How Much Does an Internal Network Penetration Test Cost? (2026 Pricing by Scope)
An internal network penetration test in 2026 typically costs between EUR 3,400 and EUR 17,000 (roughly USD 3,700 to USD 18,500), depending on the number of hosts, the depth you need, and whether the test runs remote or on-site. At Budget Security the basis is a transparent day rate from EUR 849/day, so a small internal LAN runs 4 to 5 days and a 200+ endpoint estate runs 12 to 20. The exact number comes down to a few variables, and you can scope your own in minutes.
That spread is wide for a reason. "Internal network pentest" covers a 25-person office with one flat subnet and a 400-seat company with segmented VLANs, a domain controller, and an OT side. Below are the variables that move the price, real 2026 ranges by company size, and why an objective scope produces a fairer number than a sales-call estimate.
If you want the broader picture of pentest pricing across every test type, read the full guide to pentest pricing. This page is about the internal network test specifically.
What Drives the Price of an Internal Network Pentest
Three things set the day count, and the day count sets the price. There is no fixed sticker because no two internal networks are the same.
Number of hosts and endpoints
The size of the estate is the single biggest cost driver. A tester has to enumerate, map, and attack what is actually there. More live hosts, more Active Directory objects, more subnets and VLANs to pivot across means more days.
- A flat network of 20 to 50 hosts is a 4 to 5 day job.
- A segmented network with a domain controller and 100 to 150 endpoints runs 6 to 9 days.
- A 200+ endpoint estate with multiple sites or trust relationships runs 12 to 20 days.
Endpoint count is a proxy, not the whole story. Ten servers running critical services often take longer than fifty identical workstations.
Depth and goal: compliance readiness vs full exploitation
What you want out of the test changes the price as much as the size does.
- Compliance readiness (proving controls for ISO 27001, SOC 2, or NIS2) is goal-bounded. The tester validates that specific risks are covered, documents the evidence an auditor needs, and stops there. Fewer days.
- Full exploitation (chain weaknesses, escalate to domain admin, demonstrate real lateral movement and data access) is open-ended by design. You are paying for the tester to go as deep as a real attacker would. More days.
Picking the wrong goal is how budgets get wasted. A company that needs ISO 27001 evidence does not need a full red-team chain, and a company worried about ransomware lateral movement is not served by a checkbox scan.
On-site vs remote
Most internal network tests now run remotely. The tester ships a small device or connects through a jump host, and the engagement happens over the wire. That keeps cost down: no travel, no scheduling around building access.
On-site adds travel, setup time, and sometimes a day of coordination. You pay for it when physical access matters (segmented OT, air-gapped segments, or a compliance requirement that mandates an on-premises assessment). For a standard corporate LAN, remote delivers the same result for less.
2026 Internal Network Pentest Price Ranges by Company Size
Use this as a sizing guide, not a quote. The ranges assume a remote test with a compliance-plus-exploitation scope, billed on a transparent day rate from EUR 849/day.
| Company size | Typical scope | Days | Price (EUR) | Price (USD approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small office (20 to 50 endpoints, flat network) | Internal LAN, single subnet, readiness focus | 4 to 5 | EUR 3,400 to 4,800 | USD 3,700 to 5,200 |
| Mid-size (50 to 150 endpoints, some segmentation) | LAN, Active Directory, a few VLANs | 6 to 9 | EUR 5,100 to 8,600 | USD 5,500 to 9,300 |
| Larger (150 to 250 endpoints, segmented) | Multiple subnets, DC, lateral-movement focus | 10 to 14 | EUR 8,500 to 13,400 | USD 9,200 to 14,500 |
| Enterprise SMB (250+ endpoints, multi-site) | Multiple sites, trust relationships, deep exploitation | 14 to 20 | EUR 11,900 to 17,000 | USD 12,900 to 18,500 |
USD figures are approximate conversions for buyers sizing a budget in dollars and will move with the exchange rate. The day rate, not the table, is the source of truth.
For a 100-person office (the most common search), expect the mid-size band: 6 to 9 days, around EUR 5,100 to 8,600. A single flat subnet lands at the lower end; Active Directory with segmentation and a real lateral-movement objective lands higher.
Want your exact internal network pentest price? Register your assets, pick your goal, and the scoping engine builds the plan and the price in minutes.
See your priceWhy AI Goal-Based Scoping Prices This More Accurately Than a Sales-Call Estimate
Here is the part the ranges above cannot tell you: where your network actually falls inside them.
The traditional way to find out is a sales call. A senior pentester listens to your description, makes a subjective judgment, and quotes days. That judgment carries a built-in safety margin, because the estimator is guessing and would rather over-scope than run out of days mid-test. You pay for that margin.
Budget Security replaces the guess with an objective process. You register your internal assets once, then pick the asset plus the goal (internal network test, ISO 27001 readiness, NIS2, full exploitation) and a budget. The scoping AI proposes a test plan: how many days, what depth per area, exactly what gets tested.
Then it shows you the tradeoff live. Add a day and you see which segment gets deeper coverage. Remove a day and you see precisely what gets cut, and whether the scope still meets your stated compliance goal. If a scope no longer guarantees the ISO 27001 evidence you need, it tells you why. No estimation drift, no padded margin, no "contact sales" black box.
The test itself is run by OSCP-certified people, around 30 of them, with years of working history together. We kept the caliber of a premium consultancy and replaced the delivery model. Results come through a dashboard with an issue tracker, re-tests, and full engagement history, not an encrypted PDF that gets buried in a folder.
Transparent pricing is the consequence of that process, not a discount. Objective scoping removes over-scope waste, the platform removes project-management overhead, and self-serve removes the sales cycle. The fair price falls out of removing those costs.
Internal vs External Network Pentest: What Changes the Price
People often price these together, but they answer different questions.
- An external network pentest attacks your internet-facing perimeter: the firewalls, VPN, mail, and web services an outside attacker can reach. Scope is bounded by your public IP footprint, so it is often smaller and cheaper.
- An internal network pentest assumes an attacker is already inside (a phished employee, a rogue device, a compromised laptop) and measures how far they get. It covers Active Directory, lateral movement, and privilege escalation, which is why the day count and price tend to run higher than an external test of the same company.
Most SMBs preparing for NIS2, SOC 2, or ISO 27001 need both, scoped together. We are publishing a companion guide on external network pentest cost; until it is live, you can size both in the calculator.
The Real Cost Question Most Buyers Ask
"Will the price hold, or will it creep?"
A fixed-price quote that does not precisely define the host count, subnets, and goal is where overruns hide. An objective, asset-based scope removes that risk because every day in the plan is tied to a named segment or objective.
"Am I paying for testing, or for overhead?"
The variance between a EUR 5,000 and a EUR 18,000 internal network test is rarely the tester. It is the sales cycle, the account manager, and the project-management hours layered on top. Strip those and the same OSCP-certified work costs less.
Get Your Exact Number
You do not have to guess where your network falls in the ranges above. Register your internal assets, pick your goal, and the scoping engine builds the plan and the price in minutes, with the tradeoffs shown live.