Exposure validation
Invadel vs Pentera
Pentera is an exposure validation platform: software that runs autonomous attack emulation across your environment on a schedule you control. It answers "which of my exposures can actually be exploited?" A penetration test answers "what would a person who wants in actually do?"
The models
How each one works
Pentera
As of Sep 2026, Pentera describes itself as an AI-driven exposure validation platform. Pentera Core covers internal networks, Pentera Surface external assets, and Pentera Cloud cloud and hybrid environments, running attack kill chains in production without a human operator. It is sold as a software subscription.
Invadel
Human testers work your environment the way an adversary would, chaining findings that no automated playbook contains, and report the result as evidence your auditor and your board can use.
Side by side
Invadel compared with Pentera
| Dimension | Pentera | Invadel |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Exposure validation software, sold by subscription | A delivered manual engagement |
| Coverage | Broad and repeatable across the estate | Deep against the agreed scope |
| Novel attack paths | Bounded by the techniques the platform implements | Bounded by the tester, not a library |
| Cost model | Software subscription | Fixed price per engagement, published on the pricing page before you talk to anyone |
| Compliance evidence | Validation reports | Report written as audit evidence, mapped to SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and ISO 27001, with an attestation letter |
| Operating cost | Your team runs and tunes it | We run it and hand you the result |
Facts about Pentera checked in against its own website. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
An honest read
Which one should you pick
We would rather you choose correctly than choose us. Here is where each option genuinely wins.
Choose Pentera when
- You have a mature internal security team that will operate the platform continuously.
- You want to re-validate the same controls weekly across a large environment.
- Your budget favors a software subscription over professional services.
Choose Invadel when
- You need third-party independence, which self-run software cannot provide for an audit.
- You want business-logic and human-factor findings alongside technical ones.
- You do not have the internal capacity to run and tune a validation platform.
Where to start
The engagements buyers compare here
Internal Network Penetration Testing
Testing from an assumed foothold inside your network: Active Directory attack paths, lateral movement, and segmentation, from $6,000.
From $6,000
Red Teaming Services
Objective-based attacks that prove the whole chain and test if your team detects and stops them, mapped to MITRE ATT&CK, from $12,500.
From $12,500
External Network Penetration Testing
Testing of your internet-facing perimeter, from exposed services and VPN gateways to mail and cloud edges, with a free retest, from $4,200.
From $4,200
What drives each price: Internal Network cost guide, Red Teaming cost guide, External Network cost guide.
01Can automated validation replace a penetration test for compliance?
Not usually. Most frameworks and auditors expect testing by an independent third party, and software you operate yourself does not meet the independence bar. Our SOC 2 page covers what evidence auditors actually accept.
02Do you use automation?
Yes, as a tool in the tester’s hands. Tooling maps the surface quickly; the findings that decide whether you are safe come from a person reading the application. Our list of autonomous penetration testing vendors compared covers the automated side of the market.
03What about internal networks?
Our internal network test starts at $6,000 and covers Active Directory, privilege escalation, and lateral movement from an assumed-breach position.
Compare us on your actual scope
Tell us what you need tested and we will price it against whatever quote you are holding. Fixed scope, fixed price, free retest.
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