Penetration testing in 2025 can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to over $150,000 per engagement, with pricing shaped by scope, complexity, compliance needs, and test type. To gain continuous coverage and control costs, many organizations are shifting from traditional one-off tests to automated, in-house solutions like Invicti’s DAST platform.
Penetration testing continues to be an essential part of every mature security strategy, but its cost can vary significantly depending on multiple factors. With growing compliance needs and increasingly complex infrastructure, understanding what drives pentest pricing is key to budgeting wisely in 2025.
This guide explores the cost landscape of penetration testing in 2025, breaking down pricing models, cost drivers, and why many organizations are turning to automated solutions like Invicti for in-house and continuous testing.
Penetration testing pricing and cost factors
Every pentest assignment will be different, so pricing depends on a wide variety of factors, including the test provider, scope, client requirements, and more.
Scope of the engagement
Number of systems/assets: The more websites, APIs, cloud assets, or networks in scope, the more effort is required. Each system adds testing complexity and time, which increases the cost.
Complexity: Testing a basic framework-built web application is one thing. Testing a complex enterprise application environment with cloud services, mobile frontends, and APIs is another. Complexity scales cost.
Depth of testing: Black-box testing (no internal knowledge) is generally cheaper but limited in visibility. White-box or gray-box approaches (which involve insider knowledge and credentials) often yield better results but require more setup, communication, and technical involvement.
Size and type of organization
Enterprise vs. SMB: Enterprises often require comprehensive scoping, advanced compliance reporting, and multi-stakeholder coordination. This increases cost compared to smaller, more agile engagements for SMBs.
Industry requirements: Regulated industries like healthcare, fintech, and critical infrastructure must often comply with stricter standards (e.g., PCI DSS, HIPAA), which demand deeper testing and audit-ready documentation.
Goals and testing type
Internal vs. external testing: External testing typically targets internet-facing assets and can often be done remotely. Internal testing—especially on legacy infrastructure—may require on-site presence and broader access.
Web, mobile, API, cloud, or IoT focus: Specialized targets like IoT, ICS/SCADA, or embedded systems require niche skills and tools, which drive up pricing.
Red teaming and social engineering: These simulation-style exercises mimic real-world attacker scenarios and often include physical or phishing elements. They’re resource-intensive and priced accordingly.
Duration and scheduling
Time frame: Last-minute requests often come with a premium. Short timelines mean more staff or overtime to meet deadlines.
Testing length: Projects lasting multiple weeks—particularly those covering large estates—will be significantly more expensive than time-boxed 3–5 day tests.
Experience and credentials of the testing team
Reputation of the vendor: Firms with CREST, OSCP, or OSCE-certified testers or extensive track records charge a premium. The same applies to boutique consultancies with top-tier expertise.
Team size: More complex projects often require multi-person teams or senior-level testers to ensure accuracy and coverage.
Reporting and compliance requirements
Level of detail: A basic report with findings might suffice for internal teams, but compliance mandates require detailed evidence, risk scoring (CVSS), and remediation advice.
Compliance needs: Tests that must align with PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA have to meet strict format and documentation expectations.
Location and logistics
On-site vs. remote: On-site engagements incur travel, accommodation, and logistics costs.
Geographic region: Labor and service costs differ across regions. Western Europe and North America typically have higher rates than Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe.
Frequency and retesting
One-time vs. ongoing: Many organizations opt for annual or quarterly engagements. Some vendors offer discounts for multi-test contracts or retainer-based models.
Retesting requirements: If vulnerabilities are remediated and need re-validation, many firms charge additional fees to re-test and update the report.
How commercial models influence pentest pricing
Credits model or purchase of a bucket of days in advance
Popular with large enterprises and MSSPs, this model allows flexibility in consuming pentest days over time across projects.
Fixed-price service packages
These offer predictability and scope-defined services (e.g., one web app, 10 IPs, etc.). They work well for SMBs or compliance-driven tests with clear requirements.
Time and materials
Billed hourly or daily. Offers flexibility but can lead to budget creep if scope expands.
Bundled services
Vendors often package pentesting with vulnerability assessments, audits, or compliance consulting, which can reduce cost per service.
Existing supplier relationships
Engaging an established security vendor may lead to better pricing based on contract history and ease of onboarding.
Types of penetration tests and their pricing factors
Note that the lower bound of costs given here typically corresponds to short-term and limited-scope engagements. Also, while budget pentest providers will advertise much lower “starting from” prices, these low-cost offers can be little more than commissioned automated scans.
SaaS / API and web application penetration testing cost
Ranges from $4,000 to $20,000+ based on scope and complexity. Heavily influenced by the number of endpoints and authentication scenarios.
Mobile application penetration testing cost
Typically $5,000–$25,000. iOS and Android apps with complex backends or encryption mechanisms cost more.
Infrastructure penetration testing cost
External penetration testing price
$2,000–$15,000. Focused on publicly accessible systems.
Internal penetration testing price
$5,000–$30,000. Often requires on-site presence and full network mapping.
Cloud penetration testing price
Starts around $8,000 but varies based on provider (AWS, Azure, GCP) and deployment architecture.
IoT penetration testing price
$15,000–$50,000+. Includes hardware teardown, firmware analysis, and embedded system evaluation.
Product security assessment cost
Depends on software complexity—custom-built platforms can cost $10,000–$50,000 or more.
Red team exercise cost
Ranges from $30,000 to $150,000+, depending on depth, objectives, and organization size.
Spear phishing assessment cost
Typically $3,000–$12,000. Includes crafting realistic lures and analyzing user behavior.
Why bringing penetration testing in-house with tools like Invicti outweighs traditional pen testing services
As organizations scale and attack surfaces expand, the demand for continuous security testing is greater than ever. While traditional penetration testing services have long been the standard approach, there’s a growing case for bringing testing in-house using solutions like Invicti. Here’s why making the shift can provide significant strategic and operational benefits.
Continuous security testing, not just snapshots
Penetration tests give a one-time snapshot—useful, but quickly outdated. Invicti’s DAST-first approach integrates into the CI/CD pipeline, offering continuous scanning and real-time coverage that aligns with how teams build and release software today.
Cost efficiency and scalability
External tests are priced per engagement. Invicti provides:
- Unrestricted number and timing of scans
- Predictable pricing
- Easier scalability across products and teams
Empowering developers to fix faster
Unlike PDF reports from pen tests, Invicti delivers:
- Actionable findings directly in developer tools
- Remediation guidance
- Proof of exploitability
- Automatic validation of fixes
Consistent coverage across environments
With in-house DAST:
- The same scanning engine is applied across teams
- Tests are repeatable and automated
- Policy enforcement is consistent
Compliance without the lag
Generate compliance reports on demand. Maintain audit trails and demonstrate security maturity without scheduling delays.
Faster iteration, tighter feedback loops
Running tests as part of development cycles reduces risk, shortens remediation times, and helps catch regressions early.
Final thoughts: In-house scanning vs. external penetration testing
Penetration testing services are still important, especially for regulatory compliance and red teaming. But they’re no longer enough. Invicti empowers organizations to automate the vast majority of their dynamic security testing and bring it in-house to secure applications at scale with fewer false positives and greater ROI.