A web application penetration test is only as good as the person doing it. Scanners find missing headers and known CVEs. They do not notice that a standard user can approve their own refund, or that changing one number in a request shows another customer’s invoice. Those are the findings that matter, and they come from people who understand what the application is for.
This list is written by a penetration testing company, so Invadel is first and this is our site. Every other firm is described only from what it says on its own public pages, checked in September 2026. No prices for other firms appear here. Ours are on the web application penetration testing pricing page.
For the general market, including network and red team firms, see our list of the best penetration testing companies. This one uses web application criteria and a different set of firms.
What a web application test has to cover
- Every role and tenant. Access control is tested from each role: can a user reach another user’s data (horizontal), or an admin function (vertical)? In a multi-tenant product, can one customer reach another?
- Business logic. Payments, approvals, quotas, discounts, multi-step workflows. The rules your product runs on, and what happens when someone breaks them on purpose.
- The OWASP Top 10 and the testing guide. The OWASP Top 10 2025 sets the baseline list of risks. The OWASP Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG) sets the method. OWASP ASVS sets the level of verification.
- Authentication and sessions. Login, MFA, password reset, single sign-on, session handling and logout.
- The APIs the application calls. A modern front end is a thin layer over APIs, and the APIs are where authorization usually fails. Our API security testing companies list covers API-only work.
If a vendor’s proposal does not mention roles, business logic or APIs, it is probably a scan.
How we judged
Five criteria, in order of how much they affect what you get:
- Manual depth. Does the firm describe people testing the application, not just tools?
- Authenticated, multi-role testing. Does it test behind the login, from every role?
- Report quality. Can you see a sample or a published report before you sign?
- Retest policy. Does it retest the fixes, and is that included?
- Published pricing. Can you see a price before a sales call?
The comparison table records whether each point is stated on the firm’s own website. “Not stated” means we did not find it there. It does not mean the firm does not do it, so ask.
Web application penetration testing companies in 2026
1. Invadel
Best for: fixed-price, manual web application testing for SaaS, fintech and e-commerce teams.
Our web application test is manual. It covers every user role and tenant you provide, your business logic, the OWASP Top 10 and the API endpoints the application calls, tested alongside the front end. Findings come with reproduction steps and a fix in priority order. The price is published and fixed in writing before work starts: from $5,200 for a small application. A free retest of remediated findings is included, and the report is updated to show them closed. You can read a sample report before you talk to us. See web application penetration testing for the full scope.
The honest limitation: we are a boutique. If you need dozens of applications tested in parallel every month, a larger bench or a platform further down this list fits better.
2. NCC Group
Best for: enterprises that want application testing inside a wider secure development program.
A global security consultancy headquartered in Manchester, UK. Its application security practice covers the whole lifecycle: code review, architecture review, secure development lifecycle work and application penetration testing, with continuous testing offered for web applications, APIs and mobile apps. NCC Group publishes some client security assessments as public reports, which gives buyers a rare look at its work.
3. Doyensec
Best for: product teams that want testing driven by source code.
An application security firm with offices in San Francisco and San Marino. It describes its approach as manual source code auditing combined with dynamic testing, across web applications, APIs, mobile, desktop and cloud. The firm says its researchers spend a quarter of their time on self-directed research. A good fit when you can share the code and want the test to use it.
4. Include Security
Best for: software vendors that want a tailored assessment from a New York firm.
Headquartered in Brooklyn. Include Security runs web and mobile application assessments, plus reverse engineering, as custom engagements rather than fixed packages. Each engagement is led by a technical project manager, and the firm says its testers have at least five years of application hacking experience. The report prioritizes findings by risk with reproduction steps, and a walkthrough with your team follows.
5. TrustedSec
Best for: application testing from a firm that also covers the wider environment.
Based in Fairlawn, Ohio. TrustedSec uses the OWASP Testing Guide as its method and offers black box, authenticated gray box, white box code review and hybrid testing. Its penetration testing page says it retests after you fix the findings. A fit when you want the application and the infrastructure around it tested by one firm.
6. Rhino Security Labs
Best for: web applications hosted in the cloud.
A penetration testing firm focused on network, cloud, and web and mobile application testing. Its web application method runs from scoping through reconnaissance, enumeration, attack and reporting, with remediation testing available on request. An example web application report is available to download from its site.
7. Cure53
Best for: open-source and privacy-focused products that want a published audit.
A Berlin firm founded in 2007, doing web and mobile penetration tests, source code audits and cryptography reviews. Cure53 publishes many of its reports when the client or project maintainers ask, and says it prefers short reports without filler. A strong fit when the audit itself needs to be public.
8. Synack
Best for: enterprises that want crowdsourced testing through a platform.
A penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) platform that routes testing to a vetted researcher community it calls the Synack Red Team, with self-service scoping and triage and patch verification built in. Broad coverage at scale; the testers change from engagement to engagement. On September 2, 2026, Synack and NetSPI announced that they plan to merge, with closing expected in October 2026. See our Invadel vs Synack comparison.
9. Astra Security
Best for: startups that want a scanner and a pentest in one subscription.
A platform that combines automated scanning with manual testing, including authenticated workflows, and tracks findings on a dashboard until they are fixed and verified. Its web application package includes manual re-scans, and it publishes plan pricing on its site. A sample report is available. See our Invadel vs Astra Security comparison.
Comparison table
Yes means the firm states it on its own public pages. We checked in September 2026.
| Company | Human-led testing described | Authenticated testing described | Retest described | Prices published | Sample or public reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invadel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NCC Group | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | No | Yes |
| Doyensec | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | No | Not stated |
| Include Security | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | No | Not stated |
| TrustedSec | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Not stated |
| Rhino Security Labs | Yes | Not stated | Yes | No | Yes |
| Cure53 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | No | Yes |
| Synack | Yes | Not stated | Yes | No | Not stated |
| Astra Security | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Use the “Not stated” cells as your question list for the vendor call.
How to tell a manual test from a DAST scan with a logo
Some “penetration tests” are a dynamic application security testing (DAST) scan with a cover page. Four questions expose the difference:
- Who tests, and for how many days? A manual test names people and testing days. A scan names a tool and a turnaround time.
- What makes the price go up? A manual test is priced on roles, workflows and business logic. A scan is priced on URLs or applications.
- What is in the sample report? Look for authorization and business logic findings with reproduction steps. A report of missing headers and TLS settings is scanner output.
- Who does the retest? It should be the tester who found the issue, checking the fix by hand.
Our DAST vs penetration testing guide covers what each finds, and automated vs manual penetration testing covers where tools help.
What a web application penetration test costs
Our prices are published and fixed before work starts. Size depends on roles, features and business logic, not on the number of pages.
| Tier | Price | What it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Small | $5,200 | One application with one or two user roles, a contained feature set and standard authentication |
| Medium | $7,800 | An established product with several roles, an admin panel and integrations, or two smaller applications |
| Large | From $12,500 | A large or multi-tenant platform with many roles, complex business logic and extensive APIs |
Every tier includes authenticated testing across the roles you provide, the API endpoints the application uses, a full report and a free retest. Of the other firms here, only Astra Security publishes prices on its site. Every other published price is on our pricing page.
Read a sample report before you sign
The report is the product. Before you sign with anyone, ask for a sample and check four things:
- Each finding has reproduction steps an engineer can follow without calling the tester.
- Severity reflects your business, not only a CVSS score.
- The executive summary is readable by someone who will read nothing else.
- There is a place for retest results, so the report can show fixes closed.
Ours is on the sample report page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a web application penetration test take? A small application takes about a week of testing, followed by reporting. Medium and large applications, with more roles and workflows, take longer. See how long a penetration test takes.
Gray box or black box? Gray box, for most applications. With an account for every role, the tester spends the time on authorization and business logic instead of guessing how to log in. Black box answers a narrower question: what can someone with no account reach? Our guide to black box vs white box vs gray box testing explains the trade-offs.
What do SOC 2 auditors expect? SOC 2 does not name penetration testing, but most auditors ask for a recent test of the in-scope application as evidence that security controls work. A report with retest results showing fixes closed is the strongest version. See SOC 2 penetration testing.
Is a bug bounty a substitute? No. A bounty pays for what researchers choose to look at. A test covers a defined scope, every role, on a schedule your auditor can rely on. Many companies run both. See our bug bounty comparison.
How often should we test? At least once a year and after major releases or architecture changes. Teams that ship weekly often move to a continuous testing program.
The short version
Shortlist two or three firms whose model fits you. Ask each one the same five questions: who tests, do they test every role, can you see a sample report, is the retest included, and what does it cost. Then compare the sample reports side by side.
If fixed-price, manual testing with a free retest fits, scope your web application test and get the price in writing.
Written by
Invadel Team
Senior penetration testers writing from real engagements, the same team that scopes, tests, and reports for our clients. About Invadel →