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Independent research. Not affiliated with Cobalt, HackerOne, Bishop Fox, NCC Group, Trail of Bits, Synack, Bugcrowd, IOActive, Astra, or any other vendor named on this site. Published list prices exist for Astra’s tiers, Cobalt’s Autonomous Pentest ($3,500/test), Synack’s starting prices and Bugcrowd’s standard pentest units; all other dollar figures are our own market ranges, not vendor-published prices. Vendor prices last read 1 October 2026.
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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
Published-price PTaaS units (e.g. Bugcrowd, Synack, Astra)
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)
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, or a PTaaS programme
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
Specialist or boutique consultancy (quote only)
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

Red-team work is quote-only everywhere we track: Bishop Fox (Red Teaming), NCC Group (Red, Purple and Black Teaming) and IOActive (Red and Purple Team Services) list it as a service without a published price.

If your trigger is SOC 2, PCI DSS 11.4, or ISO 27001 compliance, the tier maps to a different methodology footprint. Frameworks have specific requirements for scope, frequency, and attestation depth. See what’s included in a pentest to match those requirements to deliverables.

Scope estimator →Compare 8 vendors →What's included →Sources →