Penetration Testing Companies in USA 2025 (Reviewed)

Penetration Testing Companies in USA

• Market growth: U.S. pentesting market projected to rise from $1.7B 2020 to $4.5B by 2025 financial & healthcare lead adoption.
• DeepStrike leads U.S.: Fully manual PTaaS model, audit ready reports SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI, ISO, unlimited retesting.
• Key competitors: Rapid7, HackerOne, NetSPI, Synack, Cobalt, CrowdStrike, BreachLock, and others.
• Methodology & expertise: Teams with OSCP, GXPN certifications frameworks like NIST SP 800 115 and OWASP.
• Coverage: Network, web/API, mobile, cloud pentesting, plus red teaming.
• Market snapshot: Providers compared on pricing models hourly, credits, fixed price, compliance credentials, and service scope.
• Why it matters: Escalating cyber threats + regulatory pressure make expert pentesting critical for resilience and compliance.

Penetration testing pentesting is the practice of hiring ethical hackers to simulate real attacks against your systems in order to find vulnerabilities before criminals do. In 2025’s threat landscape AI driven malware, widespread cloud adoption, and rising ransomware the stakes are high. Attack surfaces have multiplied remote work, IoT, APIs, ML/AI systems, and a recent report projects that pentesting budgets will rise sharply.

The global market is forecasted to reach $4.5 billion by 2025 up from $1.7B in 2020, CAGR 22%. NIST stresses that pentesting mimics real world attacks to discover ways to bypass security, but it is labor intensive and requires expert talent. In other words, you need skilled pentesters certified, experienced to get value and avoid the risk of damaging systems by careless testing.

Pentesting is now seen as a strategic security investment, not just a compliance checkbox. Regulations and standards PCI DSS 11.3, HIPAA Security Rule, NIST, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, SOC 2 all mandate regular, thorough tests.

For example, PCI DSS Requirement 11.3 explicitly requires both external and internal penetration tests across network and application layers.Similarly, HIPAA and SOC 2 frameworks expect third party testing or equivalent programs. In practice, most large U.S. enterprises in finance, healthcare, tech run pentests at least annually and many now prefer continuous or quarterly testing to keep up with change.

In short, if an adversary has sophisticated tools, your organization must test itself in kind. A well executed pentest reveals hidden flaws often in business logic or misconfigurations that automated scanners miss, helping you fix issues before a breach occurs.

Choosing a Penetration Testing Provider: Evaluation Criteria

When evaluating a pentest vendor, focus on expertise, process, and trust. Key factors include:

• Tester Qualifications: Look for teams of senior engineers with respected certifications OSCP, OSCE/OSWE, GPEN/GXPN, CISSP, CREST, CEH, etc.. A high percentage of OSCP/GIAC certified testers often correlates with technical skill. Reviewing each tester’s bio or case study DeepStrike often highlights this.
• Methodology & Standards: Confirm the provider follows established frameworks NIST SP 800 115, OWASP testing guides, PTES, MITRE ATT&CK mapping. Methodology should include clear phases of planning, discovery, exploitation, reporting and rules of engagement. Ask for written methodology or RoE templates.
• Scope & Service Models: Identify whether you need one time assessments or ongoing PTaaS Pentest as a Service with continuous testing. Some firms HackerOne, Synack offer crowdsourced, on demand testing, while others DeepStrike, NetSPI, BreachLock provide dedicated teams with PTaaS portals. Ensure the vendor covers the assets you care about, network internal/external, web apps, APIs, mobile iOS/Android, cloud AWS/Azure/GCP, IoT, and even social engineering or physical tests if needed.
• Tools & Reporting: The report should include an executive summary, clear risk ratings, proof of concept screenshots, remediation guidance, and compliance mapping to SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI controls, etc.. Check if the provider uses reputable tools Burp, Metasploit, Nessus/ZAP, etc. and validates findings manually to avoid false positives. Also evaluate ease of delivery do they offer an online dashboard, real time findings, integrations with JIRA/Slack, and retest support? Many top firms DeepStrike, Cobalt, BreachLock include free retests to confirm fixes.
• Compliance & Insurance Fit: If you have specific compliance needs, pick a vendor that explicitly supports them. For example, PCI DSS 11.3 requires testing both external and internal networks HIPAA expects risk analysis and testing of ePHI systems FedRAMP often requires pentests on cloud environments. Cyber insurance policies increasingly demand proof of testing. Make sure the vendor has experience with SOC 2 audits, HITRUST, etc., and can provide an auditor friendly report.
• Reputation & References: Look at independent reviews Clutch, Gartner, Forrester, case studies, and client references. Verified 5 star reviews on Clutch or peer recommendations count a lot in this field.

Top Penetration Testing Companies in USA 2025

Here are some leading U.S. pentesting providers in alphabetical order, with DeepStrike highlighted as our top recommendation:

DeepStrike

A boutique firm specializing in fully manual penetration testing as a service

• Services: Fully manual penetration testing across web, mobile, API, cloud, and network environments. No reliance on automated scanners. Offers a continuous PTaaS dashboard that provides live findings, remediation status, and workflow integration essentially acting as an embedded in-house pentest team.
• Certifications & Compliance: Reports are tailored to SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI DSS frameworks. DeepStrike emphasizes compliance ready documentation and provides unlimited free retesting until fixes are fully validated.
• Clients: Serves a global base from tech startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Public case studies include Carta, Klook, and Mural, reflecting trust across industries.
• Pricing: Typically $10K-$50K per project, depending on scope. Larger, custom engagements can exceed this range. Retesting is always included at no extra cost.
• Key Strength: Known for manual expertise and high touch service. DeepStrike consistently identifies critical vulnerabilities missed by automated tools, delivering actionable insights and transparent remediation tracking.

DeepStrike positions itself as the Number 1 recommendation for elite manual pentesting. With its continuous PTaaS model, unlimited retesting, and compliance ready reporting, it appeals to organizations that value accuracy, transparency, and responsiveness over one off automated scans.

Rapid7

• Services: Comprehensive penetration testing across external/internal networks, web and mobile apps, cloud platforms AWS, Azure, GCP, IoT, wireless, social engineering, and full Red Team exercises. Tests are powered by both automated platforms InsightVM/Nexpose and expert human validation.
• Certifications & Compliance: Undergoes SOC 2 and ISO 27001 audits, ensuring strong compliance alignment for enterprise clients.
• Clients: Serves 11,000+ organizations worldwide, ranging from mid sized enterprises to global Fortune 500s. Rapid7’s global footprint makes it a trusted vendor for multi region corporations.
• Pricing: Highly customized enterprise pricing, typically above $50K per engagement, especially for complex or multi environment testing scopes.
• Key Strength: Known as the creator of Metasploit, Rapid7 combines a large R&D team, robust automated tools, and global service scale. Their value lies in scalability and integration, linking pentest results directly into their MDR, SIEM, and vulnerability management platforms for continuous monitoring.

Rapid7’s pentesting offering appeals most to large enterprises that need broad, repeatable, and integrated security validation. While less boutique than manual first firms, Rapid7 excels at covering massive environments at scale, and bridging pentesting into a continuous vulnerability management ecosystem.

HackerOne

• Services: Offers traditional pentesting under a PTaaS model, alongside its well known bug bounty platform. Testing spans web, mobile, API, cloud, and networks, often combining structured pentests with bounty driven testing for broader coverage.
• Certifications & Compliance: Holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and supports compliance with PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.
• Clients: Trusted by global leaders including Google, Uber, Starbucks, and GitHub. Enterprises often adopt a hybrid model of scheduled pentests plus ongoing bounty programs.
• Pricing: Subscription and credit based model, priced at enterprise level by quote. Flexible for organizations running continuous or hybrid testing programs.
• Key Strength: Leverages a global community of 100,000+ vetted ethical hackers. This scale enables the discovery of rare and edge case vulnerabilities that smaller, dedicated teams might miss. Provides a real time dashboard for instant visibility, collaboration, and retesting requests.

HackerOne is ideal for organizations seeking breadth and ongoing vulnerability discovery through a crowdsourced talent pool. While the tradeoff is less continuity from a single dedicated team, the sheer scale of researcher diversity makes it a strong choice for enterprises looking to augment pentesting with bug bounty insights.

NetSPI

• Services: Provides full service penetration testing applications, networks, cloud, OT/IoT, AI/ML, red teaming, and a PTaaS portal with real time findings and remediation tracking. Designed for scalability, from smaller engagements to multi year programs.
• Certifications & Compliance: CREST accredited and SOC 2 Type II certified, aligning with enterprise and regulatory requirements.
• Clients: Serves Fortune 100 organizations across banking, healthcare, and retail. Positioned as a trusted partner for large enterprises with complex infrastructures.
• Pricing: Ranges from $10K for small tests to hundreds of thousands of dollars for multi year, multi phase enterprise programs.
• Key Strength: With 300+ in-house testers and no crowdsourcing, NetSPI offers depth, consistency, and the ability to customize at scale. Their PTaaS platform is polished for continuous, large-scale testing.

NetSPI stands out as an enterprise focused penetration testing co op, balancing scale and consistency with a polished PTaaS platform. Best suited for large organizations needing multi phase, repeatable testing programs. A potential tradeoff: engagements can feel more standardized compared to boutique firms e.g., DeepStrike, which emphasize heavily tailored approaches.

Synack

• Services: Security testing platform combining 1,500 vetted researchers with AI driven triage Sara. Covers web, mobile, API, cloud, and managed vulnerability disclosure programs. Clients can run tests on demand or set up continuous coverage.
• Certifications & Compliance: Holds FedRAMP Moderate authorization rare in pentesting, plus SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Approved to serve U.S. government agencies and regulated industries.
• Clients: Serves both critical infrastructure and enterprise sectors, including federal agencies, thanks to its FedRAMP status.
• Pricing: Enterprise level, based on credit purchases for on demand or continuous testing.
• Key Strength: Combines AI automation with human expertise. Synack’s patented AI scans assets daily, with findings validated by security researchers. Delivers ongoing Red Team in the Cloud coverage, offering breadth and continuity beyond one off pentests.

Synack is a strong fit for organizations needing continuous, compliance grade pentesting especially in government and critical industries. While less personalized than boutique providers, testers rotate by engagement, Synack’s AI + vetted crowd model delivers scalable, ongoing assurance unmatched by most traditional firms.

Cobalt

• Services: Provides PTaaS for web, API, network, cloud, with options for code review and red team. Uses a credit based model of 8 hour units that allows rapid test launches within days.
• Certifications & Compliance: SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, CREST accredited.
• Clients: Serves a broad mix of organizations seeking developer friendly, flexible testing with fast turnaround.
• Pricing: Starter packages begin around $8,500 for small web apps and scale upward depending on scope. Pricing is tied to pentest credits purchased through their online portal.
• Key Strength: Known as the pioneer of the pentest credits model, Cobalt emphasizes speed and flexibility. Their Cobalt Core community of vetted pentesters executes the work, while integration APIs Jira, Slack provide real time reporting and collaboration. Includes 6 months of free retesting.

Cobalt is ideal for organizations needing fast, developer integrated pentesting with flexible scoping. Compared to DeepStrike, which emphasizes depth and consistency with a dedicated team, Cobalt prioritizes speed, scalability, and developer workflow integration.

CrowdStrike

• Services: Best known for endpoint protection Falcon platform, but also provides adversary emulation pentests. Simulates APT style attacks against networks and cloud environments, focusing on persistence, lateral movement, and full attack chains rather than exhaustive bug enumeration.
• Certifications & Compliance: Backed by SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified operations. Testing methodology is informed by MITRE ATT&CK and Falcon’s global threat intelligence.
• Clients: Trusted by 23,000+ organizations worldwide, including a large share of the Fortune 500.
• Pricing: Premium tier, often bundled with Falcon platform services. Engagements are scoped based on adversary simulation complexity.
• Key Strength: Leverages unparalleled global threat intelligence to replicate nation state TTPs and advanced adversary behavior. Provides unique value for blue team readiness assessments and resilience validation.

CrowdStrike is best for enterprises seeking realistic, threat driven testing aligned with advanced adversaries. Ideal for validating defensive response and resilience. For organizations needing exhaustive vulnerability discovery, boutique pentesters like DeepStrike may provide broader bug coverage.

BreachLock

• Services: Provides fully managed PTaaS with an in-house team and no crowdsourcing. Covers web, network, cloud, and optional red teaming. Each engagement includes a dedicated project manager and security engineer, supported by an online client portal.
• Certifications & Compliance: Team includes OSCP and CREST certified testers. Reports are marketed as audit ready for frameworks such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and other regulatory requirements.
• Clients: Positioned for small to mid sized businesses SMBs and compliance driven organizations needing a structured, white glove experience.
• Pricing: Offers tiered packages Standard, Extended, Enterprise to simplify procurement. Packages are designed for SMB affordability, but can scale for larger organizations. Free retesting included.
• Key Strength: Emphasizes customization and hands on support with pre engagement scoping, post test walkthroughs, and tailored remediation guidance. Combines PTaaS efficiency with boutique style service.

BreachLock appeals to compliance driven SMBs that want clear pricing, structured service tiers, and audit ready reports. Similar to DeepStrike in offering manual expertise + free retesting, but BreachLock is more SME focused, while DeepStrike positions itself as spanning startups through Fortune 500 enterprises.

Bishop Fox

Beyond the leading U.S. providers profiled above, several other firms and platforms contribute meaningfully to the penetration testing ecosystem:

• Bishop Fox: A veteran boutique offensive firm with a reputation for OSCP heavy teams and advanced red teaming.
• Rhino Security Labs: Specialists in red team operations and cloud adversary simulations.
• Packetlabs: Canadian born but active in the U.S., focusing on manual pentesting and boutique style audits.
• Secureworks Dell: Offers pentesting alongside a broad managed security services portfolio.
• NCC Group: UK based global consultancy with a major U.S. presence, providing end to end pentesting and audits.
• Veracode / Outpost24 / Indusface: AppSec focused vendors that include application pentesting as part of their security offerings.
• Bugcrowd: A crowdsourced testing platform, similar to HackerOne, blending PTaaS with bounty style engagements.
• Global Consultancies Accenture, EY, PwC, etc.: Large firms that offer pentesting as part of their wider cybersecurity and compliance practices.
• Public Sector Initiatives: Some U.S. government and state cybersecurity agencies are experimenting with open bug bounty programs to secure public digital infrastructure.

For smaller organizations, in house security or local specialist shops may suffice. But for enterprise grade assurance in 2025, the nine profiled leaders represent the most reputable and scalable choices in the U.S. market.

Pentesting Services & Methodologies

Types of Testing by Asset: Penetration testing firms offer a range of specialized services. Common service lanes include:

• External Network Pentest: Attacks from outside your firewall internet facing servers, DMZ.Internal Network Pentest: Attacks as a breach inside your network from within LAN, VPN, etc..
• Web Application Pentest: Attackers try to exploit vulnerabilities in web apps OWASP Top 10 issues like SQLi, XSS, SSRF. Internal link see web application penetration testing services for deep dive.
• API & Mobile App Pentest: Modern apps use APIs and mobile code test those for auth flaws, injection, insecure storage. Internal link: see mobile app penetration testing solution for mobile.
• Cloud Pentesting: Cloud environments AWS/Azure/GCP demand tests of IAM roles, S3 buckets, misconfigurations, container/docker security. Many providers now offer cloud pen testing or CNAPP validation.
• Red Team Engagements: Simulated full scope cyberattack exercises adversary emulation, often integrating phishing or social engineering and long dwell times. Red teams use the MITRE ATT&CK framework to emulate APTs. Internal link see red team vs blue team explained for context.
• Physical/Social Engineering: Physical security tests breaking into offices, network cabling and social engineering phishing, phone scams are often separate services but some pentest firms Rapid7, NetSPI bundle them.

Testing Methodologies: Pentesters use a mix of approaches:

• Black Box vs Grey Box vs White Box:
  • Black Box tester has no inside knowledge or credentials, simulating an external attacker.
  • Grey Box tester has some knowledge of user creds, network docs and a balance of realism and efficiency.White Box testers have full knowledge of source code, configs, etc., often yielding the deepest review.More info in black box vs white box testing explained.
• Manual vs Automated: Automated tools Nessus, OpenVAS, Burp Scanner, Acunetix, ZAP scan for known vulnerabilities quickly. Manual testing the focus of boutique firms like DeepStrike, NetSPI, Bishop Fox uses human creativity to chain vulnerabilities and test business logic. Manual finds 2000% more unique issues than automated scans, especially logic flaws that scanners miss. The tradeoff manual is slower and pricier, automated is faster and better for mass scanning. Most top providers combine both automated scanning to cover the basics especially for broad asset inventory, then manual follow up for critical areas.
• Continuous Pentesting PTaaS: Traditional pentests are point in time. Continuous PTaaS means ongoing scanning with a live portal for results. This model is offered by DeepStrike, HackerOne, Cobalt, Synack, etc. integrates into DevOps pipelines. Every code push triggers quick automated scans and assigns manual checks for new risks. Internal link: see continuous penetration testing platform for why many companies now prefer it. Continuous models often use credit or subscription pricing, and deliver findings in a web dashboard rather than a static report.

Common Techniques: Pentesters employ industry tools Nmap, Wireshark, Burp Suite, Metasploit, SQLMap, Aircrack ng, custom scripts, etc. and follow phases Reconnaissance open source intel, Scanning port/service discovery, vulnerability scans, Exploitation attacking found holes, Post exploit pivoting, and Reporting. Human testers also check for business logic flaws for example, shopping cart coupon bugs or flawed authorization flows that automated tools never flag.

Pricing & Cost of Penetration Testing

Rough Cost Ranges U.S. Penetration testing pricing varies widely by scope, asset count, complexity, and tester seniority. As a ballpark estimate per industry sources and provider data:

• External Network Pentest: $7,000-$35,000 for most single segment tests.
• Internal Network Pentest: $8,000-$40,000 adds complexity of navigating firewall, more hosts.
• Web Application Pentest per app: $5,000-$30,000+. Larger apps with many modules or login roles cost more.
• Mobile App Pentest per platform: $7,000-$35,000 iOS or Android each tested separately.
• API Pentest per API: $6,000-$25,000 depending on number of endpoints, auth schemes.
• Cloud Environment AWS/Azure/GCP: $12,000-$50,000+ covers IAM, containers, networking, etc..
• Full Red Team enterprise scope: $40,000-$150,000+ objectives driven, can involve months of testing.

These are starting ranges. Actual quotes depend on factors like number of hosts/endpoints, whether source code review is included, and retest policies. For example, Cobalt’s credit based PTaaS plans start around $8,500 for a basic web/API test, with higher tiers $13.6K, $20.4K for more hours. Some firms offer fixed price tiers or annual subscriptions for unlimited testing. Always check if retesting of fixes is included, many top vendors do this free for 6 months to a year.

Cost Drivers: Key drivers are scope/complexity, methodology, and personnel. Deep technical depth exploring every logic path, black box intrusion phases, or use of advanced exploits all cost more. A test led by a former Fortune 500 red teamer bills higher than a mid level auditor. Rush jobs or tests requiring very deep reporting also add premium. Conversely, SMB focused packages and targeted quick scans can be on the lower end of ranges. Some clients cut costs by reducing scope e.g. single external test vs. full internal+external.

Budget Expectations: Enterprises often allocate $100K+ yearly to testing programs even large one time pentests can run six figures. SMBs typically spend $10K-$50K per year on annual tests. Consider this an investment every $1 on testing can save $10 in future breach costs according to industry ROI studies.

In 2025’s landscape of AI driven attacks and complex hybrid infrastructures, thorough penetration testing is non-negotiable. A high quality pentest reveals not only code bugs but process and logic flaws that put your entire business at risk. Use this guide to compare providers on depth manual vs automated, breadth web, mobile, cloud, red team, and credibility certifications, accreditations.

Ready to strengthen your defenses? The threats of 2025 demand more than just awareness, they require readiness. If you’re looking to validate your security posture, identify hidden risks, or build a resilient defense strategy, DeepStrike is here to help. Our team of certified experts conducts fully manual pentesting across web, API, mobile, and cloud environments, delivering compliance ready reports and unlimited fix verification. Explore our Penetration Testing Services to see how we can uncover vulnerabilities before attackers do. Drop us a line we’re always ready to dive in.

About the Author:

Mohammed Khalil is a Cybersecurity Architect at DeepStrike, specializing in advanced penetration testing and offensive security operations. With certifications including CISSP, OSCP, and OSWE, he has led numerous red team engagements for Fortune 500 companies, focusing on cloud security, application vulnerabilities, and adversary emulation. His work involves dissecting complex attack chains and developing resilient defense strategies for clients in finance, healthcare, and technology.

FAQs

• What is penetration testing?

A penetration test pen test is an authorized, simulated cyberattack on your systems, networks, or applications to identify security weaknesses. Skilled ethical hackers use the same methods as criminals port scans, vulnerability scanning, exploit frameworks to break in and demonstrate what attackers could do. NIST defines it as security testing where assessors mimic real world attacks to find ways to bypass security features. The goal is to fix flaws before they are exploited.

• How much does penetration testing cost?

Costs vary widely by scope. A simple external network test might start around $7,000, while a full web application pentest or cloud environment test can be $20K-$50K+. Advanced red team exercises or continuous year round PTaaS can exceed $100K. Most U.S. providers give quotes based on asset counts and complexity. Budget roughly SMBs often spend $10K-$50K annually and large enterprises allocate $100K+ per year. Internal vs. external, black box vs. white box, and the number of IPs/apps tested all influence the price.

• How do I choose between penetration testing and a vulnerability assessment?

A vulnerability assessment VA typically uses automated scanners to find known issues missing patches, misconfigs and produces a list of potential vulnerabilities. A penetration test goes further, skilled testers validate which vulnerabilities are exploitable, manually probe deep into systems, chain exploits together, and often uncover business logic flaws that scanners miss. In short VA = comprehensive scan pentest = hands on exploitation proof of concept. Many organizations do both: run regular VA scans for coverage and periodic pentests for in depth analysis.

• What is PTaaS Penetration Testing as a Service?

PTaaS refers to a continuous, on demand model of pentesting delivered via an online platform. Instead of a one time report, clients get a dashboard of live findings. They buy credits or subscriptions to initiate tests whenever needed, often integrating pentesting into their DevOps workflow. PTaaS platforms may use crowdsourced hackers or managed teams. The advantage is faster turnaround and the ability to retest fixes on the same portal. DeepStrike’s continuous pentesting platform is an example offering real time results and unlimited retesting without extra fees.

• What certifications should a penetration tester have?

Look for certifications like OSCP OffSec, OSWE, OSCE for web apps, GPEN/GXPN GIAC, CREST Practitioner, CISSP, CISM, etc. These indicate technical competence and ethics training. Many top firms require testers to be OSCP or SANS GIAC certified. Certifications alone aren’t everything, but they signal a commitment to skill. Also check that the firm itself has accreditations e.g. CREST accredited labs, ISO 27001, and regularly undergoes SOC 2 audits.

• How often should my organization do penetration testing?

At minimum, at least once a year, or whenever major changes occur new apps, migrations, mergers. However, many companies now test quarterly or continuously, especially if they handle sensitive data or face compliance requirements. A recent industry survey found 40% of organizations prefer quarterly or hybrid testing cadence. Frequent testing helps catch new issues quickly. Use automated scans continuously, and schedule full manual pentests at key milestones.