Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS): How Continuous Testing Works

Penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) is a way of delivering penetration testing, not a different kind of test. Instead of commissioning one engagement and waiting for a report at the end, you buy testing on a subscription or as a bank of credits, request tests through an online platform, see each finding as soon as a tester confirms it, and ask for retests when your fixes are in. The work itself is still manual testing by qualified people. A platform that only runs automated scans is vulnerability scanning with a dashboard, not PTaaS.

This guide covers how PTaaS works, whether auditors accept it, what drives its cost and how our own testing fits.

What is PTaaS?

PTaaS combines manual penetration tests, a platform for managing them and a commercial model that spreads testing across the year. Most offers include:

“Pen testing as a service” and “PTaaS” are the same thing. “Managed penetration testing” overlaps, but stresses that the provider runs the programme, and “continuous penetration testing” or “continuous pentesting” stresses frequency rather than the platform.

How does penetration testing as a service work?

A typical PTaaS cycle runs like this:

1. Onboarding. You add your assets, such as domains, IP ranges, applications, APIs and cloud accounts, and the provider confirms scope, rules of engagement and written authorisation.
2. Scheduling. Tests are booked on a calendar, for example one application a quarter, or requested when a major release is due.
3. Testing. Testers work to the agreed methodology. Findings appear on the platform as they are confirmed, so a critical issue can be fixed before the test has finished.
4. Remediation. Your engineers pick up findings from the platform or their ticketing system and mark them fixed.
5. Retest. Testers confirm each fix and update the finding’s status.
6. Reporting. A report and attestation letter are produced for auditors and customers, and the history stays on the platform.

Is PTaaS better than a traditional pen test?

Not in itself; it is better for some organisations. The testing should be of the same quality either way. What changes is the rhythm: a traditional engagement tests a snapshot once or twice a year and reports at the end, while PTaaS spreads tests across the year and shares results as they appear, which suits teams that ship changes every week. For a smaller or more stable estate, one scoped test a year plus regular scanning usually meets compliance needs at lower cost, and our guide to penetration testing vs vulnerability scanning explains what each of those finds.

Whichever model you choose, the questions that matter are the same: how many manual tester-days you get, who does the testing and whether the reports satisfy your auditor.

What is continuous penetration testing?

Continuous penetration testing means testing often enough that changes are covered soon after they ship. It does not mean a person is attacking your systems around the clock. Continuous penetration testing services mix automated scanning or attack surface management that runs constantly with manual tests scheduled through the year or triggered by change. So when a provider says “continuous”, ask which parts are continuous and which are periodic.

Does PTaaS meet PCI DSS, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 requirements?

It can, because the standards care about what was tested, how and by whom, not how the test was ordered. Check the subscription against each requirement before you rely on it:

The main risk is fragmentation: many small tests can leave gaps unless, together, they cover the full scope your standard requires and your assessor can see that they did. PCI DSS also treats penetration testing (11.4) and vulnerability scanning (11.3) as separate requirements, so automated scanning, however frequent, does not satisfy 11.4. Our PCI DSS penetration testing page covers Requirement 11.4 in detail, and the standard itself is in the PCI SSC document library.

When does PTaaS suit SaaS and fintech companies?

PTaaS fits best where the attack surface changes faster than an annual test can keep up with:

• SaaS companies that release weekly, with web applications and APIs that change between tests, and enterprise customers who ask for a recent penetration test in security questionnaires. Our page on security testing for SaaS companies covers multi-tenant testing and what those customers ask for.
• Payment and fintech firms, which often need PCI DSS testing plus testing of new products and integrations through the year. Multi-tenant service providers must also support their customers’ external penetration tests under PCI DSS Requirement 11.4.7, which became mandatory on 31 March 2025.
• Organisations with many applications, where a calendar spreads tests and budget across the year instead of one large engagement.

It suits less well when the estate is small and stable, when one annual test meets every requirement you have, or when a regulator or scheme expects a testing framework or tester accreditation that the platform’s testers do not hold.

How much does PTaaS cost?

PTaaS is usually priced as an annual subscription, a bank of testing credits or days, or per asset, with the platform and retests often bundled. Because the models differ, the reliable way to compare quotes is the number of manual tester-days each one buys and what is included around them. Published UK prices we reviewed in September 2026 put consultant day rates at about £1,000 to £1,500 per tester-day, a useful sense-check on what a subscription contains.

Our penetration testing cost guide shows how scope drives price for conventional engagements, which is the baseline to compare any subscription against.

What should you ask a PTaaS provider?

• Who carries out the testing: the provider’s own staff, contractors or a crowd of researchers?
• What qualifications do the testers hold, and can you see who tested your systems?
• How many manual hours or days does each test include, and how much is automated?
• Is retesting included, and how quickly is it done?
• Will the report be accepted by your QSA, ISO auditor or customers, and does it state methodology, scope and dates?
• Where is the platform hosted, how is access to your findings protected (single sign-on and multi-factor authentication) and can you export your data if you leave?
• Does the subscription include a full annual test of everything in your compliance scope?

The NCSC’s penetration testing guidance is a useful neutral reference on scoping and on what any test should deliver.

Why Sovereign Secure

We deliver penetration testing as scoped, fixed-price engagements carried out by our consultants, with retests of remediated findings and an updated report. Our vulnerability scanning services run alongside on a monthly or quarterly schedule. If you want testing spread through the year, we can plan it as a calendar: scheduled scanning, a full annual test of everything in compliance scope, and tests of new releases as they ship.

• We are a PCI SSC Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) company, so we know what Requirement 11.4 asks of a penetration test and its report.
• We are ISO 27001 certified ourselves.
• Our penetration testing services cover web, API, network, cloud, mobile, hardware and IoT, wireless, social engineering, red team, source code and AI and LLM testing.
• Sovereign Secure Ltd was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Accrington, Lancashire.

Next step

Tell us what you need tested, how often your systems change and which standards or customers the testing has to satisfy. Our penetration testing quote form takes about two minutes, and we will reply with a fixed-price proposal for a single test or a testing calendar. You can also call +44 161 523 5276.