// Decision comparison
In-house pentester vs outsourcing the pentest
Quick answer
For most early and mid-stage SaaS, outsourcing the pentest costs less and delivers more seniority than opening a role. A senior full-time pentester is expensive in salary, benefits and tooling, and still loses the outside view, which is exactly what exposes the blind spot of whoever wrote the code.
An internal hire starts to pay off when the surface is large, changes daily and needs continuous testing, not a quarterly snapshot. Before that, outsourcing per engagement is cheaper and goes deeper.
Real cost and what you get
The common mistake is comparing hourly price alone. An internal hire’s cost includes salary, benefits, training, licensed tooling and the ramp time to understand the product. Outsourcing is a variable cost tied to scope and brings market-standard, external attacker perspective from day one.
| Criterion | In-house pentester | Outsource (RET) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Fixed and high (salary + benefits + tooling) | Variable, per scope |
| Seniority | Depends on who you hire | Senior from day one |
| Outside view | Fades over time (becomes part of the team) | Independent, attacker mindset |
| Continuous coverage | Good, if demand justifies it | On demand, per engagement |
| Proof for a B2B customer | Internal, less independent | Third-party report, more accepted |
| Time to first test | Weeks of hiring + ramp | Days |
When an in-house hire does make sense
We are not going to pretend outsourcing is always the answer. An internal security team is the right call when you ship many deploys a day across a large surface, need testing coupled to the release cycle, or are regulated enough to require a dedicated function. There, the fixed cost dilutes and proximity to the team becomes an advantage.
Many companies land on a hybrid: someone internal on the day-to-day and a periodic outsourced pentest to bring the independent view a B2B customer values in the report.
Frequently asked questions
Is outsourcing always cheaper?
For most early and mid-stage cases, yes, because you pay per scope instead of a fixed salary with benefits and tooling. It stops being cheaper when testing demand is daily and continuous; then an internal hire’s fixed cost is justified.
Is a third-party report worth more to a customer?
Usually. An independent assessment tends to be more accepted in a security questionnaire or due diligence than a test run by the same team that wrote the code.
Can I have both?
Yes, and it is often ideal: someone internal on the day-to-day and a periodic outsourced pentest for the outside view and independent proof. It is not internal or external; it is the right fit for your stage.
Who runs the outsourced pentest at RET?
Gabriel Lima Ferreira, RET’s founder and lead pentester, with authorization, NDA and a tight scope, delivering controlled evidence.