Why this site exists
Search "pen test cost" and the results split three ways: vendor consultancies running their own services, generic calculator aggregators with no methodology, and lead-broker sites monetising on referrals. Two existing independent references rank — penetrationtestingcost.com and pentestingcost.com — but neither shows where their numbers come from.
pentestcostcalculator.com is the dated, sourced, quarterly-verified reference for what a penetration test actually costs in 2026. UK lane is first-class — CREST, CHECK, Cyber Essentials Plus, and the four-source industry consensus on day rates. US lane is honest about being quote-only.
What we do
- Track 9 UK + US pen test providers — live-verified where possible, flagged as quote-only where vendors don't publish (most of them).
- Maintain a UK day-rate band triangulated from 4 independent industry sources.
- Surface CREST + CHECK certifications verified against the official directories, not vendor claims.
- Run a scope calculator across 7 scopes × 4 test classes × UK/US — output is a budget band with sourced day count and rate.
- Re-verify quarterly. Pre-deploy gate refuses to publish data >90 days stale.
What we don't do
- We do not sell pen testing, security consultancy, or PtaaS services.
- We earn no affiliate commission on any provider listed.
- We do not accept sponsored placements that influence pricing claims or methodology.
- We do not propagate widely-circulated figures we cannot trace to a primary source (see methodology).
Who builds it
Built and maintained by Oliver Wakefield-Smith, founder of Digital Signet. Digital Signet publishes a portfolio of independent reference sites covering procurement decision points across technology, security, and HR.
Corrections
Stale provider rate, dead source URL, CREST/CHECK status that's changed? Email hello@digitalsignet.com.