The average pentest costs £5k–25k.
Are you paying too much — or too little?
Free penetration testing cost calculator. Enter your scope and get an instant price range, provider comparison, and ROI against the average $4.45M cost of a data breach.
Scope Details
Duration: 5–10 days
Each additional application increases cost
Estimated Cost Range
Low
£14,400
$18,288
Mid (typical)
£34,560
$43,891
High
£86,400
$109,728
Based on 3 applications — £11,520 per application
Annual Testing Budget Recommendation
£34,560
At annual frequency
Provider Comparison (mid estimate)
Freelancer / Independent
Lower cost, variable quality. Good for small scope.
£19,008
Boutique Security Firm
Best value for most organisations. CREST/CHECK certified.
£34,560
Big 4 / Top-Tier Consultancy
Premium pricing. Justified for regulated enterprises.
£82,944
ROI vs. Average Breach Cost
101.4x
The average cost of a data breach is $4,450,000 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2023). Your pentest costs £34,560. That's a 101.4x return if it prevents a single breach.
You should also budget for
£10,368
Remediation
Fix identified vulnerabilities (~30% of pentest cost)
£5,184
Re-test
Verify fixes were effective (~15%)
£3,000/yr
Ongoing Scanning
Continuous vulnerability scanning between tests
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a penetration test cost in the UK?
A typical UK penetration test costs between £5,000 and £25,000 for a standard web application or network test. Red team engagements and enterprise-scope tests can reach £40,000–£100,000+. Boutique UK firms tend to sit in the £8k–£20k range; Big 4 consulting firms charge a significant premium.
What factors affect penetration testing cost?
The main cost drivers are: test type (red team is far more expensive than a single web app test), scope (number of IPs, applications, or user roles), company size and complexity, compliance requirements (PCI DSS, SOC 2), and the provider tier (freelancer, boutique firm, or Big 4). Urgency and travel also affect price.
Is a cheap pentest worth it?
A low-cost pentest that is purely automated tool output (Nessus/Qualys reports rebranded) provides little real value. Manual testing is essential for discovering logic flaws, chained vulnerabilities, and business-context issues. Use our calculator to identify a fair price range, then ask prospective vendors how much time is manual vs automated.
How often should I run a penetration test?
Most industry frameworks recommend at least annually. PCI DSS mandates an annual external pentest and quarterly scans. SOC 2 auditors expect annual evidence. High-change environments (frequent releases, cloud migrations) benefit from bi-annual or quarterly testing.
What is the ROI of a penetration test?
The average cost of a data breach is $4.45 million (IBM 2023). A £10,000 pentest that prevents a single breach delivers a 440x return. Even without preventing a breach, pentests reduce remediation costs, shorten audit cycles, and provide defensible due diligence evidence.
What should I budget beyond the pentest itself?
Plan for remediation (typically 20–30% of pentest cost to fix findings), a re-test to verify fixes (10–15%), and ongoing vulnerability scanning (£2,000–£5,000/year for tooling). Total annual security testing budget is often 2–3x the pentest cost alone.