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Cost, process, and compliance questions answered plainly — written by the same team that scopes and runs the engagements.
Most small-to-mid-size penetration tests cost between $4,000 and $20,000. A single web application typically runs $4,000-$12,000, an API test $5,000-$12,000, and a compliance-driven test (SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA) usually lands at $6,000-$20,000+ because of the extra evidence and reporting an auditor requires. Scope, not which vendor you pick, is what moves the number.
ComparisonA vulnerability assessment is an automated scan that lists known weaknesses across your systems. A penetration test is a manual, hands-on attempt to exploit those weaknesses, chain them together, and prove real business impact. Most compliance frameworks and enterprise vendor reviews require a penetration test specifically. A scan alone does not satisfy SOC 2, PCI DSS, or most security questionnaires.
Pillar guideA website security audit is a structured review of a site's configuration, headers, certificates, exposed surface, and known-vulnerability status. Most of it you can check yourself with free tools in under an hour. It is not the same as a penetration test: an audit tells you what's misconfigured or exposed, while a penetration test tries to exploit weaknesses, including ones a checklist can't catch, like business-logic flaws.
Compliance, explained plainlySOC 2 is an audit report, not a certification. An independent auditor examines your company's security controls against a framework called the Trust Services Criteria and states, in writing, whether those controls are properly designed (a Type I report) or actually worked over a period of months (a Type II report). Most B2B software companies pursue it because enterprise customers require the report before they'll sign a contract, not because a regulator demands it.
Compliance, explained plainlyGetting SOC 2 compliant takes six to nine months for most first-time companies pursuing a Type II report: roughly one to two months to close control gaps, three to six months of observation period where the controls have to actually run, and four to eight weeks for the audit itself. The steps are readiness assessment, gap remediation, evidence collection through the observation window, the independent penetration test, and the audit.
Linkable checklistA vendor security review checklist covers seven areas an enterprise buyer's security team checks before approving a SaaS purchase: data handling and encryption, access control, independent security testing, compliance reports, incident response, subprocessors and data residency, and uptime and business continuity. Most reviews stall not because a vendor is insecure, but because nobody has the answers written down and ready to send.