Cobalt pricing vs continuous AI pen testing
Cobalt pentest pricing starts around $8K-$20K per engagement. For teams needing continuous evidence across SOC 2 Type 2, PCI DSS 11.4, or multi-framework compliance, the total annual spend adds up fast. Here is how continuous AI pen testing compares.
Feature & pricing comparison
| Dimension | Cobalt | TigerStrike |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-engagement, per-pentester-day | Subscription, per-target or per-scan |
| Starter engagement price | ~$8K-$12K (small scope) | ~$10K-$15K/year (continuous) |
| Standard engagement price | ~$12K-$20K | ~$18K-$30K/year (continuous, multi-surface) |
| Enterprise engagement price | ~$25K-$50K | Custom (continuous, multi-business-unit) |
| Retest cost | Billed per retest cycle | Unlimited, included |
| Mid-engagement scope changes | Change order required | Live scope updates, no renegotiation |
| SOC 2 Type 2 observation-window coverage | Multiple engagements required | Continuous, single subscription |
| PCI DSS significant-change coverage | New engagement per change | Automatic, continuous |
| Delivery time | 2-4 weeks post kick-off | Hours (continuous between runs) |
| Scheduling lead time | Weeks (pentester availability) | None (on-demand) |
| AI / LLM pen testing | Add-on | Standard scope |
| CI/CD-native integration | Limited | Native (GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, Azure DevOps) |
| Compliance mapping | Report-level | Per-finding auto-mapping |
| Auditor collaboration portal | ||
| Transparent published pricing |
Pricing shown is based on publicly-available Cobalt / Cobalt.io pricing references and typical per-pentester-day quotes as of 2026. Actual quotes vary by scope.
Total annual spend by compliance scenario
SOC 2 Type 2 (12-month observation)
PCI DSS 11.4 (annual + significant changes)
Multi-framework (SOC 2 + ISO 27001 + HIPAA)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cobalt pentest pricing based on?
Cobalt prices per-pentester-day for engagements of fixed scope and duration. Typical rates are $1,500-$2,500 per pentester-day, with engagements running 5-15 pentester-days depending on scope. The published range of $8K-$50K per engagement reflects this. Larger scopes and Cobalt Core pentester specialisations price toward the higher end.
How is TigerStrike pricing different?
TigerStrike prices as an annual subscription per target or per scan. There is no per-pentester-day meter and no mid-engagement scope renegotiation. The subscription covers continuous AI pen testing across the Type 2 observation window, significant-change coverage, and unlimited retesting.
When does Cobalt still make sense?
For a single annual compliance pentest with fixed scope and no significant-change pressure, Cobalt is a reasonable fit. For organisations shipping daily, pursuing SOC 2 Type 2 continuous evidence, or managing multi-framework compliance (SOC 2 + ISO 27001 + HIPAA + PCI DSS), the engagement-based model does not scale cost-effectively.
What about hidden costs?
The common hidden costs in engagement-based pentesting are: retest cycles (billed per retest), scope changes mid-engagement (change orders), significant-change coverage (new engagements per production change), and multi-framework duplicate testing (same vulnerability tested separately for each framework audit). TigerStrike subscription covers all four without additional spend.
Stop finding vulnerabilities manually
TigerStrike uses AI agents to continuously discover, validate, and exploit vulnerabilities across your applications — so your team can focus on fixing what matters.