Penetration testing services hunt for vulnerabilities in business IT environments using tactics and approaches that threat actors would employ. The top pentesting service providers examine networks, web applications, mobile applications, cloud, and disparate devices to determine where your business is vulnerable and how you should protect it. This guide covers industry-leading pentesting services and their key features.
Here are the seven best pentesting service providers:
- BreachLock: Best comprehensive suite of pentesting services
- ScienceSoft: Best for custom penetration testing
- SecureWorks: Best for experienced pentesting and security consulting
- Raxis: Best for web application security pentesting
- Software Secured: Best for application and code security testing
- Astra Security: Best for small and mid-sized businesses
- Intruder: Best for web and cloud pentesting
Software Spotlight: Astra
Astra is a penetration testing and vulnerability scanning solution that scours your IT infrastructure for thousands of common vulnerabilities.
Table of Contents
Pentesting Service Providers Comparison
The table below provides a brief overview of penetration testing service providers, including their pricing options and standout features.
| Key Capability | Automated/Manual Testing Service | Attack Simulation | CREST or PCI DSS Certified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BreachLock | AI with human validation | Both | Yes | Both |
| ScienceSoft | History matching (HM) tool | Both | Yes | PCI DSS |
| SecureWorks | Secureworks Counter Threat Unit’s Adversary Group | Both | Yes | CREST |
| Raxis | Penetration testing and identity management services | Manual for Customized Assessments | Yes | No |
| Software Secured | Penetration testing, code review, software security consulting | Both | Yes | No |
| Astra Security | Web application security testing, DDoS protection, vulnerability scanning | Both | Yes | PCI DSS |
| Intruder | External and internal vulnerability scanning, security reporting | Automated | Yes | PCI DSS |
BreachLock – Best Comprehensive Suite of Pentesting Tools & Services
BreachLock combines automation, AI, certified ethical hackers and a cloud-based pentesting and vulnerability management platform to prepare customers for audits. BreachLock offers penetration testing as a service (PTaaS), covering cloud, network, application, API, mobile, social engineering and third-party partner tests. It can help your business comply with SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 regulatory requirements.
Pros
Cons
ScienceSoft – Best for Custom Penetration Testing
ScienceSoft offers a range of pentesting services, covering applications, networks, remote access, wireless, open source intelligence (OSINT), social engineering, and red teaming. Like BreachLock, ScienceSoft offers a mix of manual and automated testing. It examines employees’ security posture and awareness, identifying behavior from individual contributors, executives, and contractors that compromises your business.
Pros
Cons
SecureWorks – Best for Extensive Experience in Pentesting & Security Consulting
SecureWorks is a top managed security services provider (MSSP) with expertise that naturally extends to other security services, such as penetration testing, threat hunting and incident response. SecureWorks’ pentesting services are aimed at sophisticated enterprise security concerns such as mimicking adversaries, exposing the kill chain, ransomware attack simulations, physical security, and insider threats.
Pros
Cons
Raxis – Best for Web Application Security Testing
Raxis is a cybersecurity company that offers a wide range of services, such as penetration testing, security consultancy, and managed security. Raxis offers a number of pentesting and vulnerability services, including red team services, pentesting as a service (PTaaS), breach and attack simulation, social engineering, and more. Services are available on a one-time, multi-year, or continuous basis.
Pros
Cons
Software Secured – Best for Application & Code Security Testing
Software Secured offers a range of penetration testing services, including manual pentests, one-time comprehensive compliance assessments, PTaaS, and even secure code training for developers and engineers. The company’s emphasis on human pentesters means they’re not the cheapest company on this list, but they promise above-average results and testing frequency, and customers seem pleased with their services.
Pros
Cons
Astra Security – Best for Small & Mid-Sized Businesses
Astra Security tests web apps, mobile apps, APIs, and public cloud environments like AWS and Microsoft Azure. It offers a vulnerability scanner solution, which offers integrations with tools like Slack and Jira, and a pentesting solution with annual tests, compliance reports, and cloud security reviews. Astra’s prices fall below multiple competitors, and it also has the most transparent pricing on this list.
Pros
Cons
Intruder – Best for Web & Cloud Pentesting
Intruder is best known for its quality vulnerability scanning tools, but the company offers pentesting services, too. Intruder’s pentests cover web apps, APIs, and cloud configurations. Your business has the option to perform continuous pentesting using Intruder Vanguard, a vulnerability management solution led by Intruder experts. While Intruder doesn’t have a mobile pentesting solution, it’s a good choice for teams focusing on thorough vulnerability scans.
Pros
Cons
Learn more about the differences between vulnerability scanning and pentesting in our guide to the two solutions.
Key Features of Penetration Testing Services
Penetration testing services assess IT infrastructures for vulnerabilities, follow legitimate attack methods, report on their findings, support multiple environments, and perform post-exploit tests.
Vulnerability Assessments
Penetration testing services check systems for possible flaws. They look for obsolete software, misconfigurations, and other vulnerabilities that hackers might exploit. Often, pentesting service providers also offer vulnerability scanning solutions.
Real-World Simulations
Pentesters replicate real-world cyber attacks and adversaries in order to determine how effectively a system can survive different hacking efforts. This helps businesses better understand their current security posture.
Reporting
Following a completed test, service providers create extensive reports. These reports include the vulnerabilities discovered, the techniques used to exploit them, and security suggestions. For organizations to recognize risks and take proper action, clear and comprehensive reporting is critical.
Support for a Wide Range of Systems
Businesses use penetration testing to evaluate online applications, networks, mobile apps and devices, cloud-based services, and other environments. Extensive platform support is critical for modern organizations operating across numerous platforms.
Post-Exploitation Testing
Some sophisticated technologies enable testers to estimate the level of harm that could be done once a hacker has access. This helps organizations comprehend the potential consequences of a security breach. Pentesting services can (and should) also test the effectiveness of any patches and mitigations applied as a result of the test.
How We Evaluated Pentesting Service Providers
For this list, we analyzed a number of penetration testing service providers and included a range of choices to cover a wide variety of use cases, from small businesses, startups, and dev teams up to complex enterprises with high security needs. We examined services offered, expertise, specializations, pricing, value, and customer feedback.
We also considered some vendors where human pentests aren’t central and are thus more like automated pentesting tools — Hexway and ImmuniWeb are two good examples. Those are good PTaaS options, but here we’ve kept the focus on human pentesting services.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Is a Penetration Test?
A penetration test mimics cyber attacks on your systems in order to find flaws. It is critically important to check your IT systems and assets on a regular basis in order to safeguard your company from any intrusions, and using an intruder’s perspective helps find shielded backdoors and vulnerabilities.
Who Are Penetration Testers?
Penetration testers are security experts and ethical hackers who know their way around IT systems and have experience finding vulnerabilities. Reputable testers adhere to stringent ethical standards. Throughout the testing process, they utilize non-destructive procedures to assure your data and system confidentiality, integrity, and availability. They remove any back doors and other process vulnerabilities when finished.
Why Do You Need Outside Pentesting?
External penetration testing is important because it reduces the risk of unnoticed blind spots. As hard as your security and IT teams try to protect your infrastructure, they might miss something. A second pair of eyes is always useful for locating particularly sneaky vulnerabilities.
Bottom Line: Penetration Testing Services Boost Cybersecurity
Penetration testing is a critically important cybersecurity practice for securing your IT environment. For organizations that lack the expertise to do their own pentesting, penetration testing services offer a great opportunity. Getting a real-world test of your cybersecurity defenses helps reduce data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage, while also helping you comply with regulations. A penetration test may not be cheap, but it’s worthwhile.
Read more about setting up a pentesting program in your organization, including budgeting and developing a team.
Jenna Phipps contributed to this article.
