Most companies looking for a mobile pentest already know they need one. Picking who runs it is harder. Every security firm says it tests mobile apps, yet the work behind that claim varies a lot. One provider installs your app on a real phone and takes it apart. Another runs a scanner over the app file, and a third tests only the website the app was wrapped around. All of them call it a mobile pentest, and the reports can even look similar, while the depth of testing behind them is very different.
Focus varies too. Some firms built their name on web apps and treat mobile as an add-on, while others work mainly on mobile. Client focus matters as well: a provider used to large enterprises may run a very different engagement than one that mostly serves SaaS and tech companies. That mix is what makes the choice hard, and why comparing providers takes more than reading their service pages.
This guide compares five US-based companies that test iOS and Android apps along with the API behind them. If you first want to know what the test itself involves, start with CYBRI’s guide to mobile app penetration testing, which explains what gets checked and how wrapper, hybrid, and native builds change the work.
The five companies on this list:
- CYBRI: best for manual, signed-in testing of the app and its API, with reports ready for compliance audits
- Bishop Fox: best for larger, established companies that need in-depth iOS and Android work, including MASA reviews for Google Play
- Cobalt: best for starting a mobile pentest quickly through an on-demand platform
- Rhino Security Labs: best for mobile apps whose backend runs in the cloud and needs testing alongside the app
- Synack: best for large enterprise and government app portfolios that need ongoing coverage
Why Mobile Apps Need a Specialized Pentest Partner
A mobile app looks like a smaller version of your website, so it’s tempting to hand it to whoever tests the site. Four things make that a risky shortcut and explain why the vendor matters as much as the test.
The Code Leaves Your Control
A website keeps its code on your servers. An app ships the whole package to every phone that installs it, and anyone can download a copy and take it apart. A password or access key written into the code (a hardcoded secret) can be pulled back out. Finding that takes a tester who knows how to reverse engineer an app, meaning take its code apart, which a web-only tester often isn’t set up to do.
The Costly Findings Are in the API
Apps often use parts of the API the website never touches, such as features that exist only on the phone. The most damaging flaw here is simple. The tester changes an ID in a request and opens another customer’s records, a flaw known as IDOR or BOLA. Old app versions make it worse, because customers don’t always update and the API keeps answering versions from years ago. A good mobile vendor tests the API as seriously as the app, which overlaps with an API penetration test.
The Way Your App Was Built Changes the Work
A wrapper app is mostly a web test with a small phone-side check. A hybrid app adds the bridge between web code and phone features like the camera and location. A native app, written in Swift for iPhone and Kotlin for Android, needs the deepest work on real devices. A vendor should ask about your build type on the first call, since it sets both the price and the timeline. CYBRI’s mobile app penetration testing guide covers each type in more detail.
iOS and Android Are Two Different Tests
The two systems store data and handle security in different ways, so a flaw on one may not exist on the other. Testing each means setting up a phone the tester fully controls (jailbroken for iPhone, rooted for Android, meaning the maker’s restrictions are removed) and getting past protections that hide the app’s network traffic. That setup takes skill and time, and it’s one of the clearest differences between companies on this list.
The 5 Best Mobile App Penetration Testing Companies in 2026
1. CYBRI
Best for: manual, signed-in testing of the app and its API, with reports ready for compliance audits
CYBRI is a New York penetration testing company founded in 2017, and its core market is technology and SaaS companies. Its testing team is US-based, and every engagement is manual-first: OSCP-certified testers install the app, take it apart, and work through it the way an attacker would, instead of relying on a scanner. CYBRI tests iOS and Android apps along with the API behind them, which is where its long track record with SaaS, web app, and API testing pays off. Most of the costly mobile findings sit in that API, such as one user opening another user’s records, and that’s the kind of access flaw CYBRI’s testers spend most of their time hunting.
Testing runs signed in as each of your user roles, since that’s where access problems hide. Findings show up in CYBRI’s BlueBox platform as soon as they’re verified, and anything critical gets flagged the same day instead of waiting for the final report. The report is written for two audiences: a plain summary for leadership and auditors, and technical findings scored on CVSS 4.0, each with steps to fix it. Findings are mapped to frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, so the report doubles as audit evidence. A walkthrough call with the testers and a retest of your fixes are part of every engagement, and each test has a fixed price agreed on before work starts.
2. Bishop Fox
Best for: larger, established companies that need in-depth iOS and Android work, including MASA reviews for Google Play
Bishop Fox was founded in 2005 in Phoenix, Arizona, where it’s still headquartered, and has grown into one of the best-known names in offensive security. Its work leans toward larger, more established businesses. The company calls itself the largest private professional services firm focused on offensive security testing, and its customers include brands like Zoom, Equifax, Sonos, and August. Its consultants have presented at conferences like Black Hat and RSA Conference.
The Mobile Application Assessment goes deep into the app itself. Testers analyze the iOS or Android app by hand and while it runs, reverse engineer the binary when no source code is available, and instrument the running app to find flaws in its business logic. The work follows the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) and its testing guide.
The assessment also covers the server side, including login and permission flows, data storage and encryption, and backend integrations. Teams that can share source code can choose a hybrid assessment, where testers use the code to confirm and pinpoint each issue. Bishop Fox is also an authorized App Defense Alliance testing provider, so companies that want a Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA), the review behind the “Independent security review” badge on Google Play, can get it from the same team.
3. Cobalt
Best for: starting a mobile pentest quickly through an on-demand platform
Cobalt, founded in San Francisco in 2013, helped popularize Pentest as a Service (PTaaS), where you book and manage pentests through an online platform instead of a long sales cycle. The company says teams can go from scope to an active pentest in hours. Its testers come from Cobalt Core, a network of more than 500 vetted security experts, and you can talk to them directly while the test runs.
For mobile apps, Cobalt publishes its methodology openly. It’s based on OWASP’s MASVS and the matching testing guide, and covers reconnaissance, automated and manual testing, exploitation, and reporting with retesting. Setup is simple: you upload the iOS and Android app files, and source code isn’t required. Findings appear in real time and can flow into your developers’ tools through more than 50 integrations, including Jira and GitHub. Reviewers on G2 often point to how easy the platform is to use and how responsive its support team is.
4. Rhino Security Labs
Best for: mobile apps whose backend runs in the cloud and needs testing alongside the app
Rhino Security Labs was founded in 2013 in Seattle, Washington, by Benjamin Caudill, who still runs the company as CEO. It made its name in cloud security research. The team created Pacu, a free tool that security testers around the world use to probe Amazon Web Services (AWS) accounts, and it regularly publishes vulnerabilities its researchers discover. Most apps today talk to servers on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure, so that background carries straight into its mobile work.
Rhino’s mobile app assessment covers iOS and Android, looking at problems on the device as well as the web services and APIs behind the app. Testers examine the app both at rest and while it runs, take its code apart (decompile it), and work on standard phones alongside jailbroken iPhones and rooted Android devices. Scenarios include a stolen phone and both signed-in and anonymous users. A full source code review can be added for deeper results. Reports pair an executive summary for leadership with risk-ranked technical findings, attack walkthroughs with screenshots, and fix recommendations, and Rhino publishes a sample report so buyers can see the format before signing.
5. Synack
Best for: large enterprise and government app portfolios that need ongoing coverage
Synack, headquartered in Redwood City, California, was founded in 2013 by two former NSA security experts, and in October 2026 it completed its merger with NetSPI, forming one of the largest offensive security testing teams in the industry. Its model is built on the Synack Red Team, a community of more than 1,500 vetted security researchers who test through the Synack PTaaS platform. Mobile application pentesting is part of its gray box testing, run against the OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide.
Every finding is checked by Synack before it reaches your team, which keeps reports free of noise. Synack also partners with NowSecure to pair NowSecure’s automated mobile testing with its own human-led pentests, which helps teams that ship many apps or update them often. Integrations with tools like Jira and ServiceNow send findings straight into existing workflows, and Synack’s long work with government agencies makes it a natural fit for public-sector and other heavily regulated buyers.
How to Choose the Right Mobile Pentest Partner
All five companies above can test a mobile app well. Where they differ is in who does the testing and what ends up on your desk afterward, so the right pick depends on your app and on the people who will read the report. A few questions narrow the list fast.
Start With How Your App Was Built
If your developers wrapped the website in an app shell, most of the risk lives on the web side, and a firm strong in web and API testing can cover it in about a week. Native iPhone and Android apps are a bigger job. Ask each vendor how many native apps they tested last year and what they need from your team to get started. Experienced teams answer both without stalling.
Ask Who Will Be Testing Your App
Some firms assign a small, fixed team that stays with your app from kickoff to retest. Others draw on a large network of freelance researchers, which brings more eyes but usually a different person each time. Neither model is wrong. A fixed team suits a company that wants one point of contact and testers who remember the app next year, while a crowd fits a large portfolio that changes every week. Also ask where the testers are based and which certifications they hold, such as the OSCP, a 24-hour hands-on hacking exam that many pentesters treat as the entry bar for the job.
Make Sure the API Is in the Quote
The phone is only half the job. Ask if the price covers the API behind the app and how many user roles the tester will sign in as. A quote limited to the app file can come in cheaper and still miss the flaw that lets one customer read another customer’s account.
Ask for a Sample Report
Your auditor and your developers will both read the final report, so ask to see a redacted example before signing. A good one opens with a short summary in plain English and gives every finding a severity score along with fix steps your developers can follow without scheduling another call. Companies going through SOC 2 or ISO 27001 should also check that findings are mapped to the controls the auditor will ask about.
Get Retesting and the Final Price in Writing
Fixes need to be checked by the same people who found the problem. Confirm that a retest is included, how long the window stays open, and whether the price is fixed or billed in hours or credits. Credit and subscription models work well for teams that test every quarter or more. For a once-a-year test, a fixed price is easier to put on a budget line.
Final Thoughts
If you have an iOS or Android app, or a standalone web app, that needs in-depth manual testing with findings mapped to OWASP standards, CYBRI is the strongest fit. That goes double for a SaaS company whose app runs on the same API as its web product. CYBRI’s US-based, OSCP-certified testers work manual-first and sign in as every user role, which puts their hours where expensive mobile flaws show up most: the API and the access rules behind it. Most engagements run about 5 days for a wrapper app and 10 to 15 days for a native one. Every report is built to hand to an auditor. Retesting comes included, with the price fixed before work begins.
There’s no need to figure out if your app counts as a wrapper or a native build before reaching out. A short scoping call covers how the app was built and what it connects to. Contact CYBRI to get a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SOC 2 require a mobile app pentest?
SOC 2 doesn’t list penetration testing as a formal requirement, but most auditors expect to see one. A recent pentest report is also among the first documents enterprise buyers request in a vendor questionnaire. If customers reach your product through a mobile app, leaving the app out of the test creates a gap that auditors and buyers tend to spot. Contact CYBRI to scope a mobile test before your next audit.
Do Apple or Google require a security test before an app goes live?
No. Both app stores review apps before publishing them, but neither asks for a penetration test. Google Play does show an “Independent security review” badge on apps that pass a MASA assessment run by an authorized lab, and some companies get one to reassure privacy-minded users. Apple doesn’t offer a comparable badge.
Can one company test the app, the website, and the API together?
No. Most one-offs run gray box: the testers log in with accounts you provide but never see your code. Sharing cYes, and it can save money. A mobile app and its website frequently share one API, so testing them in the same engagement avoids paying twice for the same backend work. All five companies on this list test web apps and APIs alongside mobile.
How soon do results come in?
Most firms on this list post findings to their platform as soon as each one is confirmed, so developers can start fixing before the final report arrives. Critical issues shouldn’t wait for the report at all. CYBRI, for example, flags them to your team the same day they’re found. To see how that would work for your app, contact CYBRI.
What happens after the fixes are made?
The tester checks each fix to confirm the problem is closed and updates the report to mark it resolved. Hand that updated version to an auditor or a customer’s security team, since it shows the issues were found and dealt with. Retest windows are limited at most firms (CYBRI includes 90 days of remediation validation), so plan developer time for fixes before the window closes.
