How much does a penetration test cost in 2026?
Short answer: a human-led consultancy pentest runs $5,000–$15,000 per app, an automated AI pentest is about $4,000, and continuous scanning services are $1,500–$6,000/year. Aegis delivers an audit-ready pentest for $999 one-off or $149/month. Below: what actually drives the number, and what you genuinely need.
What a penetration test costs, by type
Prices below are publicly listed as of August 2026 and vary by scope and plan.
| Type | What you get | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Aegis | Automated, authenticated, audit-ready report | $999 one-off · $149–249/mo |
| Automated AI pentest platform | Standard automated pentest | ~$4,000 |
| Continuous scanning service | Ongoing automated vulnerability scanning | ~$1,500–6,000 / yr |
| PTaaS (hybrid) | Human + automated, managed engagement | from ~$5,000 |
| Consultancy | Human-led application pentest | $5,000–15,000 |
The spread is almost entirely human hours. See the full capability comparison on the pricing page.
Five things that move the number
Human hours
Scoping calls, manual testing and hand-written reporting are the bulk of a consultancy bill. Automation removes them — the single biggest lever on price.
Scope & depth
An unauthenticated surface scan is cheap and shallow. Authenticated, multi-role, business-logic testing is where real risk lives — and where price climbs.
Retesting
Many providers charge again to verify your fixes. Aegis re-tests for free after you remediate, so a clean report doesn't cost extra.
Report quality
An auditor-ready report — scope, methodology, dated findings, remediation, control mapping — takes a consultant days. Aegis generates it automatically.
Frequency
An annual one-off leaves eleven months of drift. Continuous re-scans catch regressions as you ship — cheaper per test when it's built in.
Named human tester
Some mandates (PCI DSS 11.4, certain government work) require a named individual. That's a premium, and it's the one case automation can't replace.
You probably don't need the $15,000 engagement
For a SaaS going live or preparing SOC 2 / ISO 27001, what auditors want is evidence of a defensible, repeatable testing process — not the most expensive invoice. An audit-ready automated pentest that runs authenticated and covers business logic satisfies that for a fraction of the cost. The exception is a specific mandate for a named human tester; we'll tell you plainly when that's you.
Get an audit-ready pentest for $999.
Verify a domain, accept the rules, and Aegis does the rest. Free to start; no sales call.