Pentest Vendor Comparison 2026 — Cobalt, HackerOne, Bishop Fox, NCC Group, Trail of Bits, Synack, Bugcrowd, IOActive
All 8 vendors on one page with cited cost estimates, time-to-quote ranges, and retest policies. None publish a list price; every dollar figure here is triangulated from buyer-marketplace and analyst data. This is the neutral page that vendor blog posts won’t publish.
Full Pricing Matrix
| Vendor | Model | Entry price | Typical engagement | Pricing | Quote | Test start | Retest | Compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CobaltPTaaS | Credit-based subscription | ~$2,500/mo (est.) | $15k-$40k/yr | Contact sales | 1-2 days | Within 1 week | Charged per credit | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
| HackerOnePTaaS / Bug bounty | Assessment products + bounty platform | ~$15k assessment (est.) | $15k-$50k/yr | Contact sales | 2-4 days | 1-2 weeks | Varies by product | SOC 2, PCI, ISO 27001 |
| SynackPTaaS | Managed crowdsourced + AI platform | Contact sales | $20k-$60k/yr | Contact sales | 3-5 days | 1-2 weeks | Included (rolling) | SOC 2, PCI, FedRAMP |
| BugcrowdPTaaS / Bug bounty | Crowdsourced pentest + bounty hybrid | Contact sales | $20k-$50k/yr | Contact sales | 3-5 days | 1-2 weeks | Continuous (bounty model) | SOC 2, PCI, ISO 27001 |
| Bishop FoxTraditional boutique | Fixed-scope SOW engagement | $25k+ | $25k-$100k | Contact sales | 5-10 days | 2-4 weeks | 15-30% of engagement, 90-day window | SOC 2, PCI, ISO 27001, FedRAMP |
| NCC GroupTraditional consultancy | Day-rate SOW | Contact sales | $15k-$80k | Contact sales | 5-8 days | 2-4 weeks | Typically 15-25% of original | PCI QSA, ISO, CREST, CHECK |
| Trail of BitsTraditional boutique | Fixed-scope SOW, research-grade | Contact sales | $30k-$150k | Contact sales | 7-14 days | 3-6 weeks | Available, quoted separately | SOC 2, HIPAA, cryptographic attestation |
| IOActiveTraditional boutique | Fixed-scope SOW | Contact sales | $25k-$120k | Contact sales | 5-10 days | 2-5 weeks | Quoted per engagement | ICS/SCADA, embedded, automotive |
Contact-sales entries show triangulated ranges from Astra, BSG, Deepstrike, G2, Vendr, and Spendflo. See sources.
When to Pick Which Vendor
| Buyer profile | Cobalt | HackerOne | Synack | Bugcrowd | Bishop Fox | NCC Group | Trail of Bits | IOActive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series A startup, first pentest, SOC 2 trigger, web app | Yes | Maybe | No | No | Maybe | Maybe | No | No |
| Mid-market SaaS, continuous shipping, developer-first culture | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Regulated fintech, PCI DSS Level 2, multi-system scope | Maybe | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Maybe |
| Enterprise, red team annual, complex multi-cloud environment | No | Maybe | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Best-Fit Profiles
Credit-based subscription
Best for: Series A-C startups, continuous shipping
Assessment products + bounty platform
Best for: Bug bounty programs, developer-first orgs
Managed crowdsourced + AI platform
Best for: Government, regulated industries, continuous coverage
Crowdsourced pentest + bounty hybrid
Best for: Orgs with existing bug bounty, multi-asset coverage
Fixed-scope SOW engagement
Best for: Complex environments, regulated industries, enterprise
Day-rate SOW
Best for: EMEA operations, PCI QSA engagements, financial sector
Fixed-scope SOW, research-grade
Best for: Cryptographic systems, smart contracts, high-complexity targets
Fixed-scope SOW
Best for: Hardware, embedded systems, IoT, OT/ICS environments
Need the compliance methodology angle? penetrationtestingcost.com covers SOC 2 / PCI / ISO 27001 pentest requirements, frequency, and RFP guidance.