The honest answer is “it depends on scope.” But that is not useful when you are trying to budget. Here is what actually drives the number, and roughly where costs land for common engagement types.
What drives cost
Four things move the price more than anything else:
- Size of the environment. A five-page marketing site with a login form costs far less to test than a multi-tenant SaaS application with dozens of user roles and API endpoints.
- Type of testing. A focused web application test is narrower in scope than a full network penetration test covering external and internal segments, or a red team engagement that runs for weeks.
- Depth required. Authenticated testing across multiple user roles takes longer than a single-role, unauthenticated assessment.
- Compliance requirements. If a framework like PCI DSS or SOC 2 dictates specific scope or reporting requirements, that shapes both the test and the deliverable.
Rough ranges by engagement type
These are directional, not quotes. Every environment is different, and the only way to get a real number is a scoping call.
| Engagement type | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Single web application (authenticated, moderate complexity) | Low-to-mid five figures |
| API penetration test | Low five figures |
| External network penetration test | Low-to-mid five figures |
| Internal network penetration test | Mid five figures |
| Cloud penetration test (single environment) | Low-to-mid five figures |
| Red team engagement | Mid five figures to low six figures |
Why we don’t quote a flat number on the website
Two identical-sounding engagements (both “test our web app”) can differ by 3x in actual cost depending on how many user roles exist, how many integrations there are, and whether the API is in scope too. A fixed public price sheet either overcharges the simple case or undercharges the complex one. A short scoping call fixes that in both directions: you get an accurate number, and we get a scope we can actually test properly.
How to get an accurate number fast
The fastest path to a real quote is telling us:
- What you want tested (one app, your whole network, a specific compliance requirement)
- Roughly how large the environment is (number of user roles, endpoints, hosts)
- Any deadline you’re working against (an audit date, a customer deal, a renewal)
We turn that into a fixed-scope, fixed-cost proposal: no hourly billing, no surprises after the engagement starts.
Want an actual number instead of a range? See our pricing page for how fixed-scope proposals work, then scope your pentest and we’ll send back a fixed-cost proposal.
Written by
Invadel Team
Senior penetration testers writing from real engagements — the same team that scopes, tests, and reports for our clients. About Invadel →