A question that is often asked is how much should a pen test cost, and in this post we will break down different factors to consider. It is important to understand that there is always a pen test for any budget, but it may be limited in terms of scope coverage.
Important Factors
Below are a list of items to consider that will affect the cost of your pen test:
- Scope Changes
- Extended Features
- Add vulnerability scanning
- Phishing or social engineering
- Physical pen testing
- Workstation or Cloud configuration review
- IAM audit
- The Testers
- Where they are located
- US-based testers are more suited when it comes to data storage compliance but can cost more
- Their credentials and certifications
- The number of testers involved
- More testers reduces timeframe but may add cost due to setup time
- Where they are located
- Other factors
- Black vs white-box: Black box requires more time for the same amount of findings
- Red teaming: stealth often requires more time for the same findings
- Type of data
- Sensitive data areas may require additional testing
- Compliance requirements often add cost
- Are retests included?
- Reporting: types of reports needed depending on compliance or customer requests
- Are there any other perks, such as a platform?
So given all of these details it is important to understand how they work together.
For example a pen test that is 2 weeks long can either be all network or all web app or 1 week of each without affecting the budget.
It is important to understand your own priorities and weaknesses to determine which is more important for your situation and business needs.
Another example is that adding 100 IPs may increase the total percentage of systems that have been tested in your network but will also add cost.
So if it is not possible to test each and every system or app, choose ones that are a good representative sample or are particularly sensitive to the company.
How Much Does a Penetration Test Cost in 2026?
If you are wondering how much does a pen test costs, the answer depends on scope, complexity, and business size. The cost of penetration testing can vary widely from a few thousand dollars for small applications to six figures for enterprise-level security programs.
On average, the penetration testing cost ranges between $5,000 and $50,000+, depending on the type of assessment. Many companies search for pen test prices, but there is no fixed number because every environment is different.
The average cost of penetration testing is influenced by the systems being tested, compliance needs, and testing depth.
Penetration Testing Cost Breakdown by Type of Assessment
Vulnerability Assessment Costs (Apps and Networks)
Vulnerability assessment or commonly referred to as vulnerability scanning, typically relies on automated tooling to identify known issues and generally ranges from $1,500 to $5,000. A manual penetration test includes hands-on validation, business logic testing, controlled exploitation, and detailed remediation guidance. These engagements typically start at $5,000 per asset and increase based on complexity and scope.
The pricing ranges below provide general guidance and may vary depending on the number of assets, testing depth, environments, and project requirements.
Network Penetration Testing Costs (Internal and External)
Network penetration testing engagements typically range from $2,500 for a small external attack surface assessment to $20,000 or more for large and complex environments. Pricing is primarily driven by the time required to thoroughly assess the environment, including the number of IP addresses, physical locations, network segments, connected devices, and overall complexity.
For internal network penetration testing, most organizations spend between $7,500 and $15,000 per engagement. Smaller startup environments and compliance-driven assessments can often be performed for less when the scope and testing depth are limited.
Web Application Penetration Testing Costs
Authenticated web application penetration tests typically start at $5,000 and can exceed $30,000 for complex applications. Pricing is influenced by the number of user roles, environments, applications, dynamic functionality, file upload and download capabilities, multi-tenant architecture, customer-facing AI features, and the amount of remediation testing required.
Modern applications are increasingly complex, and pricing generally reflects the amount of manual testing required to properly assess business logic and application functionality.
API Penetration Testing Costs
API penetration testing engagements typically start at $3,750 and can range up to $15,000 or more. The primary cost drivers include the number of endpoints, authentication mechanisms, business logic complexity, and the quality of available documentation such as Postman collections, OpenAPI specifications, and technical documentation.
Well-documented APIs generally require less time to assess and can often be tested more efficiently.
Mobile Application Penetration Testing Costs
Native mobile application penetration testing typically starts at $7,500 and can exceed $30,000 depending on complexity and scope. Pricing depends on whether the applications are native or hybrid, the number of supported platforms, backend integrations, local data storage, authentication mechanisms, and the amount of application functionality that requires testing.
Organizations with both iOS and Android applications should expect costs to increase based on the additional testing effort required.
Cloud Security Configuration Review Costs
Cloud security configuration reviews generally range from $2,500 to $5,000 or more depending on the cloud provider, services in use, and overall environment complexity.
While these assessments are not traditional penetration tests, they can serve as an effective alternative to network testing for organizations operating primarily in cloud environments with limited on-premise infrastructure.
Adversary Simulation (Red Teaming) Costs
Adversary simulations, commonly referred to as red team engagements, are designed to test an organization’s detection and response capabilities rather than simply identify vulnerabilities. These engagements simulate realistic attack scenarios and measure how effectively internal teams and security controls respond to an active threat.
Most red team engagements last between two and four weeks and typically start at $25,000. Pricing increases based on duration, objectives, physical testing requirements, social engineering components, and the number of operators involved.
Compliance Penetration Testing Costs
Compliance-driven penetration testing engagements, including those performed for SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and similar frameworks, typically range from $5,000 to $12,500 depending on the assets in scope.
Most compliance engagements include a web application, API, or cloud environment and often include remediation testing and an attestation letter. Additional assets, such as mobile applications or multiple environments, will increase the overall cost of the engagement.
AI Security Assessment Costs
Security assessments of customer-facing AI applications and AI agents typically start at $5,000 and can exceed $20,000 depending on the number of models, integrations, and use cases being tested.
Pricing is driven by factors such as prompt injection testing, data leakage scenarios, authorization controls, model integrations, agent capabilities, and the complexity of business workflows powered by AI.
Secure Code Review Costs
Manual secure code reviews generally start at $5,000 and can exceed $25,000 depending on the size of the codebase, number of repositories, supported languages, and application complexity.
These reviews focus on identifying security weaknesses directly within the source code and are often performed alongside penetration testing to provide deeper coverage of application risk.
Real Market Pen Testing Pricing (2026 Benchmarks)
When analyzing penetration testing price across the industry, the cost of penetration testing typically breaks down as follows:
Startups & SMBs (Small Businesses)
Typical pen test cost: $5,000 – $15,000
Focus: Single web application or network assessment
Average cost of a penetration test at this tier is driven by limited scope.
Mid-Market Organizations
Typical penetration testing price: $15,000 – $40,000
Focus: Multiple applications, APIs, and network infrastructure
Average cost of penetration testing increases significantly with environment complexity.
Enterprise Organizations
Typical penetration testing services prices: $40,000 – $100,000+
Focus: Full infrastructure, red team simulations, compliance, multiple environments
How much does penetration testing cost at enterprise scale depends heavily on scope and duration.
This breakdown reflects realistic penetration testing costs in today’s market (2026).
Penetration Testing Services Costs by Business Size
The cost of pen testing varies dramatically by company size:
Startups How much does a pen test cost for startups? Typically $5,000–$10,000 Limited scope testing of primary applications Focus on critical vulnerabilities and compliance requirements
SMBs (Small-to-Medium Businesses) Penetration testing price for SMBs: $10,000–$25,000 Web + network testing coverage Multiple user roles and environments
Enterprises How much does penetration testing cost for enterprises? $50,000–$150,000+ Full infrastructure + red team simulations Multi-location, multi-environment testing Continuous penetration testing models available
Pen Test Pricing
The cost of a vulnerability scan usually begins at $1,000 for a small external network scan and can cost up to $5,000 if it includes larger network scope and manual validation of the findings.
So that being said, how much does a pen test cost?
In the US, most penetration tests cost between $7,500-$10,000 per week of testing for one tester.
If your budget can’t afford that, it may be best to start with a vulnerability scan or a partial pen test, since those can be completed within a $1,000-$5,000 budget.
On average it is recommended that penetration tests last 2 weeks or more to cover the most important assets that need to be tested for security weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
If your company has 3 distinct web applications with multiple user levels, a cloud environment of dozens of hosts, and an internal network of hundreds of IPs, the total test can easily be over 4 weeks.
That being said, it can be split into smaller tests throughout the year to ease budget or divided among multiple testers to be done in a shorter time frame.
FAQ:
A: The cost of penetration testing typically ranges from $5,000 to $50,000+ depending on scope, complexity, and business size. Network penetration testing cost starts at $2,500, while API penetration testing costs typically start at $3,750.
A: The average cost of a penetration test is $10,000–$30,000 for mid-size companies. However, penetration testing prices vary based on assets tested, environment complexity, and compliance requirements.
A: Vulnerability assessments (scanning) cost $1,500–$5,000. A manual penetration test (pentest) typically starts at $5,000 and can exceed $30,000 depending on complexity.
A: Compliance penetration testing cost typically ranges from $5,000 to $12,500 depending on the assets in scope and compliance framework requirements.
A: External penetration testing cost starts at $2,500 for small attack surface assessments. Internal network penetration testing typically costs $7,500–$15,000 due to greater access and depth required.
