Short answer
If you want scanning and a pentest from one vendor at published prices, Astra is the closest alternative to Intruder. If you only need the pentest, compare Intruder's $3,500 AI web app test with Helix Cyber, Cobalt's Autonomous Pentest and XBOW. If you want internal networks tested on your own schedule, look at NodeZero.
Closest fit by need
- Scanner and pentest from one vendor, prices on the websiteAstra Security
- A pentest of a web app plus its API, network or cloud account, with people overseeing the runHelix Cyber
- Autonomous testing across many web apps and APIsXBOW
- Internal network and Active Directory testing you run yourselfHorizon3.ai NodeZero
- A named human tester and a manual reportSoftware Secured or HackerOne
On this page · 8 sections
Helix CyberFrom $3,000See Helix Cyber
What Intruder does well
Intruder puts vulnerability scanning, attack surface monitoring, cloud security checks and pentesting in one product, and it is unusually open about how. It names its scanning engines (Tenable, OpenVAS and Nuclei for infrastructure, a ZAP-based scanner running more than 75 application checks) and says 3,000+ companies use it. Emerging-threat scans run within hours of a critical vulnerability going public, and new assets are scanned as soon as they appear.
Getting started costs nothing. There is a free plan, and the 14-day trial includes five licences you can scan as often as you like. Paid plans connect to Slack, Teams, Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, Drata and Vanta, among others.
The AI pentest is priced like a product: $3,500 per test for platform customers, $4,000 standalone, a report within hours, unlimited retesting, and a full refund if your auditor rejects the report. Its agents are built by CREST-certified pentesters and validate each finding against the application before reporting it.
Are you replacing the scanner or the pentest?
People searching for an Intruder alternative usually want one of two things, and few products do both well.
| Vulnerability scanning | Penetration test | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | Which known weaknesses are exposed on our assets right now? | What can an attacker actually do with our app, API or network? |
| How often | Continuously or weekly | Per release, per quarter, or once a year for audits |
| Typical output | A prioritised list of issues, updated as assets change | A report with proof for each finding, severity, fixes and retest results |
| Finds business-logic and access-control flaws | Rarely | Yes, especially in gray-box tests with real accounts |
| Products on this page | Intruder, Astra, Horizon3.ai NodeZero (network) | Intruder AI pentest, Helix Cyber, Cobalt, XBOW, Software Secured, HackerOne |
Teams that only want a scanner also compare Tenable, Qualys and Detectify. We have not covered those here. Our guide to common web application vulnerabilities shows the kinds of issue a scanner tends to miss.
Intruder's AI pentest vs Helix Cyber
On the pentest itself, the two are close in price and speed. The differences are scope, who checks the agents' work, and everything around the test.
| Intruder | Helix Cyber | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,500 per test for platform customers; $4,000 standalone | $3,000 black box, $4,000 gray box, from $7,000 white box per app or API |
| Who tests and checks | AI agents built by CREST-certified pentesters; agents validate each finding; no human in the loop | AI agents overseen by people; a second agent reproduces each finding before it is reported |
| Report | Within hours | About 24 hours after scope, authorization and access are confirmed |
| Retests | Unlimited | Free and unlimited |
| Scope | Web applications; white box via GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps or Bitbucket | Web apps, APIs, external and internal networks, AWS, Google Cloud and Azure, source code |
| Auditor guarantee | Full refund if your auditor rejects the report | None published |
| Continuous scanning | Yes, on the same platform | No |
Pick Intruder if
- You want always-on scanning and attack surface monitoring, and a pentest from the same vendor.
- Your target is a web application and a report within hours matters most.
- The refund-if-rejected guarantee settles an auditor question for you.
Intruder and seven alternatives at a glance
| Product | Who tests | Starting price | Retests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intruder | Scanners plus AI agents; no human tester | Free plan; AI pentest $3,500/test | Unlimited (AI pentest) |
| Astra Security | AI agents (Auto) or certified testers (Expert) | From $199/mo (Auto); $5,999/yr (Expert) | 1 to 4 re-scans by plan |
| 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 |
| Cobalt | Freelance Cobalt Core pentesters, AI-assisted | Quoted credits; Autonomous Pentest $3,500/test (promo to Dec 31, 2026) | Unlimited during the contract term |
| XBOW | Autonomous AI agents | Not published | Free and unlimited |
| Horizon3.ai NodeZero | Autonomous software you run | $50/asset/yr (Core); $15/asset/test (Flex) | Unlimited on annual plans |
| Software Secured | Employed, certified human testers | From $10,800/test (web and API) | 3 rounds over 12 months; unlimited on PTaaS |
| HackerOne | Vetted community pentesters; optional AI agents | Not published | Included; count not stated |
The seven Intruder alternatives
Astra comes first because it is the only one that also replaces Intruder's scanner. Helix Cyber is ours.
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.
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.
Cobalt
PTaaS platform- Best for
- Teams that test many assets a year and want human pentesters on demand across web, mobile, network, cloud and AI apps.
- Pricing
- Credits on Standard, Premium and Enterprise contracts, quoted on request. One credit is eight hours of testing. Autonomous Pentest for web apps is $3,500 per test as a limited-time offer for tests completed by December 31, 2026.
Strengths
- A network of 500+ vetted freelance pentesters (the Cobalt Core), with a five-stage vetting process and background checks.
- Human-led tests launch within 24 hours from an in-platform scoping wizard, according to Cobalt's PTaaS page.
- Unlimited on-demand retesting during the contract term.
- 50+ integrations, including Jira, GitHub and GitLab.
- Covers web, API, mobile, desktop, internal and external network, cloud and AI or LLM applications, plus red teaming and code review.
Check before you buy
- Cobalt's pricing FAQ says credits do not roll over into the next contract.
- Start times differ by page: within 24 hours on the PTaaS page, one to three business days by tier on the pricing page.
- The $3,500 Autonomous Pentest price is a promotion with an end date.
XBOW
Autonomous AI pentester- Best for
- Security teams that want autonomous, repeated testing of many web apps and APIs, with exploit proof for each finding.
- Pricing
- Not published. Usage-based, scoped to your environment; sold through cloud marketplaces too.
Strengths
- Every finding ships with the working exploit, request, response and reproduction steps.
- Free, unlimited re-tests after you deploy a fix.
- XBOW reports reaching #1 on HackerOne's leaderboard, with 1,500+ reproducible exploits on production targets.
- A separate safety model reviews each command before it runs; data residency in several regions.
Check before you buy
- Scope is web applications and APIs.
- Onboarding starts with a demo; XBOW's team helps set up credentials, network access and targets.
- “Findings are reviewed before you see them”; the page does not say whether a person or a system reviews them.
Horizon3.ai NodeZero
Autonomous pentesting you run- Best for
- Security teams that want to run internal, external, cloud and Active Directory pentests themselves, as often as they like.
- Pricing
- Published list prices per asset. Core, Pro and Elite include unlimited tests for a year.
- Core
- $50/asset/yr
- Pro
- $65/asset/yr
- Elite
- $85/asset/yr
- Flex
- $15/asset/test
- WebApp Flex
- $10,000/asset/test
Strengths
- The clearest published pricing in this group, with a written definition of an asset.
- Internal tests run from a Docker host or OVA you set up in minutes; external tests run from Horizon3's cloud.
- Covers internal, external, AWS and Azure, Kubernetes, AD password audits and phishing-impact testing.
- NodeZero Federal is FedRAMP High Authorized, per Horizon3, and lists a FedRAMP package ID.
Check before you buy
- You operate it: someone on your team schedules runs and works the results.
- Support plans add 10% or 20% of the subscription, with minimums of $7,500 and $25,000 a year.
- The web app product is priced separately from the network subscriptions.
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.
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.
Comparing more providers? See the full penetration testing companies round-up or the penetration testing cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Intruder a vulnerability scanner or a penetration test?
Both. Intruder's platform runs vulnerability scans, attack surface monitoring and cloud checks using engines such as Tenable, OpenVAS, Nuclei and a ZAP-based app scanner. It also sells an AI-led web application pentest, priced per test, that produces a report with an executive summary and remediation guidance.
How much does Intruder cost?
Intruder has a free plan and a 14-day free trial. Its Cloud and Pro plans are a base fee plus a fee per target, and we could not read the amounts from its pricing page on November 5, 2026. The AI web app pentest is $3,500 per test for platform customers and $4,000 as a standalone purchase.
What is a free alternative to Intruder?
Intruder's own free plan covers a small number of targets. If you would rather run scanners yourself, OpenVAS, Nuclei and OWASP ZAP are open-source projects, and Intruder lists them among the engines it uses. A free scanner does not produce a pentest report.
Will an auditor accept Intruder's AI pentest report?
Intruder offers a full refund if your auditor rejects the report. Acceptance depends on your auditor and the control you are evidencing, so it is worth sending any provider's sample report to your auditor before you buy.
Does Helix Cyber scan continuously like Intruder?
No. Helix Cyber runs scoped penetration tests of web apps, APIs, networks and cloud accounts and retests your fixes for free. It does not replace an always-on vulnerability scanner or attack surface monitor.
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.