penetration testing cost
A pen test costs $15,000.
Or $49 a month.
Here's what a traditional penetration test actually costs, what drives the price, and why a continuous, AI-run pen test replaces the once-a-year quote, with the compliance report included.
free to start · no sales call · first exploits in ~10 min
the price gap
Manual pen test
once a year · a PDF · retests extra
$15,000+
Muster.
continuous · proof · compliance included
$49/mo
what a pen test actually costs
The real numbers, no quote required.
Traditional penetration testing is priced by a senior tester's days. Typical ranges in 2026:
Small web app
A few days of one tester, limited scope.
$8k–$15k
Web app + APIs
The typical SaaS engagement: auth, APIs, business logic.
$15k–$30k
Large or complex app
Multiple environments and integrations, more tester-days.
$30k+
Retest after fixes
Usually billed separately, per round.
$1k–$5k
Prices vary by scope, firm, and seniority; retests, re-scoping, and compliance letters are frequently billed on top.
the hidden cost
You're buying a snapshot, not security.
A $15k engagement tests your app for one week, once a year. The other 51 weeks, and every feature you ship in between, go untested. You get a PDF of findings that may or may not be exploitable, and the moment you deploy again, it's out of date. The invoice is the small cost. The real one is the eleven months of blind spots.
muster vs a manual pen test
Continuous and proven, for less.
| Manual pen test | Muster. | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $15k–$30k per engagement | From $49/mo. Listed on the page. |
| Cadence | Once or twice a year | Continuous, on every deploy |
| Coverage gap | Stale the next time you ship | Tests what you shipped today |
| Deliverable | A PDF you read once | A proven exploit: the exact request and the fix |
| Retests | Re-scope and re-quote | Unlimited, included |
| Lead time | Weeks to schedule | First results in ~10 minutes |
| Compliance report | Often a $4k+ add-on | Included |
buying a pen test for compliance?
The SOC 2 / ISO 27001 report is included. Not a $4k add-on.
Most teams buy a pen test to satisfy an auditor or a customer security review. Muster produces compliance-ready evidence as a natural output of the testing, at no extra charge.
pricing, on the page
No quote. No sales call.
Indie
$49/mo
1 asset. Built for founders and small teams.
Team
$249/mo
Multiple assets, unlimited seats.
Business
$999/mo
Bigger surface, priority runs.
Plus 50% off your first month. See full pricing →
Penetration testing cost, answered.
+How much does a penetration test cost?
A traditional manual pen test typically runs $8,000–$30,000 per engagement, depending on scope and how many days of a senior tester's time it takes, and retests are often billed on top. Muster runs a continuous, AI-driven pen test from $49/mo, with unlimited retests and the compliance report included.
+Why is manual penetration testing so expensive?
You're paying for a senior human's time: days of manual recon, attack, and report-writing, plus scheduling overhead and per-round retest fees. That buys real depth, but only once, for one moment in time.
+Is a $49/mo pen test really as good as a $15k one?
It's a different model, and we'll be straight with you: a deep one-off manual engagement and a continuous automated one aren't identical. But for a team shipping fast, a pen test that runs on every deploy and proves each exploit beats a $15k PDF that's stale the next week. For anything that needs human judgment or an attested report, humans stay in the loop.
+Do I get a report I can use for SOC 2 or ISO 27001?
Yes. Muster produces compliance-ready evidence and the report is included, not a four-figure add-on. You can see a sample report to judge it for yourself before you buy.
+Are there hidden fees or retest charges?
No. Pricing is listed on the page ($49 / $249 / $999 a month), retests are unlimited and included, and there's no quote-and-negotiate dance.
+I'm a startup — what should I budget for a pen test?
If you're chasing your first SOC 2 or a customer security review, a traditional pen test can blow a real hole in an early budget. Muster's $49/mo tier is built for exactly this: continuous testing, proof, and a compliance-ready report without the $15k quote.