How much does penetration testing cost in India?

Penetration testing in India costs between 50,000 and 5 lakh INR per scope depending on the vendor, scope complexity, and methodology. At Cyber Secify, the Startup plan is 74,999 INR for 1 scope and the Growth plan is 1,79,999 INR for 2 scopes.

Why is pentest pricing so different across vendors?

The range depends on whether the vendor does manual testing or just runs automated scanners, team certifications (OSCP vs uncertified), report quality, and whether retesting is included. Cheap pentests often deliver scanner output reformatted as a report.

Is a 20,000 INR pentest worth it?

At that price point you are getting an automated vulnerability scan, not a penetration test. Automated scanners cannot find business logic flaws, authentication bypasses, or chained exploits. If your investor or customer is asking for a pentest report, a scanner output will not satisfy them.

How is penetration testing priced per application in India?

Most Indian pentest vendors price per scope, where one scope equals one application or attack surface (web app, API, mobile app, cloud environment). At Cyber Secify, a single scope is INR 74,999 (Startup plan, 7 days). Each additional scope is INR 44,999 on the Startup plan or INR 74,999 on the Growth plan with no scope limit.

How much does a penetration test cost for a SaaS startup in India?

Most early-stage Indian SaaS startups need either web app testing alone or web plus API together. Single-scope testing starts at INR 74,999. The 2-scope Growth plan at INR 1,79,999 covers web plus API together, includes SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance mapping, and is the typical pick for Series A SaaS that need investor or enterprise compliance evidence.

Is the retest included in the pentest price or charged separately?

Retest policies vary by vendor. Some include one free retest, others charge 30 to 50 percent of the original engagement cost per retest. At Cyber Secify, one full retest is included in both the Startup and Growth plans within 30 days of the initial report. The Growth plan includes a second sanity retest after final fixes.

What does an API penetration test cost in India?

API penetration testing in India ranges from INR 50,000 for a simple REST API to INR 2,50,000 for complex GraphQL or microservices APIs with multiple roles and authentication flows. At Cyber Secify, API testing is included as a single scope at INR 74,999 (Startup plan). Combined web plus API testing at INR 1,79,999 (Growth plan) is the most common pick.

Penetration Testing Cost in India 2026

Penetration testing in India costs INR 50,000 to INR 5,00,000 per scope in 2026, depending on target type, methodology, and vendor quality. Here is what drives the price and how to budget for it.

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 to 15 days
API (REST/GraphQL)	₹50,000 - ₹2,50,000	5 to 10 days
Android Application	₹60,000 - ₹2,50,000	7 to 12 days
iOS Application	₹60,000 - ₹2,50,000	7 to 12 days
Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)	₹75,000 - ₹4,00,000	7 to 15 days
IoT / Embedded	₹1,00,000 - ₹5,00,000	10 to 20 days
AI Application	₹1,00,000 - ₹4,00,000	7 to 15 days
Network / Infrastructure	₹50,000 - ₹3,00,000	5 to 15 days

These ranges reflect what boutique and mid-tier firms charge in India. Enterprise firms (TCS, Infosys, HCL) charge 3 to 5x more. Freelance pentesters charge 30 to 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 to ₹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 to ₹60,000 per scope	Variable quality, no audit-grade report, no retest
Junior analyst at large firm	₹75,000 to ₹1,50,000 per scope	Template report, mostly scanner output, limited manual testing
Senior certified tester (OSCP/CREST) at boutique firm	₹75,000 to ₹2,00,000 per scope	Manual testing, business logic coverage, audit-grade report, retest included
Enterprise consulting firm	₹3,00,000 to ₹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)

View full pricing details →

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 to ₹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 to ₹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 to ₹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 to ₹5,00,000 depending on scope, complexity, and who does the work. For most startups, the right investment is ₹75,000 to ₹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 with AI-first and API-first SaaS startups, Seed to Series B. Both founders are personally involved in every engagement. No juniors, no handoffs. See our penetration testing services for scope details, contact us, or WhatsApp us directly.