# Synack alternatives: five pentest providers compared

Source: https://pentestcompare.com/compare/synack-alternatives/
Publisher: Excession Labs (pentestcompare.com)
Last updated: 2026-11-09

Synack alternatives compared by delivery type, price unit, retest terms and sample reports: Cobalt, HackerOne, Bugcrowd, BreachLock and Horizon3. Checked 9 Nov 2026.

> **Short answer:** Synack lists starting prices per test ($5,085 to $27,120) and bills a platform separately. Alternatives from the dataset are Cobalt (credits and a $3,500 autonomous test), HackerOne, Bugcrowd and BreachLock (quote-only hybrid platforms) and Horizon3 (autonomous, per-asset prices). Synack and NetSPI completed their merger on 5 October 2026. Checked 9 November 2026.

Synack alternatives fall into three groups: hybrid platforms that sell on quote, a credit-based platform with one published test price, and an autonomous product priced per asset. This page compares five providers from the [provider dataset](/providers/) against Synack, using vendor pages checked on 9 November 2026.

## Why do teams look for Synack alternatives?

The reasons in the sources are about price units and a corporate change. Synack's starting prices are per test, but the Synack Platform is required for any test and is billed separately with no published price, so the all-in cost is not visible. Credits expire one year after purchase. NetSPI and Synack announced a merger on 2 September 2026, and Synack's notice says it closed on 5 October 2026 with no unified pricing announced. Synack's offerings may change.

## How does Synack sell?

Synack is a crowdsourced platform that combines Sara, an autonomous AI agent, with the Synack Red Team of vetted researchers. The pricing page lists three starting prices, each per test.

| Product | Starting price | Window | Scope of one test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Pentest | $5,085 | 4 to 5 business days | External web or host only |
| SynackST (compliance) | $10,283 | 5 days | Single tester, one framework; up to 25 unauthenticated web apps, or 1 low-complexity authenticated web app, or 100 host IPs |
| Synack14 | $27,120 | 14 days | Team; up to 50 unauthenticated web apps, or 1 authenticated web app, or 250 host IPs |

Source: [Synack pricing](https://www.synack.com/pricing/), checked 9 November 2026. Enterprise is custom. See also [Synack pricing](/pricing/synack/).

## Which alternatives fit which delivery type?

| Delivery type | Providers | How testing is done |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid platform, vetted testers | Cobalt, HackerOne, Bugcrowd, BreachLock | Human testers with AI help; HackerOne also sells an agentic tier with human review of each agent finding |
| Hybrid, in-house team | BreachLock | In-house team described as expert-led and AI-accelerated, plus a separate autonomous product |
| Autonomous | Horizon3 (NodeZero) | Software runs the attacks; no human pentesters described on the pages checked |

Choose the type before you compare prices. A per-asset autonomous product and a per-test human-led product answer different questions.

## How do the alternatives compare side by side?

| Provider | Delivery | Pricing model | Published price | Sample report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synack | Hybrid | Mixed | $5,085, $10,283, $27,120 per test (starting) | Not published |
| Cobalt | Hybrid | Mixed | $3,500 per Autonomous Pentest (to 31 Dec 2026); tiers none | On request |
| HackerOne | Hybrid | Custom quote | None | Not published |
| Bugcrowd | Hybrid | Custom quote | None | Public (Standard web app test) |
| BreachLock | Hybrid | Custom quote | None | On request |
| Horizon3 | Automated | Published | $15 to $85 per asset; $10,000 per app per test | Not published |

Sources: each vendor's pricing page, checked 9 November 2026.

## Which alternatives publish prices?

Two do. Horizon3 lists Flex at $15 per asset per test (12-month term), Core at $50, Pro at $65 and Elite at $85 per asset on annual subscriptions, and WebApp Flex at $10,000 per app per test. The unit is a discovered asset, so the total depends on an asset count you may not know in advance. Support tiers cost extra (Enhanced 10 percent of subscription, minimum $7,500 a year; Premier 20 percent, minimum $25,000 a year).

Cobalt lists one figure, $3,500 per Autonomous Pentest, a web application test with findings in 24 hours that must start and finish before 31 December 2026. Its Standard, Premium and Enterprise tiers are annual credit packages (one credit is 8 hours of testing) with no published price.

HackerOne, Bugcrowd and BreachLock route to sales. Bugcrowd names subscription, flat-rate or pay-for-impact purchase options, and says external web app and network tests can be bought through AWS Marketplace.

## Which alternatives offer a sample report?

Bugcrowd links a sample report for the Standard web app test from its PTaaS page. Cobalt and BreachLock give one on request. HackerOne, Horizon3 and Synack do not publish one. Ask for a sample before you pay, and read it with the [sample report guide](/guides/judge-a-pentest-provider-by-its-sample-report/).

## How do retest and turnaround terms differ?

| Provider | Turnaround claim | What it measures | Retest terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synack | Windows of 4 to 5 days, 5 days, 14 days | Length of testing | Patch verification included in each product |
| Cobalt | 24 hours (autonomous); start in 3 / 2 / 1 business days (tiers) | First findings, or start | Two statements: 6 or 12 months, or unlimited during contract |
| HackerOne | Docs: report 3 to 5 business days after testing | Report delivery | Unlimited during the remediation period, typically 30 or 90 days |
| Bugcrowd | Launch in under 72 hours | Time to launch | One year of retesting with one report revision on Standard |
| BreachLock | Scoped and started in 24 to 48 hours | Time to start | 1 (Standard), 2 (Extended) or custom (Extensive) free retests |
| Horizon3 | Not published | Not stated | Verify actions included; Flex terms not stated |

Turnaround numbers measure different things, so do not rank vendors on them.

## How do you choose by scope and budget?

1. Write the scope: number of web apps, APIs, host IPs and user roles.
2. Pick the delivery type from the table above.
3. Convert each price to your scope. For Horizon3 count assets; for Synack check the app and IP limits of each test; for credit and quote vendors, get a written quote.
4. Add the line items outside the headline price: Synack's platform, Horizon3's support tiers, Cobalt's per-credit rate.
5. Compare retest terms and ask for a sample report.

For a head-to-head, see [Synack vs Cobalt](/compare/synack-vs-cobalt/). For general cost ranges, read the [pentest cost guide](/guides/penetration-testing-cost/).

## What are the sources and check dates?

Every figure above comes from the vendor pages listed under Sources, all checked on 9 November 2026. Prices change, so confirm them with the vendor. Found an error? [Send a correction](/methodology/#corrections).

## Questions

### Which Synack alternative publishes prices?

Horizon3 publishes per-asset prices ($15 per asset per test on Flex, $50 to $85 per asset per year on subscriptions, $10,000 per app per test for WebApp Flex). Cobalt publishes one figure, $3,500 per Autonomous Pentest until 31 December 2026. HackerOne, Bugcrowd and BreachLock are quote-only on the pages checked.

### Did the NetSPI merger change Synack's prices?

Synack's notice says the merger closed on 5 October 2026 and that no unified platform, contract, pricing or partner program has been announced. The pricing page we read on 9 November 2026 still showed the standalone starting prices. Offerings may change, so confirm at quote time.

### Is Horizon3 a like-for-like replacement for a Synack test?

No. Horizon3's NodeZero is software that runs the attacks itself, and its unit is a discovered asset, not a test. Synack's prices are per test and combine AI with human researchers. Compare the scope of one test, not the headline price.

## Sources

- [Synack pricing](https://www.synack.com/pricing/)
- [NetSPI and Synack merger notice](https://www.synack.com/netspi-and-synack/)
- [Cobalt pricing](https://www.cobalt.io/pricing)
- [HackerOne pricing](https://www.hackerone.com/pricing)
- [Bugcrowd pen test as a service](https://www.bugcrowd.com/products/pen-test-as-a-service/)
- [BreachLock pentest pricing](https://www.breachlock.com/pricing/penetration-testing-pricing/)
- [Horizon3.ai pricing](https://horizon3.ai/use-case/pricing/)