What You Actually Get at $5k, $10k, $20k, and $50k Pentest Engagements (2026)
Buyers ask this exact question and get scattered partial answers from vendor blog posts. One page, four tiers, what’s actually in scope at each band.
Inclusion lists cited from Astra, Deepstrike, Bright Defense, BSG, Cobalt, and Software Secured. Last verified April 2026.
Below $3,000 warning: Anything labelled “pentest” under $3,000 is almost certainly automated scanning only — no manual exploitation, no business-logic testing, no chained attack paths. Astra, Deepstrike, and Software Secured all note this threshold explicitly. A $2,500 “pentest” buys you a vulnerability scan with a pentest-shaped report wrapped around it.
$5,000
Entry tier
- Scope
- Single small web application, 1-15 endpoints
- Methodology
- OWASP Top 10, automated + light manual. Basic authentication testing. No business-logic chaining.
- Deliverables
- Summary report (5-15 pages), vulnerability list with CVSS scores, basic remediation guidance
- Retest
- Basic retest within 30 days, limited to critical/high findings only
- Timeline
- 2-3 weeks from scope call to report
- Vendor profile
- Cobalt Essentials credit pack, Astra, mid-range PTaaS entry
At this tier, you get a credible OWASP scan with light manual validation. Acceptable for a customer security questionnaire or a first pentest on a simple app.
$10,000
Mid-market
- Scope
- Single mid-size application or API set, 16-50 endpoints
- Methodology
- Full OWASP + authentication bypass, session management, API auth chains. Custom test cases for business-critical flows.
- Deliverables
- Technical + executive report (20-35 pages), raw findings CSV, executive summary for board
- Retest
- Included, all severity levels, 60-day retest window
- Timeline
- 2-3 weeks test execution, 1-2 weeks report
- Vendor profile
- Mid-market consultancy (BSG-tier, $1,500-$3,500/day), Cobalt Standard
Most common price point for SOC 2-driven web app pentests at Series A-B startups. Covers a realistic app with API integrations.
$20,000
Standard
- Scope
- Web + API + light cloud infrastructure, 51-100 endpoints
- Methodology
- Business-logic depth, attack-chain testing, privilege escalation, cloud configuration review
- Deliverables
- Full technical report + executive briefing + findings walkthrough call
- Retest
- Included for all findings, 90-day retest window, retest sign-off letter
- Timeline
- 3-4 weeks test execution, 1-2 weeks report
- Vendor profile
- BSG/Bright Defense tier, senior mid-market consultancy, Cobalt PTaaS (continuous)
The coverage floor for companies with meaningful data (PII, payment adjacent) or a large API surface. Suitable for SOC 2 Type II audits with broad scope.
$50,000
Enterprise
- Scope
- Multi-application / multi-cloud / mobile + web + API, 100+ endpoints
- Methodology
- Custom methodology, chained exploits, privilege escalation across systems, lateral movement simulation
- Deliverables
- Executive briefing + full technical report + code-level findings + walkthrough sessions
- Retest
- Multiple retest rounds, extended 120-180 day window, retest on all severity levels
- Timeline
- 4-8 weeks engagement, 2-3 weeks deliverable production
- Vendor profile
- Bishop Fox, NCC Group, Trail of Bits boutique engagement
This is where you get methodology depth and seniority of testers. Suitable for regulated companies, complex microservices architectures, or red team adjacent engagements.
Above $50,000 — What You’re Really Buying
At $50,000+, you transition from a pentest to a red team engagement or a full-stack security assessment. Key differences:
- 6-12 week timelines for full engagement + report + remediation
- Social engineering scope may be included (phishing, vishing, physical)
- Custom tooling developed for your specific environment
- Attack path simulations across multiple systems and trust boundaries
- Board-level threat briefing as a standalone deliverable
Trail of Bits, IOActive, and Bishop Fox operate in this band. NCC Group also for regulated sectors.
If your trigger is SOC 2, PCI DSS, or ISO 27001 compliance, the tier maps to a different methodology footprint — compliance frameworks have specific requirements for scope, frequency, and attestation depth. See penetrationtestingcost.com for the full compliance methodology breakdown.