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How Much Does a Penetration Test Cost in Ireland?
This page is about pricing, not technique, so it carries no how-to steps — but the site's rule holds throughout: only ever test systems you own or are explicitly authorised to test, under the Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Act 2017.
Every buyer wants a number, and every provider is cagey about giving one. Here's the honest position: we're not publishing a price list on this page while we're still building the business, and any single number you see quoted online is close to meaningless without scope. What we can do — more usefully — is explain exactly what drives the cost, so you can read a quote and know whether it's fair.
How pentest pricing actually works
Almost all penetration testing is priced by effort: how many days of a skilled tester's time the work takes, at that firm's day rate. So the real question behind 'how much does it cost' is 'how many days of testing does my scope need', and that's something you influence directly.
What drives the number up or down
- Scope size — one web app is a few days; your whole external estate plus internal AD plus Wi-Fi is weeks. The single biggest lever.
- Depth — a broad, shallow test costs less than a deep test of a critical system. You choose the trade-off.
- Black / grey / white box — black box takes longer (the tester discovers everything); white box is more efficient because you hand over information.
- Complexity — many user roles, custom business logic, legacy systems, or OT all add time.
- On-site requirements — Wi-Fi and OT often need someone physically present; that adds travel and time.
- Retesting and reporting — a proper report and a re-test are effort too, and worth paying for. A suspiciously cheap quote often skips one or both.
- Seniority — experienced testers cost more per day and usually find more per day. Cheapest-per-day isn't cheapest-per-finding.
Why online price ranges mislead
You'll find figures quoted for 'penetration testing in Ireland' on various sites. Treat them as extremely rough. A number without a defined scope tells you nothing — the same phrase covers a one-day check of a brochure website and a multi-week assessment of a bank. Some of those ranges also come from firms outside Ireland estimating a market they don't operate in. Use them to understand that price scales with scope, not as a quote.
How to compare quotes fairly
When you do get quotes, make them comparable:
- Insist every quote states the number of testing days and the day rate, not just a total.
- Confirm what's included: scoping, reporting, a debrief, and a re-test.
- Check the tester's seniority and whether the people quoted are the people testing.
- Ask for a redacted sample report — the quality gap between providers shows there fastest.
- Make sure all quotes cover the identical scope; if not, you're comparing different jobs.
- Be wary of the cheapest — it often means an automated scan, a junior tester, or no re-test.
The cheapest way to reduce the cost
Do the free groundwork first. A tidy scope, an accurate asset list, white-box information handed over, and the basics (MFA, patching, a prior scan) already fixed all reduce the days needed — and mean you pay for findings that matter instead of paying a tester to rediscover the obvious. The work in our 'do you need one yet' guide is also the work that makes a test cheaper.
Common questions
How much does a penetration test cost in Ireland?
It's priced by effort — the number of testing days your scope needs, at the provider's day rate — so there's no single meaningful figure. A one-day check of a small website and a multi-week assessment of a complex environment both get called 'a penetration test'. Focus on getting comparable, scope-defined quotes rather than a headline number.
Why do penetration testing quotes vary so much?
Because scope and depth vary enormously, and firms differ in day rate and seniority. A quote is really an estimate of testing days, so two 'penetration test' prices can describe completely different amounts of work. Always compare quotes for the identical scope, with the testing days and what's included spelled out.
How can I reduce the cost of a penetration test?
Tighten the scope, hand over information (white-box is more efficient than black-box), provide an accurate asset inventory, and fix the basics — MFA, patching, a prior vulnerability scan — first. All of that reduces the testing days needed and means you pay for meaningful findings rather than for rediscovering obvious issues.
When you're ready for a real number, the honest way to get one is a scoping conversation — here's how we scope an engagement at CyberLabs so the quote reflects your actual environment, not a headline range.
No prices on this page — by design, while we're still building. You'll get a real figure once we've scoped your actual environment.
This page is educational and not legal advice. Only test systems you own or are explicitly authorised to test. · ↑ Back to top