It depends on scope, but Australian testing firms publish indicative prices. One puts a small web application test at A$3,000–$6,000 and a large or complex one at A$7,000–$15,000. Another lists web application testing generally at A$6,000–$20,000. Both say their figures are indicative only. What sets the price is how much is tested (how many apps, APIs and user roles) and how deep. Get a fixed-scope quote before you commit.
What's the problem
A customer, investor or partner has asked whether your app has had a penetration test, or you want one before launch. You have no idea whether that's a few hundred dollars or tens of thousands, or whether you actually need one yet.
Why it happens
- "Penetration test" covers a lot. One small web app is very different from several apps, APIs, cloud accounts and internal networks, and prices follow the scope.
- Depth costs time. Testing as a signed-in user with several roles, testing an API thoroughly, and including a re-test after fixes all add days.
- Reports cost too. Tests done for compliance or a customer's security review usually need formal reporting, which adds to the price.
- Published prices are guides, not quotes. The two firms above don't agree with each other on the same category, and both say the final price depends on scope.
How to fix it
- Work out why you need it. A customer contract or compliance requirement means a formal test from an independent firm. "I want to know it's safe before launch" may not need a formal test first.
- Fix the obvious first. Paying testers to find open databases, missing access checks and leaked keys is the most expensive way to learn about them. Run through a pre-launch security checklist first.
- Define the scope in writing: which apps, which addresses, which user roles, which APIs, and what's out of bounds.
- Get fixed-price quotes from two or three firms for the same written scope.
- Ask what's included: the report format, whether a re-test after fixes is included, and how findings are rated.
When to call Preventionlabs
Formal penetration testing and compliance certification aren't services we offer. If a customer or regulator needs one, get it from a testing firm. What we do is different: in every resurrection, the app is protected to MVP level, meaning authentication, access control, data exposure, injection, existing payment flows, rate limiting, HTTPS and dependency vulnerabilities, all tested the way an attacker would test them, then fixed. It isn't a penetration test or a certificate, and we say so in writing. It does mean a formal test, when you get one, starts from an app that already has the obvious holes closed.
Submit your project for a free assessmentFree assessment. $10,000 AUD flat to get it live, only if we take it on and you go ahead.
Sources
- Intrix: Penetration Testing Cost Australia: 2026 Price Guidepenetration testing firm (published price guide)
Small web application AUD $3,000–$6,000 Large or complex web application AUD $7,000–$15,000
- Intrix: Penetration Testing Cost Australia: 2026 Price Guidepenetration testing firm (published price guide)
The final price depends on scope, complexity, objectives and reporting requirements rather than the assessment category alone.
- CyberPulse: Penetration Testing Cost Australia 2026penetration testing firm (published price guide)
Web application penetration testing: AUD 6,000 to 20,000
- OWASP: OWASP Top 10:2025security standards body
The OWASP Top 10 is a standard awareness document for developers and web application security.