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    The Budget Security Alternative to Cobalt

    Short version: Cobalt pioneered PTaaS — human pentesting through a tester marketplace, priced in credits on a quote-based subscription. Budget Security offers the same human-led, audit-ready testing with one difference that matters to most SMBs: the price is published. A flat $985 per tester-day (US), €849/day (EU), shown in full before you book — no credits, no sales call, no minimum.

    At a glance

     CobaltBudget Security
    TestingHuman pentesting via a tester marketplace (PTaaS)Human pentesting by OSCP-certified testers (PTaaS)
    Pricing modelCredit-based (≈8 hours per credit), quote-based subscriptionFlat published rate: $985/tester-day US, €849/day EU
    Price visible before booking?Human tiers require a sales conversation; AI Pentest published at $3,500/test (limited-time offer)Yes — full fixed price shown at scoping, no call
    Minimum commitmentSubscription / credit balanceNone — pay per tester-day you use
    Audit evidenceYesYes — manual report, exploitation proof, tester identity
    Best forLarge enterprises wanting a managed marketplaceSMB / mid-market wanting transparent, self-serve pricing

    Cobalt figures read from its public pricing page, August 2026; the $3,500 Autonomous Pentest is flagged there as a limited-time offer and human-testing tiers are quote-based. Sourcing in our Pentest Price Index.

    Where each one wins

    Choose Cobalt when you're an enterprise that wants a large managed marketplace of testers, integrates pentesting into a broader platform, and is comfortable with credit-based, quote-driven procurement. It's a mature product with real strengths at that scale.

    Choose Budget Security when you want to see the price before you talk to anyone, book without a sales cycle, and avoid committing to a credit balance or annual minimum — while still getting manual testing by certified people and an audit-ready report. That's most SMBs and mid-market teams.

    The honest core difference isn't testing quality — both deliver human pentests — it's the buying experience: quote-based credits versus a published day rate you can act on immediately.

    Cobalt Alternative FAQ

    What is the best alternative to Cobalt for penetration testing?
    Cobalt is a well-known PTaaS platform that delivers human pentesting through a marketplace of testers, priced in credits (a Cobalt credit equals roughly 8 hours of testing) with a quote-based subscription model. If you want the same human-led testing with fully transparent, published pricing and no credit accounting, Budget Security is a direct alternative: manual pentests by OSCP-certified testers at a flat $985 per tester-day (US) / €849/day (EU), booked self-serve with a fixed price up front.
    How much does Cobalt cost compared to Budget Security?
    Cobalt's human pentest is credit-based and quoted per customer — its pricing page publishes an Autonomous (AI) Pentest at $3,500 per test, flagged as a limited-time offer (observed August 2026), but the human-testing tiers require a sales conversation. Budget Security publishes its rate openly: $985 per tester-day for US clients, €849/day in the EU, with the full price shown before you book. The core difference is transparency: you see the number without a call.
    Is Budget Security a PTaaS like Cobalt?
    Yes — Budget Security offers penetration testing as a service (manual tests on your release cadence, findings in a live portal, retests in the workflow), but priced per tester-day instead of via credits or an annual platform subscription. You get the ongoing-coverage model without committing to a credit balance or a minimum annual spend.
    Why would I switch from Cobalt to Budget Security?
    The most common reasons are pricing transparency (a published day rate instead of quote-based credits), a fixed price shown before booking, and no minimum annual commitment. Cobalt remains a strong choice for large enterprises that want a managed marketplace and are comfortable with credit-based procurement. For SMBs and mid-market teams that want to see the price and book without a sales cycle, the flat published rate is usually the better fit.
    Does Budget Security provide audit-ready reports like Cobalt?
    Yes. Every Budget Security engagement is manual testing by OSCP-certified professionals, reported with exploitation evidence, tester identity, and methodology mapping — accepted for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and NIS2 audits. One retest is included in the base price.
    See your price up front