# AI penetration testing services compared: 16 providers, sourced

Source: https://pentestcompare.com/guides/ai-penetration-testing-services/
Publisher: Excession Labs (pentestcompare.com)
Last updated: 2026-11-09

AI penetration testing services compared: delivery model, scope, published prices with units, turnaround claims, retest terms and sample reports for 16 providers.

> **Short answer:** We compared 16 AI-assisted and autonomous pentest services from vendor pages checked on 9 November 2026. Nine publish a price with a unit, and the units differ: per test, per asset, per credit or per month. Four publish a sample report. Turnaround claims measure different things, such as start time, test window or time to first findings. The list is alphabetical, not ranked.

AI penetration testing services are pentests where AI agents do some or all of the testing. This page compares 16 of them, plus the publisher of this site, using each vendor's own pages checked on 9 November 2026. The list is alphabetical and nothing is ranked.

> **Ownership:** PentestCompare is published by Excession Labs, which sells security testing and appears below as "(publisher of this site)". We write its entry from the same fields as the others and do not place it first.
The phrase "AI penetration testing" also covers services that test AI applications. That is a separate topic, covered in [AI red teaming companies](/guides/ai-red-teaming-providers/). Here, AI is the tester.

## Delivery models and what they mean for you

Providers in this comparison fall into three delivery models, taken from each vendor's own description.

| Model | Who does the testing | Providers on this page |
|---|---|---|
| Automated | AI agents or software run the test; a human may approve steps | Aikido, Escape, Horizon3.ai, Intruder, Novee, Parameter, Penligent, TurboPentest, XBOW |
| Hybrid | AI agents and human testers share the work | BreachLock, Cobalt, HackerOne, Hadrian, Penti, Synack, Terra Security, Excession Labs |

Three providers sit between the labels. Hadrian says findings are human-reviewed but not who reviews them. Penligent is desktop software you operate yourself, with a manual mode. Penti sells AI credits and a separate pool of expert hours.

## At a glance

Prices are the vendor's published figures. A dash means the pages checked list no price. Units differ, so do not rank by amount.

| Provider | Delivery | Published price and unit | Sample report |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aikido | Automated | $4,000 per assessment; $50 to $30,000+ per assessment, scoped | Page links to samples; web/API not among them |
| BreachLock | Hybrid | None | On request |
| Cobalt | Hybrid | $3,500 per autonomous test (offer ends 31 Dec 2026) | On request |
| Escape | Automated | None | Not published |
| Excession Labs (publisher of this site) | Hybrid | None | Public example report |
| HackerOne | Hybrid | None | Not published |
| Hadrian | Hybrid | From EUR 1,250 per test, excluding VAT | Not published |
| Horizon3.ai (NodeZero) | Automated | From $15 per asset per test; $10,000 per app per test | Not published |
| Intruder | Automated | $3,500 per test; $4,000 on the product page | Not published |
| Novee | Automated | None | Not published |
| Parameter | Automated | None | Public PDF |
| Penligent | Automated | $99.9 per month (Pro) | Synthetic sample, free account needed |
| Penti | Hybrid | $20 to $2,000 per month; expert hours from $4,000 per 15 hours | Not published |
| Synack | Hybrid | From $5,085 per test | Not published |
| Terra Security | Hybrid | None | Not published |
| TurboPentest | Automated | $99 to $699 per credit (one pentest) | Public |
| XBOW | Automated | None | Not published |

## Provider by provider

Each entry gives the delivery model, scope, price, the turnaround claim and what it measures, the retest terms and a limit. "Good fit when" is our reading of the vendor's pages, not a recommendation.

### Aikido

AI agents map, attack and verify. A human-led CREST pentest is available on request. Scope covers web apps, APIs, network, mobile and AI apps. The typical pentest costs $4,000 per assessment for one application plus primary APIs, whitebox, and the pricing page says black-box and grey-box cost extra. The turnaround claim is results on the day of the run, which measures an automated run; the AI pentest page also says a few hours and, in one place, days. Retesting is free for up to 6 months. Limit: the Rightsized range is very wide, so the real price is known only after scoping. Good fit when you want a low-cost, fast automated test for audit evidence.

### BreachLock

Human-led PTaaS from an in-house team described as expert-led and AI-accelerated, plus a separate autonomous product (Breach360). The pricing page lists Standard, Extended and Extensive tiers with no dollar figures. Tests can be scoped and started within 24 to 48 hours, which is time to start, not report time. Free manual retests are 1, 2 and custom by tier, while the product text promises unlimited retesting. Limit: no sample report is published, and the two retest statements differ. Good fit when you want a human team and a stated retest count per tier.

### Cobalt

Vetted freelance pentesters from the Cobalt Core, AI agents and a separate autonomous pentest option. The autonomous web application test costs $3,500 per test as a limited-time offer that must start and finish before 31 December 2026, with findings in 24 hours. That clock measures time to first findings. Annual tiers start within 1 to 3 business days and have no published price. Retests are free for 6 or 12 months by tier, though the FAQ says unlimited during the contract term. Limit: human-led pricing needs a quote. Good fit when you want human pentesters on a platform with in-platform retesting.

### Escape

An application security platform where AI runs the pentest, with the vendor describing no human in the loop. Scope covers web apps, APIs, network and AI apps. Results arrive in minutes after a merge, deploy or schedule, which is run time for an automated test. Open issues are re-checked. Limit: no price, no units, no sample report, and the vendor says it does not test internal network lateral movement. Good fit when you want pentest-style testing on every release next to DAST.

### Excession Labs (publisher of this site)

The lab's AI testing agents run testing tasks under tool rules. Excession Labs agrees the scope in writing, checks the evidence for each finding and writes the report. It covers web applications, APIs, multi-tenant SaaS and AI applications. It publishes no prices and no turnaround. It offers retests of fixed findings and a free pentest pilot with a small written scope. A [public sample report](https://penetrationtestservices.com/sample-report/) is an example built for a made-up app, not a customer report. Good fit when you want to judge the lab through a scoped pilot first.

### Hadrian

A fleet of AI agents runs the Nova tests. Findings are described as human-reviewed, but the page does not say who reviews them. Scope lists web applications. Nova starts at EUR 1,250 per test, excluding VAT, and the page does not define what one test covers. Most tests finish within 24 to 48 hours, which measures test duration after start. Retest terms are not published. Limit: no sample report, and no API, cloud or mobile scope listed. Good fit when you want a published starting price for a quick test before a launch.

### HackerOne

H1 Pentest is fully human-led. H1 Agentic Pentest pairs AI agents with human pentesters who review every agent finding. The agentic tier covers web apps and APIs. All pricing routes to sales. The product page gives no start time. HackerOne docs list the final report 3 to 5 business days after testing ends. Docs say retests are unlimited during the remediation period, typically 30 or 90 days, though older posts describe other terms. Limit: no price or sample report. Good fit when you already use HackerOne for bug bounty or disclosure.

### Horizon3.ai (NodeZero)

NodeZero is software that runs the attacks itself, and the pages checked describe no human pentesters. Flex is $15 per asset per test on a 12-month term. Core, Pro and Elite are annual subscriptions at $50, $65 and $85 per asset. WebApp Flex is $10,000 per app per test, and the page does not define the scope of one test. No turnaround is published. Limit: costs scale with asset count, which makes comparison with per-test prices hard. Good fit when you can count your assets and want internal, external and cloud tests often.

### Intruder

AI Pentesting uses autonomous agents that work from your source code and check each finding against the live app. Scope is web apps. The pricing page shows $3,500 per test with unlimited retesting, and a 4-pack at $12,000 to use within one year. The product page says $4,000 standalone, so two Intruder pages disagree. Setup takes minutes and results arrive within hours, which measures launch to report for one test. Limit: no sample report, and no human review is described. Good fit when you can share source code and want a per-test price.

### Novee

AI built on Novee's own offensive security model plus frontier models, with test plans you can review before execution. Scope covers web apps, APIs, mobile backends and AI apps. Retests run automatically after fixes and on new deployments. No prices, turnaround or sample report are listed, and the pricing page returned 404 on 9 November 2026. Good fit when you want continuous AI testing with SaaS, bastion node or on-premises deployment.

### Parameter

Autonomous AI agents run the pentest and pause for the customer's approval before chaining or escalating. Scope is web apps and APIs. It publishes three tiers with no amounts. First findings arrive in 24 hours and most runs finish on the day they start, which measures start to first findings. Free retesting is listed for Single App and inherited by higher tiers. A [sample pentest report](https://www.parameter.ai/parameter-assets/sample-pentest-report.pdf) is public. Limit: no prices, and its SOC 2 report is Type I only. Good fit when you want to read a sample before you talk to sales.

### Penligent

Desktop software for Windows, macOS and Linux that you operate, with an agent mode and a manual mode. The page describes no managed human testers. Free costs $0 per month with one trial task, and Pro costs $99.9 per month for 13,000 credits. The homepage tagline says an hour replaces a week, a marketing claim with no timeline. Pro includes re-runs and re-scans. The 19-page sample report uses synthetic data and needs a free account. Limit: you own the judgment on findings. Good fit when you are a consultant who wants to run AI-assisted tests yourself.

### Penti

Autonomous AI agents run the exploits. A certified pentester can verify findings: 3 per year on Plus, 6 on Advanced, and a paid add-on on Launch. Monthly plans run $20, $300, $1,000 and $2,000 in credits, and expert hours cost $4,000 per 15 hours. Every plan includes unlimited retests. No per-plan turnaround is stated. Limit: credit cost per test is approximate, so a full web app test is hard to price, and no downloadable sample exists. Good fit when you want monthly pricing and an option to buy human hours.

### Synack

Sara, an autonomous AI agent, works with the Synack Red Team of vetted researchers. Sara Pentest starts at $5,085 per test, external web or host only. SynackST starts at $10,283 and Synack14 at $27,120. The turnaround figures are test windows: 4 to 5 business days, 5 days and 14 days. Patch verification is included in each product. Limit: the required platform subscription has no published price, and Synack and NetSPI announced a merger on 2 September 2026, so offerings may change. Good fit when you want several depth levels with starting prices.

### Terra Security

AI agents run the tests with human pentesters supervising, and certified pentesters sign the reports. Scope covers web apps, network and AI apps. The vendor says tests drop from 4 to 6 weeks to 2 to 4 hours. That is a marketing comparison, not a service level. No pricing page, retest terms or sample report are published. Good fit when you want continuous testing with a human on the loop.

### TurboPentest

Self-service AI agents run the pentest. The page does not say humans validate findings. Audit-Ready is $99 per credit for one target, Threat-Hunt $299 for up to four, and Adversarial-Depth $699 for up to eight. Tests typically complete in a few hours. A retest is a new paid run, with a free re-pentest only if the first run has zero actionable findings. A [sample report](https://turbopentest.com/sample-report) is public. Limit: business logic areas are flagged for manual follow-up. Good fit when you need a low-cost external web and API test and accept automation only.

### XBOW

The vendor says no human drives the attack. Autonomous agents test and findings are reviewed before delivery, though who reviews is not stated. Scope is web apps and APIs. Pricing is usage-based with no unit or amount published. First validated findings arrive in hours, which is time to first findings, not a full report. Retests are described as free and unlimited. Limit: no price or sample report. Good fit when you run many web apps and want continuous testing with scope controls.

## How we compared these services

We read each vendor's pricing page and AI pentest page on 9 November 2026 and recorded the figures in our [open dataset](/providers/). We record a price only when a page shows an amount and a unit. A turnaround claim is kept together with what it measures. We did not run any of these services, so we make no claim about test quality. Outpost24 was checked, but its pages returned HTTP 403, so we left it out of this comparison. Services that use human testers only are not included. Vendor facts can change; use the [correction form](/contact/) if you see an error.

## What should you check before you buy?

Start with what you are buying: a one-off test, a credit pool or a subscription. Then ask four things.

1. What does one test cover? Hadrian and Horizon3.ai both publish a price but do not define the scope of one test.
2. What does the turnaround clock measure? Use the [questions to ask a pentest provider](/guides/questions-to-ask-a-pentest-provider/).
3. Is a retest free, and for how long? TurboPentest charges for a new run, Intruder offers unlimited retests, and Aikido offers 6 months.
4. Can you read a sample report? Judge it with the [sample report guide](/guides/judge-a-pentest-provider-by-its-sample-report/).

For tools you run yourself, see the [automated pentesting tools guide](/guides/automated-pentesting-tools/). For the human side of the question, see [AI vs human pentesting](/guides/ai-vs-human-pentesting/).

## Provider cards

We show the four providers with a public sample report, so you can read before you contact anyone.

## Questions

### Which AI penetration testing service is cheapest?

The published prices use different units, so a ranking by price would mislead. TurboPentest lists $99 per credit for one pentest, Horizon3.ai lists $15 per asset per test, and Intruder lists $3,500 per test. These cover different scopes. Compare the covers column and the limits on each vendor's page before you compare amounts.

### What does a turnaround claim of 24 hours mean?

It depends on the vendor. Cobalt's 24 hours is time to findings for its autonomous test. Hadrian's 24 to 48 hours is test duration after start. BreachLock's 24 to 48 hours is time to scope and start. None of these is a report delivery date. Ask which event the clock starts and stops on.

### Does an AI pentest report satisfy an auditor?

Ask your auditor. We found no vendor page that proves acceptance by an auditor. TurboPentest says its signed letter is for questionnaires and common audits, and Penligent says its reports are supporting evidence, not a SOC 2 examination report or ISO 27001 certificate.

### Do AI pentest services include a human?

Some do and some do not. HackerOne says humans review every agent finding. Intruder says a human in the loop is not needed for web app pentesting. Hadrian says findings are human-reviewed but not by whom. Read the delivery note under each provider below.

## Sources

- [Aikido pricing](https://www.aikido.dev/pricing)
- [BreachLock pentest pricing](https://www.breachlock.com/pricing/penetration-testing-pricing/)
- [Cobalt pricing](https://www.cobalt.io/pricing)
- [Escape AI pentesting](https://escape.tech/product/ai-pentesting)
- [HackerOne pentest product page](https://www.hackerone.com/product/pentest)
- [Hadrian pricing](https://hadrian.io/pricing)
- [Horizon3.ai NodeZero pricing](https://horizon3.ai/use-case/pricing/)
- [Intruder pentest pricing](https://www.intruder.io/pentest-pricing)
- [Intruder AI Pentesting](https://www.intruder.io/platform/ai-pentesting)
- [Novee homepage](https://novee.security/)
- [Parameter pentesting](https://www.parameter.ai/pentesting)
- [Parameter sample pentest report (PDF)](https://www.parameter.ai/parameter-assets/sample-pentest-report.pdf)
- [Penligent pricing](https://www.penligent.ai/pricing)
- [Penti pricing](https://penti.ai/pricing)
- [Synack pricing](https://www.synack.com/pricing/)
- [Terra Security homepage](https://www.terra.security/)
- [TurboPentest pricing](https://turbopentest.com/pricing)
- [TurboPentest sample report](https://turbopentest.com/sample-report)
- [XBOW pricing](https://xbow.com/pricing)
- [Excession Labs sample report (example)](https://penetrationtestservices.com/sample-report/)