Key Takeaways
- Penetration testing cost is primarily determined by scope, complexity and the amount of testing time required.
- Providers may quote a day rate or a fixed price based on an estimated number of tester days.
- Applications with multiple user roles, APIs and integrations generally require more testing time than simpler environments.
- Two quotes for the same test can differ because providers have made different assumptions about scope, testing depth and what’s included.
- Retesting may be included or charged separately, so check this when comparing the total cost of an engagement.
On this page
How Much Does Penetration Testing Cost in the UK?
Penetration testing in the UK can cost from around £2,500 for a small, clearly defined assessment to £20,000+ for a large or complex environment. Many standard engagements fall somewhere between £3,000 and £10,000. The final price depends primarily on the scope, complexity and testing time required, with providers typically calculating quotes using an estimated number of consultant days.
What Pricing Models Do Penetration Testing Providers Use?
Penetration testing providers generally price engagements using either a consultant day rate or a fixed price calculated from the estimated amount of testing time required.
Day rate. A provider charges a rate per tester per day, with the overall cost determined by the number of days required to complete the engagement. Published pricing from UK penetration testing providers suggests rates of around £1,000 to £2,000+ per consultant day are common for manually led penetration testing, although rates vary according to the provider, tester experience and specialist requirements.
Fixed price. A single total price is agreed in advance for a defined scope. The provider will usually calculate this internally based on the number of tester days they expect the engagement to require.
Fixed pricing gives the client greater cost certainty for an agreed scope, although significant changes to that scope may require the quote to be revised.
Neither pricing model is inherently better. What matters is understanding what has been included in the quote and the assumptions used to calculate it.
What Influences the Cost of Penetration Testing?
The main factors influencing the cost of penetration testing are the size of the scope, the complexity of the environment and the amount of tester time required. More systems, user roles, endpoints and integrations generally increase the testing effort and therefore the overall price.
Cost can be affected by:
- The number of systems, applications, IP addresses or API endpoints in scope
- The number of authenticated user roles that need to be tested
- Whether testing requires an internal perspective, external perspective or both
- The testing approach and depth required
- Integrations with third-party systems or single sign-on providers
- Any specific compliance, evidence or reporting requirements
For example, a small brochure-style web application with one user role and no payment functionality is likely to require fewer tester days than a customer-facing SaaS platform with multiple privilege levels, dozens of API endpoints and several third-party integrations, even though both might initially be described as a “web application penetration test“.
This is why the scope of the assessment has a greater influence on price than the test type alone. See How to Scope a Penetration Test for more detail on defining what should be included before requesting a quote.
How Long Should a Penetration Test Take?
The time required for a penetration test depends on the size and complexity of the agreed scope. A small, clearly defined assessment may require only a few tester days, while a complex application, network or cloud environment can require considerably more testing time.
Published UK provider pricing illustrates how this can vary. A small, clearly defined assessment may require only a few tester days, while larger applications, internal networks and complex environments may require ten days or more.
These are indicative examples rather than fixed durations. Two web applications can require very different amounts of testing time depending on their functionality, user roles, APIs, integrations and authentication requirements.
Because tester days are a significant component of most penetration testing quotes, it is reasonable to ask how much testing time has been allowed for and what is included within it.
Why Do Penetration Testing Costs Vary?
Penetration testing costs can vary because providers use different day rates, estimate different amounts of testing time and include different elements within their price.
Different day rates. Providers may charge different rates depending on the experience and seniority of the testers involved, the expertise required for the engagement and their commercial pricing model.
Different assumptions about testing effort. Two providers can review the same environment and estimate different numbers of tester days based on their understanding of the scope and the depth of assessment required.
Different inclusions. Reporting, project management, retesting and post-engagement support may be included within the original price or charged separately.
For example, two quotes for the same web application could differ because one assumes three days of testing while another allows five. Understanding the estimated testing effort and what each quote includes helps explain why the final prices are different.
Is Retesting Included in the Cost?
Retesting may be included in the original penetration testing quote or charged separately, depending on the provider and the terms of the engagement.
Retesting takes place after identified vulnerabilities have been remediated and allows the provider to verify whether the fixes have been effective. If it is included, check whether there are limits on the number of findings that can be retested or a time window in which the retest must take place.
Clarifying this before accepting a quote makes it easier to understand the total potential cost of the engagement rather than comparing the initial testing price alone.
Get a Scoped Penetration Testing Quote from OmniCyber?
Because penetration testing cost depends heavily on the environment and testing requirements, an accurate quote requires an understanding of what needs to be assessed rather than a one-size-fits-all price.
OmniCyber is CREST-certified for penetration testing, and each engagement begins with a structured scoping process to understand your objectives, systems, applications and testing requirements before a quote is prepared.
See our full range of Penetration Testing Services for more information about the assessments we provide.
Related Questions
How do I scope a penetration test to get an accurate quote?
The systems, applications, access requirements and exclusions within the scope directly affect the amount of testing required and therefore the price. See How to Scope a Penetration Test for what to define before requesting a quote.
How do I choose a penetration testing company?
Price is only one consideration when comparing providers. Accreditation, relevant experience, methodology and reporting should also be considered.
Ready for a scoped quote? Request a Scoped Pen Test Quote and speak to a CREST-certified tester about your environment.
Jennifer Goulbourne
Jennifer is a Digital Marketing Executive at OmniCyber Security, where she's responsible for engaging the company's existing customer base across digital channels and creating helpful resources on threat intelligence and security operations for cybersecurity professionals and business leaders.
