What Factors Affect Pentest Costs?
The main factors that influence costs are the test duration, the complexity of the target system, the test depth and type, and the effort required for reports and meetings.
Penetration Test Costs
How much does a penetration test cost?
The cost of a penetration test varies widely based on the scope, complexity of the environment, type of test, and the expertise of the testers.
Penetration testing costs can range from a few thousand dollars for small systems to tens of thousands for large, complex networks. Factors that influence pricing include the size of the system being tested, the depth of the testing required, whether it is a Blackbox, Greybox, or Whitebox test, and the specific security expertise required. Additional costs may arise from the need to test custom applications or to perform repeated tests to validate security measures after fixes have been applied, making budgeting for pentests a critical consideration for effective cybersecurity strategy planning.
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Cost Factors
What Influences the Cost of a Penetration Test?
The pricing of a penetration test is complex and depends on several factors. Understand what drives costs to make informed decisions.
01
High Impact
Duration of the Penetration Test
In IT security, the rule is: the more time an attacker has, the more likely they are to achieve their goal. A penetration test that is allowed to run twice as long delivers more and, above all, more solid results.
Expert Tip: More time allows testers to better understand the system being attacked
and thus often discover more subtle vulnerabilities that are overlooked in time-limited tests.
+60%
More findings with double test duration
3-10
Days typical test duration
02
High Impact
Complexity of the Target System
A target system can be a simple website with few functions - or a complex Software-as-a-Service platform with various interfaces, APIs, and user groups. Testing the latter takes longer and is more complex.
Simple Website
1-3k €
→
Web App with API
4-8k €
→
Multi-Tenant SaaS
12-18k €
Important: This applies to mobile apps, networks, buildings, and other
digital or physical systems. The more complex in structure, size, functionality, and security,
the more time is required.
03
Medium Impact
Test Depth and Test Type
Penetration tests are conducted as black box, grey box, or white box tests. The level of knowledge with which a pentest provider starts the project significantly influences costs. Time for familiarization with source code, documentation, and system architecture should not be neglected.
Black Box
No Prior Knowledge
Effort: High
Grey Box
Partial Documentation
Effort: Medium
White Box
Full Access
Effort: Optimal
Alternative Approaches: Between strictly manual and fully automated, there are various nuances.
Automated tests are cheaper but less meaningful. Also check these options:
04
Medium Impact
Often Underestimated
Report and Meetings
Often neglected: how much time writing a meaningful report takes. Depending on the type of penetration test, reporting alone can consume up to 15% of the entire budget.
Report Creation
10-15% Budget
Meetings & Calls
5-10% Budget
Cost Trap: Poorly prepared systems often require additional, avoidable
communication with technicians. On-site appointments also cost more than online meetings.
Price Examples
Penetration Test Costs from Real Projects
Real examples from our practice. Note: Complexity and scope can vary. These prices serve as guidance and may differ based on requirements.
Low
CMS with Custom Components
WordPress/WooCommerce shop with custom plugins and custom theme. Focus on source code review of custom components instead of complete CMS testing.
White box approach recommended
Custom plugins & theme
Code review included
Medium
SaaS Platform with User Groups
Software-as-a-Service platform (.NET/Java) with 2-3 user groups. Medium complexity, little data processing, no API. Black box test with test accounts. More on SaaS Pentests
Black box approach
2-3 user groups
Test accounts provided
Popular
High
Multi-Tenant SaaS with API
Complex platform with user roles, multi-tenant capability, file processing, SSO/MFA login, and extensive API for third-party providers. Grey box with full documentation.
Grey box approach
Multi-tenant testing
API & SSO/MFA
Full documentation
Low
Spear Phishing Campaign
Targeted identification of interesting individuals and sending phishing emails with links to phishing pages. Proof of which employees are at risk.
OSINT research
Custom phishing page
Detailed report
Low
OSINT & Dark Web Intelligence
Comprehensive research of publicly available information about companies, infrastructure, and employees. Dark web scan for leaked credentials and sensitive data.
OSINT analysis
Dark web scan
Source directory
Medium
Network Perimeter Test
Mid-sized company with ~40 services/portals. Perimeter assessment (AWS), asset discovery, evaluation of all services, focused tests on critical assets.
Asset discovery
~40 services
Focus on critical assets
Fixed-Price Option
Mini Pentest: Quick Security Assessment at a Fixed Price
Perfect for smaller projects, MVP launches, or initial security checks. Our Mini Pentest offers a focused analysis of the most critical vulnerabilities - fast, straightforward, and at a transparent fixed price.
Analysis of OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities
Focus on critical security basics
Compact report with action recommendations
Completed within 2-3 business days
Optimize Costs
How Can You Reduce the Cost of a Penetration Test?
So far, we've been able to find a suitable solution for every budget. Here are proven strategies to reduce costs while achieving optimal results.
Proper Preparation
High SavingsSystems not prepared for pentests? Empty demo system without relevant data? This wastes unnecessary time. Testers shouldn't have to handle data preparation.
Complete test system
Relevant test data available
All functions testable
Up to 20% time savings
Prioritization
Medium SavingsSmall budget? Focus on critical areas. Identify high-risk functions and assets where attacks would cause the greatest damage.
Critical functions first
Focus on high-impact areas
Risk-based approach
More efficient resource use
Lean Reporting
Medium SavingsManagement summary necessary? Or is a technical list with findings and proof of concepts sufficient? Less reporting effort = more time for deeper tests.
Technical focus instead of marketing
Online meetings instead of on-site
Standard format instead of custom
10-15% budget optimization
Recommended
Regular Repetition
High SavingsInitial test = familiarization. With regular repetition, the same team already knows your systems. More efficient, focused tests.
No re-onboarding required
Known system architecture
Direct start possible
Up to 30% on follow-up projects
Flexible Team Size
Variable SavingsStandard: 2-3 people (multiple eyes principle). Complementary skills = best results. If needed, a single tester can also handle the project.
Solo to team selectable
Quality vs. budget trade-offs
Flexible scaling
Depends on project size
Provide Documentation
Medium SavingsComprehensive system documentation, API specs, architecture diagrams? This massively saves familiarization time and enables deeper tests in less time.
API documentation
Architecture diagrams
User flows & features
15-20% faster start
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Choice of Pentest Type Influence the Costs?
Yes, a black box test requires less specific prior knowledge, whereas grey box and white box tests require deeper familiarization with documents and source code. They are therefore generally more expensive.
Why Is It Important to Prepare the System Well for a Penetration Test?
It saves time and money. Ensure that the penetration tester has all the necessary information and access rights to perform the test. It's wasteful if time is spent gathering relevant information.
Is a Meeting After the Penetration Test Necessary and Does It Affect Costs?
It's not necessary. If the report is clear enough, a meeting can be dispensed with, because of course it takes time and increases the cost of the penetration test.
What Role Do Regular Repetitions of Penetration Tests Play in Cost Optimization?
If a penetration tester already knows the system from the past, they don't have to spend unnecessary time familiarizing themselves with it. They're then faster and can focus on new vulnerabilities.
Does the Team Size Influence the Cost of a Penetration Test?
Yes. A pentest that must be performed by 5 people in parallel is of course more expensive than a test performed by just one person. However, most pentests get by with 1-2 people.
How Exactly Is the Duration of a Penetration Test Estimated?
Depending on the scope, one possibility is to consider the number of targets when estimating pentest costs. Additional variables can be: Number of IP addresses, number of services, number of routes in web applications, size of the API, number of parameters in HTTP requests
Can You Save on Pentest Costs by Foregoing a Report?
Yes. If you're only interested in the technical details, we're happy to forgo a report and provide all necessary information, for example via Slack/email as text files or similar.
Can I Influence the Costs of the Penetration Test with the Test Depth?
Of course. Penetration tests can be conducted superficially or in depth. The deeper the test, the more time and therefore money is required.
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