Penetration testing pricing, with real starting numbers

Fixed-scope, fixed-price testing from €3,000, with a free retest included. Tell us the scope and we’ll send a quote within two business days.

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Starting prices

01 · Starting prices

What a penetration test starts at

Real starting prices, not “contact us”. Every price is fixed before work begins and includes a free retest of the fixes. Your final quote depends on scope — the factors are below.

Test type

External network

from €3,000

Attack-surface discovery
Internet-facing services
Perimeter & credentials

What’s included

Test type

Web application

from €5,000

OWASP WSTG & ASVS
Business logic & access control
By role, by hand

What’s included

Test type

API

from €4,000

OWASP API Top 10
Every endpoint, every role
REST & GraphQL

What’s included

Test type

Internal & Active Directory

from €4,000

Assumed-breach testing
Lateral movement
Path to domain admin

What’s included

Test type

Cloud (AWS / Azure / GCP)

from €4,000

IAM & identity paths
Data exposure
CIS Benchmarks

What’s included

Test type

Red team

Scoped per objective

Objective-based
Tests detection & response
Intelligence-led

What’s included

Prices are starting points for a typical engagement, in euro, excluding VAT. A combined external, internal and web application test for a mid-sized organisation usually starts around €10,000. Threat-led testing (TLPT) and red teaming are scoped individually.

Get a fixed quote

02 · What moves the price

Five things decide your quote

We price on scope, not on your logo. These are the factors that move the number up or down.

Size

How many applications, IP ranges or cloud accounts are in scope. The single biggest factor.

User roles

Each extra role or permission level adds authorisation coverage — and a bit of time.

Environments

Production, staging and multiple regions each add surface to cover.

Depth

Black, grey or white box. More access up front means a deeper test for the same budget.

Complexity

APIs, microservices, AI features and bespoke logic take longer than a standard app.

Retest

A retest of the fixes is included. Re-scoping after major changes is quoted separately.

Scope your test

03 · Read the small print

What a cheap quote leaves out

A “penetration test” for a few hundred euro is a scan with a logo on it. Here’s what the low number usually excludes — and what ours includes.

A cheap “pentest”

A Q-SEC test

Method

Automated scan, lightly checked

Manual testing, every finding validated by hand

False positives

Passed straight to you

Removed before the report; you only see real issues

Business logic

Not tested

Tested — it’s where the expensive bugs hide

Retest

Extra, or not offered

Included: we re-test the fixes and attest to closure

Report

A tool export

Board summary and developer detail, mapped to your framework

Who runs it

Whoever’s free

EU-based testers, named in the rules of engagement

Get a real test

04 · What happens next

From form to quote in two business days

No long discovery call before you get a number. Tell us the scope, we confirm it, you get a fixed quote.

You tell us the scope

The short form below: what to test, rough size, and any audit date you’re working to.

We confirm it

A short scoping call or email to lock the boundary and the rules of engagement.

Fixed quote

A fixed-scope, fixed-price quote within two business days of scoping.

Booked in

We agree a start date and testing window, planned around your deadline.

Working to an audit, board or customer deadline? Tell us the date and we plan backwards from it.

Get your quote

05 · Questions

Penetration testing cost FAQ

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How much does a penetration test cost?

It depends on scope. As a guide: an external network test starts at €3,000, a web application test at €5,000, and API, internal and cloud tests at €4,000. A combined external, internal and web test for a mid-sized organisation usually starts around €10,000. We quote a fixed price after a short scoping call.

Why do you give starting prices instead of fixed packages?

Because a fixed package either over-charges a small scope or under-tests a large one. We publish real starting points so you can budget, then quote a fixed price for your actual scope — and it doesn’t change once work begins.

What’s the difference between a cheap quote and a real penetration test?

A cheap quote is usually an automated scan with the false positives left in and no retest. A real test adds a human who validates every finding, tests business logic, and re-tests your fixes. The section above compares them line by line.

Is a retest included in the price?

Yes. Once you’ve fixed the findings, we re-test them and issue an attestation that they’re closed — included in the quoted price, not billed as an extra.

How quickly can I get a quote?

Within two business days of a short scoping call or email. If you’re working to an audit or board deadline, tell us the date and we’ll plan the engagement backwards from it.

How much does a test for SOC 2, ISO 27001 or PCI DSS cost?

The same test types above, scoped to your compliance boundary. One test can often serve several frameworks. See the PCI DSS, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 pages for what each standard expects.