What does a Penetration Test cost?

The costs for a penetration test depend on the time required for the pentest itself and the daily rate of the pentester.

A typical daily rate for penetration testing is between €1,200 and €2,000, provided it is a reputable and professional service provider for conducting penetration tests. Lower daily rates usually indicate that the respective service provider is trying to sell an automated vulnerability scan instead of a manual penetration test.

The number of days required to complete the pentest itself depends on the complexity of the target and the attack vector being tested. Shorter penetration tests last only 2 days, pentests of larger systems or applications can take several weeks. Usually 5-10 days is a realistic average, open-ended up and down.

The costs often start at €2,400-4,000 for a small pentest and reach a level of around €8,000-10,000 relatively quickly. In the case of a complex and time-consuming pentest, the costs can be even higher.