You need a pentest report. Your investor asked for it, your enterprise client requires it for vendor onboarding, or your SOC 2 auditor flagged it. The first question is always: how much will this cost?
The honest answer: it depends on scope, depth, and who does the work. But unlike most firms that hide pricing behind “contact us for a quote,” we’ll give you real numbers.
What Penetration Testing Costs in India (2026 Market Rates)
| Scope | Budget Range (India) | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Web Application | ₹50,000 – ₹3,00,000 | 5–15 days |
| API (REST/GraphQL) | ₹50,000 – ₹2,50,000 | 5–10 days |
| Android Application | ₹60,000 – ₹2,50,000 | 7–12 days |
| iOS Application | ₹60,000 – ₹2,50,000 | 7–12 days |
| Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP) | ₹75,000 – ₹4,00,000 | 7–15 days |
| IoT / Embedded | ₹1,00,000 – ₹5,00,000 | 10–20 days |
| AI Application | ₹1,00,000 – ₹4,00,000 | 7–15 days |
| Network / Infrastructure | ₹50,000 – ₹3,00,000 | 5–15 days |
These ranges reflect what boutique and mid-tier firms charge in India. Enterprise firms (TCS, Infosys, HCL) charge 3–5x more. Freelance pentesters charge 30–50% less but typically don’t provide audit-grade reports.
What Drives the Price Up or Down
1. Scope Size
A 10-page marketing website is not the same as a 200-endpoint SaaS API with role-based access control, payment flows, and third-party integrations. More endpoints, more roles, more business logic = more testing time = higher cost.
2. Application Complexity
- Simple (brochure site, basic CRUD API): lower end of the range
- Medium (multi-role SaaS, payment processing, file uploads): mid-range
- Complex (AI/ML pipelines, real-time trading, healthcare data, multi-tenant): upper end
3. Testing Depth
- Automated scan only: ₹5,000–₹20,000/month (not a pentest; see the difference)
- Standard greybox pentest: OWASP Top 10 + business logic testing. This is what most startups need.
- Advanced pentest + red team simulation: chained exploits, privilege escalation, assume-breach scenarios. Reserved for companies with mature security postures.
4. Compliance Requirements
If you need the pentest report formatted for SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, or HIPAA evidence, the report takes more time to prepare. Some firms charge extra for this. At Cyber Secify, SOC 2 + ISO 27001 evidence formatting is included with our Growth plan.
5. Who Does the Work
This is the biggest variable that most pricing guides skip:
| Tester Profile | Typical Rate | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance pentester | ₹30,000–₹60,000 per scope | Variable quality, no audit-grade report, no retest |
| Junior analyst at large firm | ₹75,000–₹1,50,000 per scope | Template report, mostly scanner output, limited manual testing |
| Senior certified tester (OSCP/CREST) at boutique firm | ₹75,000–₹2,00,000 per scope | Manual testing, business logic coverage, audit-grade report, retest included |
| Enterprise consulting firm | ₹3,00,000–₹10,00,000 per scope | Same work as boutique, 3x the price, account manager overhead |
The sweet spot for Seed-to-Series B startups is a boutique firm with senior-only delivery. You get OSCP/CREST-level testing without enterprise pricing or junior analyst handoffs.
Our Pricing (Transparent, Fixed)
We publish our pricing because we believe startup founders shouldn’t have to sit through a sales call to learn what a pentest costs.
Startup Pentest Plan: ₹74,999 + taxes
- 1 scope (web, API, Android, iOS, cloud, or IoT)
- 7 calendar days
- Technical + Executive report
- 1 full retest within 30 days
- OWASP Top 10 + PTES methodology
- Brand Protection Snapshot included
Growth Pentest Plan: ₹1,79,999 + taxes
- 2 scopes (1+1)
- 10 calendar days (7+3)
- Technical + Executive report + SOC 2 annexure
- 1 full retest + 1 sanity retest
- OWASP Top 10 + PTES + real-world attack simulation
- SOC 2 + ISO 27001 evidence package included
- Brand Protection Snapshot included
Extra scope: ₹44,999 (Startup) or ₹74,999 (Growth)
What “1 Scope” Means
1 scope = 1 application type. Examples:
- Your web app = 1 scope
- Your REST API = 1 scope (separate from web app)
- Your Android app = 1 scope
- Your iOS app = 1 scope (separate from Android, different binary, different attack surface)
- Your AWS infrastructure = 1 scope
If you have a web app + API, that’s 2 scopes. If you have a web app + Android app + iOS app, that’s 3 scopes.
Hidden Costs to Watch For
When comparing pentest quotes, ask about these. They’re where the surprise charges hide:
- Retesting fees - some firms charge ₹20,000–₹50,000 extra for retesting after you fix vulnerabilities. We include retesting in both plans.
- Report formatting for compliance - SOC 2 or ISO 27001 evidence formatting is sometimes billed separately. We include it in the Growth plan.
- Scope creep charges - if testing reveals connected systems that need assessment, some firms bill hourly. Clarify scope boundaries upfront.
- Per-vulnerability pricing - avoid any firm that charges per vulnerability found. This creates an incentive to report noise.
- Annual contracts - you don’t need a 12-month contract for a pentest. It’s a point-in-time engagement.
How to Budget for Your First Pentest
If you’re a Seed-stage startup with 1 web app or API:
- Budget: ₹75,000–₹1,00,000
- Frequency: once before your first enterprise client or funding round
- Start with: Startup Pentest Plan
If you’re Series A/B with multiple products:
- Budget: ₹1,80,000–₹3,50,000 annually
- Frequency: annually + after major releases
- Start with: Growth Pentest Plan covering your 2 most critical scopes
If you’re not sure what you need:
- Get a free external attack surface snapshot first to see what’s exposed
- Or start with a Security on Demand session (₹9,999, 4 hours, fully refundable). We’ll diagnose your gaps and recommend the right scope
- If you’re in Bengaluru and comparing vendors, read our guide to choosing a pentest company
The Bottom Line
Penetration testing in India costs ₹50,000–₹5,00,000 depending on scope, complexity, and who does the work. For most startups, the right investment is ₹75,000–₹1,80,000 for a focused, manual pentest by a certified team that delivers a report your auditor and investors will accept.
The cost of not doing it is always higher. The average data breach cost for Indian companies crossed ₹19.5 crore in 2025 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report). A pentest costs less than 0.1% of that.
We’re a founder-led cybersecurity firm in Bengaluru working exclusively with AI-first and API-first SaaS startups. Both founders are hands-on on every engagement. No juniors, no handoffs. See our penetration testing services for scope details, contact us, or WhatsApp us directly.