# PentestCompare > A sourced comparison of penetration testing providers: testing scope, human or automated delivery, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Published by Excession Labs. PentestCompare is published by Excession Labs. Excession Labs also sells penetration testing and appears in the comparison as one provider. Provider facts come from each provider's own public pages and carry the date we checked them. Unknown values say "Not published". Every page is also available as Markdown: add `index.md` to the page URL. ## Key pages - [Pentest provider comparisons](https://pentestcompare.com/compare/index.md): Sourced head-to-head and alternatives pages for pentest providers: Cobalt, HackerOne, XBOW, Horizon3 and Synack. Prices and retest terms checked 9 Nov 2026. - [Talk to Excession Labs, the publisher](https://pentestcompare.com/contact/index.md): Contact Excession Labs, the publisher of PentestCompare, about your own penetration test. This form does not go to the other providers listed. - [Pentest glossary: 60+ terms buyers meet](https://pentestcompare.com/glossary/index.md): A pentest glossary with 60+ terms from scope and severity to BOLA, PTaaS and prompt injection, each in one to three plain sentences with links to deeper guides. - [Pentest buyer guides](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/index.md): Buyer guides for penetration testing: cost and pricing models, providers for startups and SOC 2, AI vs human testing, PTaaS, and how to judge sample reports. - [Compare penetration testing providers](https://pentestcompare.com/index.md): Compare pentest providers on testing scope, human or automated delivery, published prices and units, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [How PentestCompare works: publisher, method and corrections](https://pentestcompare.com/methodology/index.md): Who publishes PentestCompare, how the 15 providers were chosen, what each field means, how facts are checked, what we do not do, and how to send a correction. - [Privacy notice](https://pentestcompare.com/privacy/index.md): What PentestCompare collects when you visit or send a request, why, where it is stored, how long we keep it and how to contact Excession Labs about your data. - [Penetration test scoping checklist](https://pentestcompare.com/tools/scoping-checklist/index.md): An interactive checklist of what pentest providers ask before they quote: scope, roles, API size, environments, limits and report needs. Copy the summary. ## Providers - [Penetration testing providers](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/index.md): Profiles of penetration testing providers: what each tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting, credentials and sources. - [Aikido: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/aikido/index.md): Aikido at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [BreachLock: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/breachlock/index.md): BreachLock at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Cobalt: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/cobalt/index.md): Cobalt at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Escape: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/escape/index.md): Escape at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Excession Labs: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/excession-labs/index.md): Excession Labs at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [HackerOne: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/hackerone/index.md): HackerOne at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Hadrian: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/hadrian/index.md): Hadrian at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Horizon3.ai (NodeZero): pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/horizon3/index.md): Horizon3.ai (NodeZero) at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Parameter: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/parameter/index.md): Parameter at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Pen Test Partners: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/pen-test-partners/index.md): Pen Test Partners at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Secure Ideas: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/secure-ideas/index.md): Secure Ideas at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Synack: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/synack/index.md): Synack at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [Terra Security: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/terra-security/index.md): Terra Security at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [TurboPentest: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/turbopentest/index.md): TurboPentest at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. - [XBOW: pentest scope, pricing and delivery](https://pentestcompare.com/providers/xbow/index.md): XBOW at a glance: what it tests, who does the testing, published prices, turnaround, retesting and sample reports. Sourced and dated. ## Guides - [Cobalt alternatives for penetration testing](https://pentestcompare.com/compare/cobalt-alternatives/index.md): Cobalt.io alternatives for pentesting, grouped by need: published per-test prices, human-led testing, fast automated tests. Sources checked 9 November 2026. - [Cobalt vs HackerOne for penetration testing](https://pentestcompare.com/compare/cobalt-vs-hackerone/index.md): Cobalt vs HackerOne pentest compared on delivery, scope, pricing, turnaround, retests, sample reports and credentials, with vendor sources checked on 9 November 2026. - [HackerOne pentest alternatives](https://pentestcompare.com/compare/hackerone-pentest-alternatives/index.md): HackerOne pentest alternatives grouped by need: published prices, a sample report, set retest terms, or a consultancy. Sourced from vendor pages on 9 November 2026. - [Synack vs Cobalt for penetration testing](https://pentestcompare.com/compare/synack-vs-cobalt/index.md): Synack vs Cobalt compared on delivery, scope, price units, turnaround, retests, sample reports and credentials, with vendor sources checked on 9 November 2026. - [XBOW alternatives for autonomous and AI-assisted pentesting](https://pentestcompare.com/compare/xbow-alternatives/index.md): XBOW alternatives grouped by need: a published price, a sample report, a human reviewer, or network coverage. Facts sourced from vendor pages on 9 November 2026. - [XBOW vs Horizon3 NodeZero](https://pentestcompare.com/compare/xbow-vs-horizon3/index.md): XBOW vs Horizon3 NodeZero compared: an autonomous web and API agent vs a network-first platform with a web module. Prices, units and sources checked 9 Nov 2026. - [AI red teaming companies: who tests LLM apps and agents](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/ai-red-teaming-providers/index.md): AI red teaming companies that test LLM apps and agents: eight dataset providers, the publisher and two specialists, with scope, method and sources. Nov 2026. - [AI vs human pentesting: what 15 providers say they do](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/ai-vs-human-pentesting/index.md): AI vs human pentesting across 15 providers: who sorts into human-led, hybrid and automated by their own words, the tradeoffs, and where human judgment still matters. - [Automated penetration testing tools: four categories, named](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/automated-pentesting-tools/index.md): Automated penetration testing tools in four types: autonomous platforms, AI pentest services, AI-assisted DAST and open-source agents, with sourced prices. - [Bug bounty vs pentest: how to choose](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/bug-bounty-vs-pentest/index.md): Bug bounty vs pentest compared on payment, tester count, coverage, audit use and retests, with quotes from Bugcrowd and HackerOne docs, checked Nov 2026. - [How to judge a pentest provider by its sample report](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/judge-a-pentest-provider-by-its-sample-report/index.md): Nine signals to check in a pentest sample report before you buy, plus which of 14 providers publish one, with links and the date we checked them. - [Penetration testing cost: published prices from 14 providers](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/penetration-testing-cost/index.md): Penetration testing cost by pricing model, with list prices copied from provider pages, why units differ, what raises a quote, and what a quote should include. - [Penetration testing for startups: how to choose a provider](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/pentest-providers-for-startups/index.md): Penetration testing for startups: which delivery type fits which need, tradeoffs of 15 providers from published data, and what evidence to ask for before you buy. - [Pentest vs vulnerability scan: which one do you need?](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/pentest-vs-vulnerability-scan/index.md): Pen test vs vulnerability scan: what each does, how NIST defines them, how PCI DSS 11.3 (scans) differs from 11.4 (pentests), and a table to pick one. - [Penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) vs traditional pentesting](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/ptaas-vs-traditional-pentesting/index.md): Penetration testing as a service explained: how PTaaS platforms, consultancies and automated tools differ in contract, price and retesting, with provider examples. - [Questions to ask a pentest provider before you sign](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/questions-to-ask-a-pentest-provider/index.md): 24 questions to ask a pentest provider, grouped by scope, people, method, report, retest and contract. Each has the reason to ask and a good answer signal. - [SOC 2 penetration testing providers: what to compare](https://pentestcompare.com/guides/soc-2-penetration-testing-providers/index.md): SOC 2 penetration testing providers compared on sample reports, credentials and retest terms, with the AICPA wording and the evidence to request. ## Related Excession Labs sites - [penetrationtestservices.com](https://penetrationtestservices.com/llms.txt): Web application, API and SaaS penetration testing - [aipentestservices.com](https://aipentestservices.com/llms.txt): AI-assisted penetration testing with human review - [airedteamingservices.com](https://airedteamingservices.com/llms.txt): Security assessments of LLM apps, RAG and AI agents ## Optional - [Full text of this site](https://pentestcompare.com/llms-full.txt)