How Much Does Penetration Testing Cost in 2025?

Ever wondered why penetration testing quotes swing from a few thousand dollars to well over $100,000 for what seems like the same service? You’re not alone. Most organizations land somewhere in the middle—$10,000 to $30,000 for a thorough assessment. But here’s the truth: there’s no such thing as a “standard” pen test. Your systems, your applications, and your risks are unique. Why would your security testing be any different?

Investing in penetration testing isn’t just about paying for a report. It’s about buying expertise, foresight, and protection. The costs may seem high, but consider the alternative: a single breach can cost millions in damages, regulatory fines, and lost customer trust. Compared to that, a $20,000 test looks more like insurance than an expense.

A well-scoped penetration test uncovers hidden vulnerabilities, informs risk management decisions, and strengthens incident response capabilities. It’s not a checkbox—it’s a proactive strategy to prevent financial and reputational disaster.

Understanding the cost of a pentest and how it varies by type is crucial. Next, we’ll break down the average cost of a pentest by test type so you can plan your security investment with clarity.

Average Cost of Penetration Testing by Test Type

Pentesting costs vary widely because not all tests look the same. Each type—web app, cloud, mobile, infrastructure—uncovers different risks, using different tools and levels of expertise. Below is a breakdown of how much you can expect to pay depending on the kind of test your business needs.

Web Application Penetration Testing Cost

Web application tests typically cost $4,000 – $30,000, averaging around $12,500. These assessments dig into authentication, session management, and logic flaws across your web apps.

Factors that increase cost:

Complex authentication and multiple user roles
Integration points and APIs
Custom-built applications
Enterprise-scale environments

Mobile App Penetration Testing Cost

Expect $5,000 – $40,000 for mobile testing, averaging $25,000 for iOS and Android combined. These tests uncover insecure storage, API flaws, and poor encryption.

Price is influenced by:

Backend and encryption complexity
Testing on multiple platforms
Use of third-party SDKs or libraries

Infrastructure Penetration Testing Cost

Internal infrastructure tests usually range $5,000 – $35,000, depending on the size and network complexity. These tests simulate internal attacker movement and privilege escalation.

Costs rise with:

Larger network size and device count
Need for onsite physical access

External Penetration Testing Cost

External pentests focus on internet-facing assets and typically cost $2,000 – $20,000. They’re simpler, faster, and don’t require internal access.

Why it’s cheaper:

Limited to public-facing systems
No physical or internal testing

Cloud Penetration Testing Cost

Cloud pentests range $10,000 – $50,000, examining misconfigurations, IAM flaws, and exposed APIs.

Costs depend on:

Multi-cloud vs. single-cloud setups
Compliance and integration depth

IoT and Product Security Assessment Cost

IoT testing starts around $8,000 and can exceed $50,000, while full product assessments may surpass $100,000.

Factors:

Device complexity and ecosystem size
Firmware, APIs, and communication layers

Red Team Exercise Cost

Red team exercises are the most intensive, costing $30,000 – $150,000+. These simulate real-world attacks across people, networks, and apps—often over several weeks.

Price drivers:

Multi-week engagements covering all attack surfaces
Sophisticated enterprise scenarios rarely below $60,000

Spear Phishing Assessment Cost

Spear phishing simulations run $3,000 – $15,000, testing employee awareness and real-world response.

Key points:

Human vulnerability testing
Custom campaign design and awareness measurement

Penetration testing costs scale with depth and realism. Basic scans might flag surface issues, but expert-led manual testing exposes real attack paths—before attackers do.

Breaking Down the Cost for Penetration Testing

Behind every pen test quote lies a reality most vendors won't tell you upfront. You're not just buying a report. You're buying expertise, tools, time, and follow-through. Here's exactly where your money goes.

Labor Hours and Day Rates

Day rates form the backbone of every quote:

$1,000 to $3,000 per day for standard penetration testing services
Hourly rates between $100 to $300 for most consultants
Senior specialists commanding $250 to $400 per hour for specialized services
Junior testers? Around $35/hour. Senior pen testers with OSCP, CREST, or CISSP certifications? Premium rates

Experience costs more. But it finds vulnerabilities that junior testers miss and ensures your systems are tested thoroughly, reducing the likelihood of costly oversights later.

Tools Aren't Free

Commercial security tools cost serious money—and those costs get passed to you:

Licensing fees for advanced scanning tools
Specialized exploitation frameworks costing thousands annually
Custom tool development for unique environments

Automation reduces manual hours, but premium tools deliver deeper insights and allow testers to identify complex vulnerabilities that simple scans would miss. You’re paying for capability, not just time.

Retesting: The Value Add You Actually Need

Post-testing support separates quality providers from scan-and-dump operations:

Remediation guidance typically adds 10–20% to total project cost
Quality providers include at least one round of fix validation
Some vendors offer 90 days of remediation support free—especially for external penetration testing quotes

Reporting: More Complex Than You Think

Documentation eats up significant consultant time:

PCI DSS and HIPAA compliance reporting extends phases by 10–25%
Project management overhead scales with complexity
Quality analysis and findings correlation require expert attention

Vendors offering rock-bottom prices are cutting corners somewhere. The cheapest option rarely delivers what you actually need. Paying for thorough testing ensures issues are properly identified and fixed, saving time, cost, and risk down the line.

What You’re Paying For in a Pentest

Key Factors That Influence Pen Testing Cost

Six factors control what you'll pay for quality pen testing. Master these, and you'll never get blindsided by surprise costs again.

Scope Size and Complexity of the Environment

Simple truth: bigger environments cost more.
Testing includes:

Single web applications: significantly less expensive
Full networks with multiple endpoints: substantially higher costs

Key areas affecting price: web apps, mobile apps, network infrastructure, cloud services, IoT devices. Complex, interconnected systems create a multiplier effect, often requiring more than double the effort of standalone applications.

Experience and Certifications of the Pentesters

You get what you pay for.
Tester qualifications directly impact costs:

Junior testers: lower rates but may miss critical vulnerabilities
Certified professionals (OSCP, CREST, CISSP): command higher fees
Senior consultants: $250–$500/hour

Experienced testers provide thorough testing and actionable insights. Higher upfront costs translate to better long-term value.

Testing Methodology: Black Box vs White Box

The approach you choose changes everything:

Black box: no prior system knowledge, simulates external attacks, typically $4,000–$15,000
White box: full system info provided, costs $10,000–$30,000+
Gray box: partial info, priced between black and white box

Black box takes more discovery time but may miss internal flaws. White box allows comprehensive analysis but costs significantly more.

Onsite vs Remote Testing Requirements

Location affects pricing:

Onsite: extra travel and per diems ($1,000–$3,000)
Remote: lower cost, but coordination challenges may arise

Compliance Requirements: PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001

Regulatory frameworks increase cost:

Healthcare, finance, government: stricter standards
PCI DSS Requirement 11.4 mandates penetration testing
Documentation adds 10–25% to the total

Custom Code, Legacy Systems, and Cloud vs On-Prem Infrastructure

Your tech stack dictates pricing:

Legacy systems: harder to test, costs more
Custom code: specialized approaches raise prices
Cloud: $8,000+; complex setups can exceed $50,000

Modern infrastructures with APIs and microservices demand specialized tools and expertise—higher quality, higher costs.

Comparing Penetration Testing Services Prices

Here's the dirty secret about penetration testing quotes: they can swing from $5,000 to well over $100,000 for what looks like the same service. Security managers stare at these numbers thinking: "What am I actually paying for?" Fair question. The industry has some explaining to do.

Low Cost Penetration Testing vs Comprehensive Testing

The gap between cheap and quality testing is massive.

Bargain-basement testing ($5,000–$10,000):

Runs automated tools and calls it "penetration testing"
Misses business logic flaws that actually matter
Hands you a pretty report with zero actionable insights
Skips manual validation that finds real vulnerabilities

Proper comprehensive testing ($25,000–$50,000):

Finds an average of 26 vulnerabilities per assessment
Saves roughly $1 million by catching issues early
Uses experienced testers with certifications like OSCP
Provides remediation guidance you can actually use

In the industry, if a penetration testing offer seems unusually cheap, it usually indicates lower quality. Fixing a vulnerability in production costs 100 times more than during design. Ouch.

External Penetration Testing Quote Breakdown

Working with a tighter budget? External testing is a solid starting point:

Small internet footprint (≤10 hosts): Starting around $5,000
Medium environments (10–50 assets): $10,000–$15,000
Large perimeters (50+ systems): $15,000–$20,000

What you get: scope definition and pre-testing reconnaissance, vulnerability identification and exploitation, documentation of findings, and initial remediation guidance.

VAPT Testing Price for Small vs Large Organizations

Size matters. Big time.
Understanding VAPT testing cost helps organizations budget accurately for security assessments.

Small businesses: $8,000–$20,000 annually
Medium businesses: $20,000–$30,000
Large enterprises: $30,000–$100,000+

Different regions play by different rules. In India, basic scans start at ₹40,000 ($480), while complex infrastructure can reach ₹25,00,000 ($30,000).

With the average U.S. data breach at $10.22 million, even a $30,000 comprehensive test delivers a potential 340:1 ROI. That’s not an expense—it’s the bargain of the century.

Penetration Testing Pricing Models Explained

Here's the truth about pricing models. Most vendors won’t explain this upfront, but understanding how they structure costs can save you thousands.

These are the main pentesting pricing models:

Fixed-Price Service Packages
Time and Materials Billing
Credits or Retainer-Based Models
Pay-per-Vulnerability Model
Bundled Services and Add-Ons

Penetration Testing Pricing Models

Let’s get into each of these in detail.

1. Fixed-Price Service Packages

The "set it and forget it" approach. You know exactly what you’re paying before you start.

Budget certainty with clearly defined deliverables
Typically $4,000–$15,000 for basic assessments
Perfect when your scope is crystal clear
Works well for compliance checkbox exercises

Sounds simple? Until your environment is more complex than expected, leaving you with incomplete testing or surprise bills. Some providers offer $995 fixed price for up to 25 external IPs—report included.

2. Time and Materials Billing

Pay for what you actually get tested. Flexible, but potentially expensive.

Hourly rates $100–$500 per hour
Reputable firms: $250–$300 per hour
Scope changes? No problem
Ideal for complex environments

The catch: without clear boundaries and solid project management, costs can spiral. Communication with testers isn’t optional—it’s survival.

3. Credits or Retainer-Based Models

Buy security testing "credits" in bulk, like a gym membership for vulnerabilities.

Annual retainers: $15,000–$100,000
Popular with enterprises and MSSPs
Bulk buying offers discounts
Use credits across multiple test types

Credits typically expire in 12 months, so this works for frequent testing, not one-off projects.

4. Pay-per-Vulnerability Model

Only pay for actual security issues found.

Price by severity: $100 for XSS, $500 for root access
No vulnerabilities? Lower bill
Risk shared with tester
Simple ROI tracking

This flips traditional thinking: pay for problems discovered, not hours spent.

5. Bundled Services and Add-Ons

The "combo meal" of security testing.

Combines web, network, and mobile testing
Pricing: $499 for basic network tests to $1,419 for mobile
Can cut costs 15–30% vs. separate purchases
Often includes bonus vulnerability scanning

Just ensure the bundle matches your needs. No point paying for mobile testing if you don’t have mobile apps.

Which model works best? It depends on your situation, budget predictability, and testing frequency. Understanding these options ensures you pay for value, not just hours or tools, and get the security coverage your organization truly needs.

How to Choose a Pentest Vendor Based on Cost and Quality

Picking the right pen testing partner isn't just about price. It’s about finding someone who won’t waste your money on fancy reports that say nothing useful. Most vendors will tell you what you want to hear. Here’s what you actually need to know.

Validating Certifications: OSCP, CREST, PNPT

Certifications matter, but not all are equal:

OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional) – Hands-on offensive security skills
CREST – Recognized by governments worldwide, including the UK National Cyber Security Center
PNPT (Practical Network Penetration Tester) – Validates real-world pentesting abilities

Check that certifications are current and ask for proof. OSCP holders who passed within three years can apply for CREST Registered Tester equivalency. Don’t just take their word for it.

Assessing Relevant Experience with Your Tech Stack

Certifications are good, but experience matters more:

Review case studies specific to your industry
Request examples of tests for similar tech environments
Ask about experience with your compliance requirements (PCI DSS, HIPAA)

Generic experience doesn’t cut it. You want someone who’s seen your type of setup before.

Evaluating Report Quality and Remediation Support

The report is what you’re paying for. Make sure it’s worth reading:

Comprehensive technical reports with detailed findings
Customer-facing summary letters for stakeholders
Specific remediation guidance beyond generic recommendations

Many vendors include one free remediation verification within 30 days of testing. That’s table stakes, not a bonus.

Avoiding Low-Cost Penetration Testing Traps

Red flags include:

Reliance solely on automated scanning tools
Prices well below industry averages
Generic reports lacking context
Unwillingness to discuss pricing upfront

The average cost of a penetration test reflects real expertise. Quotes that seem too good to be true are often just vulnerability scanning, not actual penetration testing. You get what you pay for—pay for quality, or pay for problems later.

Final Thoughts on Pentesting Costs and ROI in 2025

Penetration testing isn’t an expense—it’s insurance. Spend $10,000 to $30,000 on quality testing now, or risk $9.36 million in breach recovery later. That’s a 300:1 ROI most CFOs would kill for—and the smartest security investment you’ll ever make.

But here’s what most blogs don’t tell you: every environment is different. A startup’s single web app doesn’t need the same scope—or spend—as an enterprise managing thousands of endpoints, APIs, and users. Your pentesting budget should reflect your actual risk surface, not some “average” that looks good in a report.

If a quote sounds too good to be true (below $4,000), it probably is—automated scanning dressed up as testing. Real penetration testing demands skilled humans who think like attackers, not tools that just list vulnerabilities. The best programs balance cost with credibility: experienced testers, actionable reports, and remediation insights that actually help your team close gaps fast.

Because in the end, you’re not buying a report—you’re buying peace of mind. Pentesting is how you stay ahead of the next breach, not part of it.

#nothingtohide when it comes to cybersecurity budgeting.