Short answer
Cobalt is a good default if you want human pentesters on demand across many kinds of asset and you buy testing by the year. Teams usually compare alternatives for one of three reasons: they want a price they can see before a sales call, they want testers who are employees, or they need a test of one app finished this week. The closest match for each is below.
Closest fit by need
- A similar crowd-of-experts model, with FedRAMP authorizationSynack
- Employed testers and unusual surfaces such as mainframe or OTNetSPI
- Pentests on the platform that already runs your bug bountyHackerOne or Bugcrowd
- Manual testing with a published price listSoftware Secured
- A fixed price per test, every finding reproduced, report in about a dayHelix Cyber
On this page · 9 sections
Helix CyberFrom $3,000See Helix Cyber
What Cobalt does well
Cobalt sells penetration testing through a platform: you scope the test, follow findings and request retests in one place. Its testers come from the Cobalt Core, a community Cobalt puts at more than 500 vetted freelance pentesters. Applicants go through a five-stage vetting process with third-party background checks, and Cobalt says its testers average 11 years of experience.
The breadth is real. Cobalt tests web apps, APIs, mobile and desktop apps, internal and external networks, cloud environments and AI or LLM applications, and it also sells red teaming and secure code review. Findings flow into more than 50 integrations, including Jira, GitHub and GitLab, and retesting is unlimited during the contract term.
Cobalt also moves quickly for a human-led provider. Its PTaaS page says human-led pentests launch within 24 hours from the scoping wizard. Its newer Autonomous Pentest pairs AI systems with Cobalt Core pentesters, who review the plan and oversee the run.
Why teams compare Cobalt alternatives
None of these are flaws in the product. They are trade-offs in how Cobalt sells it, and they matter more to some buyers than others.
- Credits and contracts. Cobalt prices testing in credits, each worth eight hours, under quoted annual tiers. Credits do not roll over into the next contract. A team that needs one or two tests a year may prefer a per-test price.
- Price before the call. Apart from a promotional $3,500 Autonomous Pentest for web apps that ends on December 31, 2026, Cobalt does not publish prices.
- Who the testers are. Cobalt Core members are freelancers. Some procurement teams require employed testers, which NetSPI, BreachLock and Software Secured offer.
- Government work. If you need a FedRAMP-authorized platform, Synack is FedRAMP Moderate Authorized.
Cobalt vs Helix Cyber
The two services are built differently. Cobalt matches human pentesters to your engagement and uses AI to speed them up. Helix Cyber runs the test with AI agents in sandboxed desktops, has a second agent reproduce every finding, and has people oversee the run.
| Cobalt | Helix Cyber | |
|---|---|---|
| Who tests | Freelance Cobalt Core pentesters, with Cobalt's AI for recon and reporting | AI agents in sandboxed desktops, overseen by people; a second agent reproduces each finding |
| How you pay | Credits (8 hours each) on a quoted annual tier; credits do not roll over | A fixed price per test, agreed before testing starts |
| Published prices | $3,500 per Autonomous Pentest (web apps), promotion ends December 31, 2026 | $3,000 black box, $4,000 gray box, from $7,000 white box per web app or API |
| Time to start or report | Human-led tests launch within 24 hours; tier SLAs list 1 to 3 business days | Report about 24 hours after scope, authorization and access are confirmed |
| Retests | Unlimited during the contract term | Free and unlimited |
| Scope | Web, API, mobile, desktop, network, cloud, AI and LLM apps; red teaming; code review | Web apps, APIs, external and internal networks, AWS, Google Cloud and Azure, source code. No mobile, social engineering or red teaming |
| Where the AI runs | Cobalt Sage AI; the model provider is not named on the pages we read | Open models on inference Helix controls; nothing is sent to OpenAI, Anthropic or other model providers |
| Integrations | 50+, including Jira, GitHub and GitLab | Findings, retests and reports in the Helix Cyber portal |
Pick Cobalt if
- You want human pentesters testing mobile or desktop apps, or a red-team exercise.
- You run enough tests a year that an annual credit pool is easier to budget than per-test prices.
- You rely on its Jira, GitHub or GitLab integrations to move findings into engineering.
Pick Helix Cyber if
- You need one web app, API, network or cloud account tested and want the price before you sign.
- You want every finding reproduced before it reaches you, with a request and response as proof.
- You want the report in about a day and retests whenever a fix ships. Read the sample report first.
Cobalt and eight alternatives at a glance
Starting prices are the lowest figures each provider publishes. “Not published” means we could not find a price on the provider's own site.
| Provider | Who tests | Starting price | Retests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobalt | Freelance Cobalt Core pentesters, AI-assisted | Quoted credits; Autonomous Pentest $3,500/test (promo to Dec 31, 2026) | Unlimited during the contract term |
| Helix CyberOurs | AI agents, overseen by people; a second agent reproduces each finding | $3,000/test (web app or API, black box) | Free and unlimited |
| Synack | Vetted contract researchers; AI (Sara) with human validation | From $5,085/test (Sara); $10,283/test (Standard) | Patch verification included; count not stated |
| NetSPI | Employed testers (350+) | Not published | Included; rounds not stated |
| HackerOne | Vetted community pentesters; optional AI agents | Not published | Included; count not stated |
| Bugcrowd | Curated crowd testers | Not published | 12 months (Standard) |
| BreachLock | In-house certified testers plus AI | Not published | 1 to 2 manual retests, or unlimited (pages differ) |
| Software Secured | Employed, certified human testers | From $10,800/test (web and API) | 3 rounds over 12 months; unlimited on PTaaS |
| Astra Security | AI agents (Auto) or certified testers (Expert) | From $199/mo (Auto); $5,999/yr (Expert) | 1 to 4 re-scans by plan |
The eight Cobalt alternatives
Helix Cyber is listed first because it is ours. The rest are in no particular order; each one is the best fit for a different buyer.
Helix CyberOurs
AI-led PTaaS- Best for
- SaaS teams that need an audit-ready test of a web app, API, network or cloud account within days, at a price known up front.
- Pricing
- Published fixed prices, confirmed before testing starts.
- Web app or API, black box
- $3,000/test
- Web app or API, gray box
- $4,000/test
- Web app or API, white box
- from $7,000/test
- External network
- from $3,000/test
- Internal network or cloud
- from $4,000/test
Strengths
- AI agents test in sandboxed desktops while people oversee the run. A second agent reproduces every finding, and anything it cannot reproduce never reaches your list.
- Report about 24 hours after scope, written authorization and test access are confirmed.
- Free, unlimited retests: mark a fix ready in the portal and it is attacked again.
- Open models on inference Helix controls. Your code, prompts and findings are not sent to OpenAI, Anthropic or another model provider.
- A full sample report is public: a gray-box test of OWASP Juice Shop with 67 reproduced findings.
Check before you buy
- No mobile app, social engineering, physical or red-team engagements.
- Agents do the testing, with people overseeing them. If a contract asks for named, individually certified testers, check with us before you buy.
- Larger or unusual scopes are priced after a scoping review, not from the list.
Synack
PTaaS platform · now part of NetSPI- Best for
- Government and regulated buyers who need a FedRAMP-authorized platform and a large vetted researcher pool.
- Pricing
- Published starting prices. The Synack Platform is a separate line item; a Basic Platform is free.
- Standard Sara (AI) pentest
- from $5,085/test
- Standard pentest
- from $10,283/test
- Synack14 pentest
- from $27,120/test
Strengths
- The Synack Red Team: 1,500+ vetted researchers who pass a five-step vetting process.
- FedRAMP Moderate Authorized, and available through Carahsoft and GSA Advantage.
- One of the few providers here that publishes starting prices.
- Sara, its AI pentester, has every finding validated by a human researcher.
Check before you buy
- Sara currently tests external web and host assets only, and does not yet support MFA or one-time passwords.
- NetSPI and Synack closed their merger in October 2026 and still sell separately; NetSPI says existing engagements are unchanged. Ask how contracts and roadmaps will change.
- Researchers are independent contractors, not employees.
NetSPI
PTaaS and services · merged with Synack- Best for
- Enterprises with unusual surfaces (mainframe, OT, hardware, thick clients) that want one provider and employed testers.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Strengths
- 50+ pentesting services, from web and cloud to mainframe, ATM, automotive, medical and OT hardware.
- 350+ in-house security experts, described as “employed, not outsourced”.
- The NetSPI Platform adds attack surface discovery and breach and attack simulation packs.
- Testing since 2001.
Check before you buy
- Remediation testing is listed, without a stated number of rounds.
- NetSPI and Synack closed their merger in October 2026 and still sell separately; NetSPI says existing engagements are unchanged. Ask how contracts and roadmaps will change.
HackerOne
PTaaS platform- Best for
- Teams already running a HackerOne bug bounty or VDP who want pentests on the same platform.
- Pricing
- Not published; quoted by sales.
Strengths
- Two products: H1 Agentic Pentest pairs AI agents with human pentesters, and H1 Pentest can run fully human-led with no agents.
- Human pentesters review every agent finding, per HackerOne.
- Testers matched to your asset type and stack from a vetted community.
- Covers web, API, cloud, AI and LLM, mobile, network and desktop.
- Findings arrive live, with GitHub, Jira, Slack and ServiceNow integrations.
Check before you buy
- Start times are not published.
- Retesting is included, without a stated count or window.
- The agentic product currently covers web apps and APIs only.
Bugcrowd
PTaaS platform- Best for
- Teams that want a curated tester team, a long retest window, or a pay-for-impact model alongside flat-rate tests.
- Pricing
- Not published on the pages we read. Flat-rate Standard, Plus and Max packages, plus a pay-for-impact model.
Strengths
- Launch in under 72 hours; the Standard package says within three business days.
- Standard includes 12 months of retesting, with one report update.
- CrowdMatch assembles a vetted team for your stack and can rotate testers.
- CREST accreditation for pen testing.
Check before you buy
- Ask for the subscription datasheet; it is linked from the PTaaS page but we could not read it.
- The AI Pen Test and PTaaS pages describe different package tiers.
BreachLock
PTaaS platform- Best for
- Buyers who want in-house certified testers plus an AI engine that asks before it moves laterally.
- Pricing
- Not published. Standard, Extended and Extensive pentest packages are quoted; attack surface tiers are sold by asset count.
Strengths
- Testing by in-house OSCP and CREST-certified testers, with no crowdsourced testers.
- Tests launch in 24 to 48 hours.
- Breach360, its AI pentester, asks for approval before any lateral movement or privilege escalation, and a certified pentester validates its findings.
- Reports mapped to SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, HIPAA and HITRUST; Jira, ServiceNow, GitHub and Azure DevOps integrations.
Check before you buy
- Retest terms differ by page: the pricing page lists one or two free manual retests by package, the PTaaS page says unlimited. Ask which applies to your contract.
Software Secured
Manual pentest firm with PTaaS- Best for
- SaaS teams that want human-led manual testing with prices published before the first call.
- Pricing
- Published starting prices; a fixed price follows a scoping call.
- Web and API
- from $10,800/test
- Mobile app
- from $5,400/test
- External network
- from $5,400/test
- Internal network
- from $7,700/test
- Cloud review
- from $6,200/test
- AI pentest
- from $10,800/test
- PTaaS subscription
- from $21,400
Strengths
- The most complete published price list of any manual testing firm here.
- Certified testers (OSCP, OSWE, GWAPT and cloud certifications), “never contractors”.
- Retesting is built in: three rounds over 12 months for most services, unlimited on PTaaS.
- Covers web, API, mobile, network, cloud, AI, IoT and hardware, plus red teaming and threat modelling.
Check before you buy
- Prices are starting points; a fixed price is confirmed after a scoping call.
- External network tests include one retest round, not three.
Astra Security
Scanner plus PTaaS- Best for
- Small teams that want a vulnerability scanner and a yearly pentest from one vendor at published prices.
- Pricing
- Published plan prices.
- Pentest Auto
- from $199/mo
- Pentest Expert (manual)
- $5,999/yr
- Pentest Enterprise
- from $9,999/yr
- DAST scanner
- from $69/mo
Strengths
- A full published price ladder across scanner, API, cloud and pentest plans.
- Manual pentests by certified testers, with CREST, PCI ASV and CERT-In compliant reports on Pentest Expert.
- AI agents with an independent AI validator on the automated tier, and a publicly verifiable pentest certificate.
Check before you buy
- The manual pentest takes 10 to 15 working days.
- Re-scans to verify fixes are capped: one on Pentest Auto, two on Expert, four on Enterprise.
- The pricing page shows two different prices for some plans; confirm at checkout.
Questions to ask before you switch
Whichever provider you shortlist, these answers decide whether the report will do its job.
- Who confirms a finding is real? A person, a second automated check, or nobody. Ask to see one finding from a past report with its proof.
- What does a retest cost, and for how long? Terms on this page range from one re-scan to unlimited retests for 12 months.
- When does the clock start? Start-time promises usually begin after scope, authorization and test accounts are ready. Ask what the provider needs from you on day one.
- Can the testers handle your login? Some AI testers cannot yet get past MFA or one-time passwords.
- Will your auditor accept the report? Send the provider's sample report to your auditor. Our SOC 2 penetration testing guide covers what auditors look for.
For the wider market, including consultancies, see our round-up of penetration testing companies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Cobalt alternative?
It depends on why you are leaving. For the same crowd-of-experts model, look at Synack, HackerOne and Bugcrowd. For employed testers, look at NetSPI, BreachLock and Software Secured. For a fixed published price and a report within days, look at Helix Cyber and Astra.
How much does Cobalt cost?
Cobalt sells credits under Standard, Premium and Enterprise contracts, quoted on request. One credit equals eight hours of testing. The only published price on its pricing page on November 5, 2026 was $3,500 per Autonomous Pentest for web applications, a limited-time offer for tests completed by December 31, 2026.
Do Cobalt credits roll over?
Cobalt's pricing FAQ says credits do not roll over into the next contract. Plan your testing calendar so the credits you buy are used within the term.
Is Cobalt.io the same as cobalt.tools?
No. Cobalt.io is a penetration testing company. cobalt.tools is an unrelated media downloader. This page compares penetration testing providers only.
Will an auditor accept a pentest from a PTaaS provider instead of a consultancy?
SOC 2, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS do not name a type of provider. Auditors look at whether the test covers the systems in scope, follows a stated methodology, and shows remediation and retest evidence. If you are unsure, send your auditor a sample report from the provider before you sign.
Sources, checked November 5, 2026
Each vendor's claims are quoted or summarised from the pages below. Customer counts, ratings and percentages are the vendor's own figures; we have not audited them. “Not published” means we found no price on the vendor's site. “Not verified” means the page draws its prices with a script we could not read, so a price may exist that we could not confirm. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it.