The costs of a penetration test depend on the time spent and the daily rate of the penetration tester.
The daily rates for penetration testers are above average and range between €1,200 and €2,000, provided it is a reputable service provider for penetration tests. Lower daily rates usually indicate that the respective provider is trying to sell a vulnerability scan rather than a penetration test. Good staff with a lot of know-how and experience cost money and this is usually reflected in the daily rates.
The number of days invested mostly depends on the complexity of the scope or the system, application or company to be tested. The more complex the attack surface, the longer the check takes.
Shorter penetration tests take 2 days, larger systems can take several weeks. Usually 5-10 days is a realistic average, with deviations up and down.
Thus, the costs often start at €2,400-3,000 for a small pentest and reach the level of around €12-16,000 relatively quickly, although there are no upper limits.
