  • Patch Verification
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BFRT Sentinel

Continuous Penetration Testing for Ongoing Security
$9000
$ 7,000 Per year
  • On Demand Manual + Automated Penetration Testing
  • 3 Targets – Example: One web application, one iOS application, and one Android application. Use the button below to select your three targets.
  • Data Leak Check - Checking for leaked data on dark/surface web
  • Vulnerability Report with Technical Risk Rating
  • Executive & Compliance Reports
  • Continuous Cyber Threat Intelligence Tailored to Your Business & Industry.
  • Controlled Intrusion for Impact Assessment – We will leverage the vulnerability to evaluate its potential impact.​
  • Real-Time Vulnerability Dashboard with Risk-Based Prioritization & Management including integrations such as JIRA and more.. – PentestLive
  • Remediation Support - Including Technical Support
  • Patch Verification
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What’s Included in Our Penetration Testing Pricing

Our penetration testing services include:

  • Manual exploitation by experienced security consultants

  • Real-world attack simulation techniques

  • Vulnerability validation (no false positives)

  • Detailed technical report with proof-of-concept evidence

  • Executive-level risk summary

  • Remediation recommendations

  • Optional retesting for validated fixes

  • Alignment with major compliance standards (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA)

We do not rely solely on automated tools. Every engagement is reviewed and validated by certified offensive security professionals.

Not sure how to compare providers before making a decision? Use our comprehensive Pentest Vendor Checklist to evaluate reporting quality, testing depth, compliance alignment, and post-engagement support before selecting a penetration testing partner.

Penetration Testing vs Red Teaming Cost

Penetration testing finds and validates vulnerabilities across a defined scope. Red teaming is objective-based adversary simulation that tests whether your team detects and responds to a real attack — broader in scope, longer in duration, and priced accordingly.

Penetration testing typically runs $3,000–$30,000 depending on type and scope. Red team engagements start around $10,000 and scale well beyond that for full-scope campaigns.

For a full breakdown of what drives red team pricing, see our red team cost guide.

Frequently Asked Questions About Penetration Testing Pricing

  • Most organizations perform penetration testing annually. However, high-risk industries may require bi-annual or quarterly testing depending on compliance and risk posture.

  • Vulnerability assessments are typically cheaper because they rely heavily on automated scanning. Penetration testing includes manual exploitation and validation, providing higher accuracy and deeper insights.

  • Many cyber insurance providers require proof of regular penetration testing, particularly for organizations handling sensitive data.

  • Depending on scope, most engagements take between 1–4 weeks including testing and reporting. Duration directly drives cost, since testing is priced on analyst days.
  • Most mid-sized organisations pay $8,000–$25,000. Narrow single-application tests start around $3,000; full-scope red team engagements exceed $100,000.
  • Because "penetration test" describes both an automated scan and a manual adversary simulation. Always ask how many days of manual testing are included, and who performs them.
  • Ours does. Many providers charge separately to verify remediation, so confirm this before comparing prices.
  • Slightly. SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS and HIPAA require specific evidence formats and reporting, which adds documentation time rather than testing time.

Our pricing insights are informed by real-world offensive security experience. For a deeper look into common vulnerabilities, exploitation trends, and industry benchmarking data, explore our Inside 2,000+ Pentests: Real-World Offensive Security Report.

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