---
title: How to quickly estimate the cost of a penetration test.
description: This article describes methods of estimating the price of a penetration test.
---

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# [How to quickly estimate the cost of a penetration test.](https://www.secureideas.com/knowledge/how-to-quickly-estimate-the-cost-of-a-penetration-test)

 Written by [Jason Gillam](https://www.secureideas.com/knowledge/author/jason-gillam) | Apr 15, 2022 7:35:46 PM

If you are new to organizing a third-party penetration test, chances are you will face the question: how much money do we need to budget for this thing? Unfortunately, there is a considerable amount of cost variance for penetration tests, so there is no straightforward answer. One option is to gather quotes from different penetration testing companies or send out a formal Request For Proposal (RFP), but this can be much up-front work if all you are looking for is a ballpark figure.

The good news is that we have a few ideas to pull an estimate together quickly.

### Review Last Year's Statement of Work

If you are fortunate to have access to your third-party pentest company's statement of work from last year, you can use that as a basis to estimate future tests. Most pentest work is time-boxed, so as long as it was scoped accurately last time and your supplier's rates have not increased much, the cost should be about the same.

### Use a Swag from Published Ranges

Some pentest companies will publish their estimated ranges for pentesting services. For example, we have an article that details many aspects of a test that contribute to its cost. [In this article](https://www.secureideas.com/knowledge/how-much-does-a-penetration-test-cost), we state that the average base cost of a penetration test is between $10,000 and $45,000. This is a significant range that works to set expectations but may not be suitable for setting a budget. It is prudent to be wary of companies that advertise unusually low price ranges, as they may be cutting corners to do so.

### Ask for an Estimate

Most pentest companies will be more than happy to supply a quote for their services. But your time is valuable, so unless you are ready to start the actual sales process, it may not make sense to go through a full scoping call and then wait (sometimes several days, depending on your pentest company) for a statement of work. Here at Secure Ideas, we are happy to provide a quick estimate based on a short conversation about what you need tested.

Want a rough number fast?

Tell us what you need tested and we can give you a ballpark in a quick call.

[Schedule a Quick Call](https://www.secureideas.com/meetings/britiney/david-and-britiney-meeting)

[View full post](https://www.secureideas.com/knowledge/how-to-quickly-estimate-the-cost-of-a-penetration-test)

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