How Much Does a Penetration Test Cost in the UK? (2025 Guide)
15 Jan 2025 · XtremeAssistPro
If you're looking into penetration testing for the first time, the pricing can be confusing. Quotes range from £500 to £50,000+ depending on who you ask. Here's a straightforward breakdown of what you should actually expect to pay.
The Short Answer
For most SMEs and startups in the UK:
- Vulnerability Assessment: £500 – £2,000
- Web Application Penetration Test: £2,000 – £8,000
- API Penetration Test: £2,000 – £6,000
- Infrastructure Penetration Test: £3,000 – £15,000
- Full Adversary Simulation: £10,000 – £50,000+
The wide ranges exist because pricing depends on scope, not just the type of test.
What Affects the Price
1. Scope and Complexity
A single-page web app with a login form is very different from a SaaS platform with 50 API endpoints, multiple user roles, and third-party integrations. More endpoints, more roles, more complexity means more time and higher cost.
2. Type of Testing
Automated vulnerability scanning is cheap. Manual penetration testing by an experienced tester costs more, but finds significantly more. Business logic flaws, chained vulnerabilities, and authentication bypasses don't show up in automated scans.
3. Depth
A basic OWASP Top 10 check is faster than a deep-dive that includes business logic testing, source code review, and adversary simulation.
4. Retesting
Some firms charge extra for retesting after you've fixed the findings. At XtremeAssistPro, retesting is included in our Professional and Advanced packages.
Red Flags in Pricing
Watch out for extremely cheap quotes under £500 (you're probably getting an automated scan wrapped in a branded PDF), no fixed pricing after a scoping call, and per-vulnerability pricing that creates a perverse incentive to find more low-severity issues rather than focus on what matters.
What You Should Get for Your Money
At minimum, a professional penetration test should include a scoping call to define the engagement, manual testing (not just automated scanning), a detailed report with severity ratings and remediation guidance, an executive summary for non-technical stakeholders, a debrief call, and retesting after remediation.
Bottom Line
Don't choose a penetration testing firm on price alone. Look for manual testing, clear reporting, and included retesting. A good pen test pays for itself by preventing a breach that could cost your business thousands, or millions.