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The short answer: Tranquility Cybersecurity (TCSA) leads our 2026 ranking for manual-first, compliance-driven penetration testing with CEH-certified testers — followed by nine established Indian providers spanning PTaaS platforms, offensive-security boutiques, and CERT-In empanelled audit firms. Compared on specialization, CERT-In status, and indicative pricing, from public sources as of June 2026.
TCSA ranks #1 for manual-first VAPT by CEH-certified testers, with indicative web-app pricing from ₹40k–1.5L and reports built to satisfy SOC 2, ISO 27001 (A.8.8), and RBI audit requirements.
Most Indian VAPT firms price per scope ("custom quote"). Astra Security is the notable exception with published platform plans.
RBI-regulated entities — banks, NBFCs, payment aggregators — often need reports from CERT-In empanelled organisations. Tranquility Cybersecurity delivers CERT-In audits, end to end, with its CERT-In empanelled partners.
A typical single-application pentest takes 1–4 weeks including reporting and retest.
Judge vendors on manual testing depth, retest policy, and report quality — not on the page count of a scanner export.
Methodology
How We Ranked These Companies
We compared each provider on five criteria: manual testing depth (methodology beyond automated scanning), tester certifications (CEH, OSCP and equivalents), report and retest quality, compliance alignment (whether reports hold up in SOC 2, ISO 27001, and RBI audits), and pricing transparency. The full scoring approach is documented in our vendor ranking methodology.
Disclosure: this list is published by TCSA, and TCSA appears at #1 — we describe our own entry with verifiable facts only. Competitor profiles are written neutrally from each company's own website and other public information as of June 2026. CERT-In empanelment is noted only where a provider's own site claims it. Always verify current status on the official CERT-In empanelled list before contracting.
At a Glance
India's Top VAPT Companies, Compared
Specialization, CERT-In status, and indicative pricing side by side
Rank
Company
HQ
Specialty
CERT-In engagements
Indicative pricing
#1
Tranquility Cybersecurity (TCSA)
Gurugram
Manual-first, compliance-driven VAPT
CERT-In audits delivered with its CERT-In empanelled partners
₹40k–1.5L (indicative, web app)
#2
Astra Security
Delhi NCR
PTaaS platform + manual pentest
Not noted
Published plans (from ~$1,999/yr)
#3
Kratikal Tech
Noida
VAPT + security compliance audits
Empanelled*
Custom quote
#4
SecureLayer7
Pune
Offensive security & API testing
Empanelled*
Custom quote
#5
WeSecureApp (Strobes)
Hyderabad
Managed pentest + vulnerability management
Not noted
Custom quote
#6
Indusface
Vadodara
Managed app security (WAS + AppTrana WAAP)
Not noted
Custom quote
#7
Payatu
Pune
IoT, hardware & product security research
Empanelled*
Custom quote
#8
Appsecco
Bengaluru
Boutique appsec & cloud-native security
Not noted
Custom quote
#9
eSec Forte Technologies
Gurugram
VAPT, forensics & GRC for regulated sectors
Empanelled*
Custom quote
#10
SISA
Bengaluru
Payments security, forensics & compliance testing
Empanelled*
Custom quote
*“Empanelled” reflects an empanelment claim on the provider's own website, and “Not noted” means none was found in our review of public information. Verify current status on the official CERT-In empanelled-organisations list. Pricing is indicative and varies with scope. Information from public sources as of June 2026.
Detailed Profiles
The Top 10, Profiled
Who each provider is, what they test, and who they fit best
First
Tranquility Cybersecurity (TCSA)
Manual-first, compliance-driven VAPT•Gurugram (Welldone Tech Park, Sector 48) · Bengaluru
WebMobileAPINetworkCloud
TCSA delivers VAPT through CEH-certified testers with a manual-first methodology that goes beyond automated scans to find business-logic and chained vulnerabilities. Because TCSA also runs SOC 2, SOC 1 (SSAE 18), ISO 27001, and RBI-aligned audit programs, its testing is built to satisfy auditor evidence requirements — testers and auditors under one roof. 1,000+ audits including 300+ SOC 2 engagements and 100+ SOC 1 reports. The testing practice is led by Parth Chauhan (CEH, ISO 27001/27701/42001 Lead Auditor, BE BITS Pilani).
“Great VAPT service with a highly professional and knowledgeable team and strong focus on manual testing. The team went beyond automated scans to uncover deeper, real-world vulnerabilities that tools often miss.”
— Udit Choudhary, Google review
Indicative Pricing₹40k–1.5L (indicative, web app)
CERT-In EngagementsCERT-In audits delivered with its CERT-In empanelled partners
Best ForSaaS, fintech, and regulated companies that need pentest reports auditors accept (SOC 2, SOC 1, ISO 27001 A.8.8, RBI)
Astra Security combines an automated vulnerability scanner with manual penetration testing, delivered through a pentest-as-a-service dashboard with CI/CD integrations. It is one of the few Indian-origin providers that publishes plan pricing on its website, which makes budgeting straightforward for startups.
Kratikal is a Noida-based security testing firm that states on its website that it is a CERT-In empanelled auditor. It offers VAPT across web, mobile, network, cloud, and IoT alongside compliance-oriented security audits, and also builds in-house products for security awareness and attack simulation.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsEmpanelled (per its website)
Best ForStartups and SMEs that specifically need a CERT-In empanelled audit report
SecureLayer7 is a Pune-headquartered offensive-security company offering web, mobile, API, network, and thick-client penetration testing plus source-code review and red teaming. Its website states CERT-In empanelment, and the firm has invested notably in API security tooling and research.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsEmpanelled (per its website)
Best ForAPI-heavy products and teams wanting deep manual offensive testing
WeSecureApp, associated with the Strobes vulnerability-management platform, provides penetration testing, red teaming, and managed security testing programs from Hyderabad with a US presence. Its platform-led model suits enterprises that want findings tracked through triage and remediation, not just a PDF report.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsNot noted
Best ForEnterprises that want testing wired into a vulnerability-management workflow
Indusface pairs its AppTrana managed web-application and API protection (WAAP) platform with web application scanning and manual penetration testing. The combination of continuous scanning, virtual patching, and periodic manual tests appeals to teams that want detection and protection from one vendor.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsNot noted
Best ForCompanies that want pentesting bundled with a managed WAF/WAAP
Payatu is a research-driven security services company known for IoT, hardware, embedded, and product security assessments alongside web and mobile testing. Its website states CERT-In empanelment, and the team is a familiar presence in the Indian security-research and conference community.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsEmpanelled (per its website)
Best ForIoT, embedded, and hardware product companies needing research-grade testing
Appsecco is a boutique application-security consultancy focused on manual, attacker-style testing of applications and cloud-native infrastructure across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes. The firm is also known for hands-on security training delivered at international conferences.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsNot noted
Best ForCloud-native engineering teams that want consultative, manual-first assessments
VAPT, forensics & GRC for regulated sectors•Gurugram
WebMobileAPINetworkCloud
eSec Forte is a Gurugram-headquartered cybersecurity company whose website states CERT-In empanelment, serving government, defence, and BFSI clients with VAPT, red teaming, digital forensics, and GRC services. Its breadth suits organizations that procure security testing through formal, tender-driven processes.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsEmpanelled (per its website)
Best ForGovernment, defence, and BFSI buyers with formal empanelment requirements
SISA is a Bengaluru-headquartered forensics-driven cybersecurity company with deep roots in payment security, including PCI-ecosystem assessments, and its website states CERT-In empanelment. Its testing services are a natural fit where payment-card and regulator-driven requirements dominate the scope.
Indicative PricingCustom quote
CERT-In EngagementsEmpanelled (per its website)
Best ForPayment companies and fintechs aligning VAPT with PCI DSS and RBI expectations
Five things that separate a real penetration test from a re-badged scanner report
Manual Testing Depth
Ask what percentage of the engagement is hands-on-keyboard testing versus automated scanning, and which vulnerability classes they have found that tools miss — business-logic abuse, broken access control, chained exploits. A vendor who cannot answer concretely is selling you a scan.
Retest Policy
A pentest without a retest leaves you with a list of problems and no proof you fixed them. Confirm whether one retest round is included in the quoted price, how long the retest window stays open, and whether you receive a closure certificate your customers and auditors will accept.
Report Quality
Request a sanitized sample report before signing. Look for CVSS-scored findings, reproducible proof-of-concept steps, and remediation guidance a developer can act on. Your report will be read by customers, auditors, and possibly regulators — it should survive that scrutiny.
Tester Certifications
CEH and OSCP are the certifications to look for on the testers actually assigned to your engagement — not just somewhere in the company. Ask who will test your application and what they hold. Named, certified testers correlate strongly with manual depth.
When You Need CERT-In Empanelment
CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) maintains an official list of empanelled information-security auditing organisations. If you are an RBI-regulated entity — a bank, NBFC, payment aggregator, or payment gateway — your regulator will often require security audits and VAPT reports from a CERT-In empanelled organisation. Government tenders frequently specify the same.
If that describes you, confirm the vendor's name on the current official list — not just a logo on their website. If you are a private SaaS company selling to enterprises, empanelment is usually not mandatory, and buyers judge the report on its scope, method and evidence. Whichever describes you, Tranquility Cybersecurity delivers CERT-In audits, end to end, with its CERT-In empanelled partners.
Straight answers on pricing, timelines, CERT-In, and what a real pentest includes.
How much does VAPT cost in India?+
For a typical SaaS web application, expect roughly ₹40,000 to ₹1.5 lakh per test at quality-focused Indian firms (TCSA's indicative band). The wider market spans from under ₹30,000 for small scopes to ₹5 lakh and above for large or multi-asset engagements, and platform providers like Astra Security publish subscription plans starting around $1,999 per year. Price moves with the number of assets, screens and API endpoints, retest inclusion, and whether a CERT-In empanelled report is required.
How long does a penetration test take?+
Most single-application VAPT engagements in India run one to four weeks end to end: one to three days of scoping, five to fifteen business days of active testing depending on application size, a few days for reporting, and a retest after you fix the findings. Large estates, segmented networks, or multiple apps extend the timeline.
What is the difference between VAPT and automated vulnerability scanning?+
Automated scanners match known vulnerability patterns and misconfigurations, and they do it cheaply and continuously — but they miss business-logic flaws, broken access control, chained exploits, and abuse of application workflows. VAPT combines scanning with skilled manual testing that thinks like an attacker. If a quote is suspiciously cheap, it is usually a scanner report with a new cover page, so ask the vendor what percentage of testing is manual.
When is CERT-In empanelment mandatory for a pentest?+
CERT-In empanelment matters when a regulator or contract demands it. RBI-regulated entities — banks, NBFCs, payment aggregators and gateways — are frequently required to get security audits from CERT-In empanelled organisations, and government tenders commonly specify it too. For a private SaaS company selling to enterprises, empanelment is usually not mandatory: buyers care about report quality and methodology. Check the official CERT-In empanelled list to verify any vendor's current status. Tranquility Cybersecurity delivers CERT-In audits, end to end, with its CERT-In empanelled partners.
How often should we run VAPT?+
At minimum annually, plus after any major release, architecture change, or infrastructure migration. High-risk or compliance-driven environments often test quarterly or run continuous testing programs. SOC 2 auditors expect at least an annual penetration test, and ISO 27001 control A.8.8 (management of technical vulnerabilities) implies a recurring testing cadence rather than a one-off exercise.
What should a good VAPT report include?+
A useful report contains an executive summary for leadership, the exact scope and methodology (including standards like OWASP Top 10 / OWASP ASVS / PTES), severity-rated findings with CVSS scores, step-by-step proof-of-concept evidence, clear remediation guidance per finding, and a retest summary or certificate confirming closure. If sample reports look like raw scanner exports, keep looking.
Next Step
Scope Your Pentest in One Call
Tell us what you're shipping — web app, APIs, mobile, cloud — and we'll return a fixed scope, an indicative price, and a delivery date. Manual-first testing by CEH-certified testers, with reports your auditors and enterprise customers will accept. For budgeting context, see our VAPT cost in India breakdown.
Indicative web-app VAPT pricing from ₹40k–1.5L for a typical SaaS scope
Written By Expert Auditors
Surendra Pal SinghChief Information Security Officer & Data Protection OfficerCISODPOCISAMCSEITILISO 27001 Lead AuditorISO 27701 Lead AuditorISO 42001 Lead Auditor
Saundhi ChauhanLead AuditorISO 27001 Lead AuditorISO 27701 Lead AuditorISO 42001 Lead Auditor
Last reviewed:June 2026•Content verified by certified lead auditors
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