Compare

HackZero vs.
manual pentest.

Manual penetration testing is older than continuous integration, and it still has a job. So does HackZero. Different jobs. Here is the honest breakdown.

Side by side

Manual pentest HackZero
Cadence Typically annual, or at major releases Every month
Lead time Weeks to schedule Minutes
Cost $20K to $50K per engagement From $299 a month
Human-led testing The whole engagement, $20K to $50K Add-on, $1,500 per engagement
Reads your code Sometimes Yes, via your repo
Deliverable A static PDF report Findings in your issue tracker
Re-test after a fix A new engagement Built in
Coverage between tests Drifts for months Stays current
Auditor acceptance Yes, attestation letter Yes: a signed report every run, plus an independent CPA attestation from $2,500 when the auditor needs one
Mandated TLPT (DORA, CBEST) Yes No, complements between mandated tests

Which one

Most programs need
both.

The mandated, human-led engagement for the auditor's signature, and HackZero every month between them to keep the picture current.

Hire a manual pentester when

  • Your auditor requires a human-led engagement (DORA TLPT, CBEST, a formal NIST 800-53 assessment).
  • You are threat-modelling novel architecture before release and want a creative human in the loop.
  • You need adversary simulation across social engineering, physical, and network layers, not just web and API.

Run HackZero when

  • You need continuous coverage between mandated annual tests.
  • You ship to production often, and a once-a-year test no longer reflects what is live.
  • You want findings in your tracker, not a PDF that ages out.
  • Offensive security is a monthly line item, not a $20K to $50K engagement scheduled once a year.
Get started See pricing

The other comparisons

vs. Vanta

The compliance leader, with the pentest sold separately.

Read

vs. Drata

Enterprise compliance automation; the test is a separate budget line.

Read

vs. Horizon3

Internal network validation, not the product you ship.

Read

vs. XBOW

$4,000 to $8,000 a test, against a monthly subscription.

Read

vs. Strix

Open source, self-hosted, and what it costs you to run.

Read