How Much Does a Penetration Test Cost? $1,500 to $60,000, Depending on Who You Hire.
Traditional consultancies charge $20,000 to $60,000 for a single penetration test. StealthNet AI pentests start at $1,500 and hybrid AI plus human pentests start at $5,000, with the same compliance-ready reporting Big Four auditors, QSAs, and C3PAOs accept on the first pass.
Penetration Testing Cost By Test Type
Real 2026 market prices for every common pentest scope, versus what StealthNet charges for the same coverage.
Traditional ranges reflect published pricing from major US penetration testing consultancies and industry reports. StealthNet pricing covers exploit-validated findings, compliance mapping, named senior tester, and one free retest.
AI Pentest or Hybrid AI Plus Human
Pick the engagement that matches the eyeballs your report needs to satisfy.
AI Pentest
$1,500
- 48-hour delivery
- Exploit-validated findings (not a vuln scan)
- Written report with severity and remediation
- Compliance framework mapping included
Best for: SAQ-D, post-change validation, vendor security questionnaires, customer pentest requests
Hybrid (AI + Human) Pentest
Starting at $5,000
Typical engagements range $5,000 to $10,000 depending on scope
- AI attack simulation + named US-based senior tester
- 48-hour first report, 5 to 10 day final
- Compliance-ready report for QSAs, C3PAOs, Big Four auditors
- Free retest after remediation included
- Dedicated PM + private Slack channel
Best for: SOC 2 audits, PCI DSS Req 11, HIPAA risk analysis, CMMC L2, ISO 27001
5 Factors That Drive Penetration Testing Pricing
Scope size
Number of applications, APIs, IP ranges, and authenticated user roles. Each role adds attack surface that a thorough pentest must cover.
Test type
External network is the cheapest scope. Internal network, cloud, and red team operations sit at the top because they require more time and tradecraft.
Compliance framework
PCI DSS, CMMC, FedRAMP, and SOC 2 add specific reporting requirements that drive consultancy hours but are bundled in StealthNet's price.
Segmentation testing
PCI DSS v4.0 mandates segmentation validation every 6 months for service providers. Traditional firms charge a $4K to $8K add-on. StealthNet includes it.
Retest
Most firms charge $2K to $8K for a post-remediation retest. StealthNet bundles one free retest into every hybrid engagement.
Delivery speed
Rush engagements with traditional firms cost 30 to 50 percent more. StealthNet delivers first reports in 48 hours by default with no rush fee.
How StealthNet Delivers The Same Pentest at 70% Lower Cost
It's not corner-cutting. It's a different production model.
AI handles the grind
Reconnaissance, enumeration, fingerprinting, and initial exploit attempts that consume the first 40 hours of every legacy engagement happen in 60 minutes.
Humans handle the judgment
Senior US-based testers (OSCP, OSWE, GPEN, CREST) validate every AI finding, chain exploits the AI cannot reach, and write the executive narrative.
No reporting overhead
Findings export directly from the platform pre-mapped to your compliance framework. No 30-hour analyst write-up phase to bill back to you.
Compliance Pentest Pricing By Framework
Same AI plus human delivery model, mapped to the framework your auditor or customer cares about.
Trust Services Criteria CC6/CC7
Security Rule §164.312 safeguards
Requirement 11.3 / 11.4 testing
Annex A control validation
800-53, 800-171, and CSF mapped
Level 2 (NIST 800-171) crosswalk
510(k) cybersecurity for medical devices
Moderate/High baseline pentest
EU Article 25 ICT pentest for financial entities
Penetration Testing Cost Questions
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