Astra Pentest Review (2026): Pricing, Features & Honest Verdict

TLDR

Astra Pentest is a continuous penetration-testing and vulnerability-scanning platform (PTaaS) that pairs an automated scanner with expert-vetted manual pentests. We found it to be one of the most complete security options for small and mid-size software teams. Best for: dev teams that need audit-ready reports. Price: from $1,999/target/year (no free plan, free trial scan available). Rating: 7.9/10.

What is Astra Pentest?

Astra Pentest is the security testing product from Astra Security, a company that has spent years building tools to find and fix vulnerabilities in web apps, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. The platform runs an automated scanner with more than 10,000 tests mapped to standards like OWASP and SANS, then layers expert-led manual penetration testing on top. The idea is that the scanner catches the obvious issues continuously, while human pentesters dig into business-logic flaws a machine would miss.

What makes Astra stand out is the deliverable at the end. After a pentest, you get a publicly verifiable certificate and a report that satisfies SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS auditors. For a startup trying to close an enterprise deal that is gated on a security review, that certificate is the actual product. We see a lot of scanners that dump a CSV of findings. Astra is built to get you through a compliance conversation.

What are Astra Pentest’s key features?

Continuous automated scanning with 10,000+ tests

The core scanner runs unlimited scans across your web apps and APIs, checking against a library of more than 10,000 test cases that covers the OWASP Top 10, known CVEs, and misconfigurations. It runs behind logins too, so it tests authenticated areas rather than just your public marketing pages. You can schedule scans or trigger them on every deploy.

Expert-vetted manual pentests

This is the part that separates Astra from a pure scanner. Security engineers manually test your application and review the automated findings before they reach you. The result is near-zero false positives, which matters a lot when a noisy scanner can waste a developer week chasing issues that are not real. You are paying for someone to confirm the findings, not just generate them.

Developer workflow integrations

Astra plugs into CI/CD pipelines, GitHub, GitLab, Jira, and Slack. Findings can become Jira tickets automatically, and the dashboard gives developers step-by-step remediation guidance instead of vague warnings. Rescans are included, so once your team ships a fix you can verify it closed without buying a new test.

Compliance-ready reporting

Every plan produces reports formatted for the major frameworks, plus the public certificate that proves you were tested. This is the feature founders actually buy Astra for. It turns “we take security seriously” into something you can hand an enterprise procurement team.

How much does Astra Pentest cost?

Astra is priced per target per year, and it is not cheap. The Scanner plan starts at $1,999 per target per year, which works out to roughly $199 per month for continuous automated scanning. The Pentest plan, which adds the expert manual testing and the verifiable certificate, runs $5,999 per target per year. API-only pentesting is $2,499 per target per year, and the Enterprise plan starts at $3,999 per target per year for multiple targets, a customer success manager, and custom SLAs.

There is no permanent free plan, only a free trial scan so you can see the dashboard before committing. Compared to competitors, Astra lands in the middle. Aikido Security starts around $350 per user per month, and enterprise platforms like Invicti and Orca Security quote custom pricing that is usually higher. The catch with Astra is the per-target model: if you run ten apps or domains, the bill multiplies quickly.

Who is Astra Pentest best for?

Use Astra if you are a software team that needs both continuous scanning and an audit-ready pentest report to pass enterprise security reviews or compliance audits. It is a strong fit for SaaS startups, fintech, and healthtech companies where a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 badge is blocking revenue.

Skip Astra if you are a solo developer or a hobby project that just wants a quick vulnerability check. The per-target annual pricing is overkill for that, and a cheaper scanner or an open-source tool will do. Also skip it if you run dozens of separate targets on a tight budget, because the cost scales with each one.

Best Astra Pentest alternatives

Aikido Security bundles code, cloud, and container scanning into one developer-first platform starting around $350 per user per month. It is broader on the code side but lighter on hands-on manual pentesting.

Intruder is a simpler continuous vulnerability scanner that is easier to set up and cheaper for small teams, though it lacks Astra’s expert-vetted manual pentest and compliance certificate.

Cobalt is a pure pentest-as-a-service marketplace that connects you with a pool of testers. It is excellent for on-demand manual pentests but does not give you the always-on automated scanner Astra includes.

Final verdict: Is Astra Pentest worth it?

Astra Pentest is worth it if security testing is tied to revenue for you. The combination of a continuous scanner, real human pentesters, and a certificate that auditors and enterprise buyers accept is hard to assemble from cheaper point tools. For a SaaS company trying to close deals that hinge on a security review, the $5,999-per-year Pentest plan can pay for itself with a single contract.

The honest downside is the per-target pricing. If you have a sprawling set of apps and domains, budget carefully before you buy, and consider scoping your most important targets first. For a focused product with one or two main applications, though, Astra is one of the best ways to run grown-up security testing without hiring an in-house team.