Is a scanner enough for a small company?

A scanner is good hygiene and catches known issues cheaply. It cannot judge authorization, business logic or chained findings, and it does not produce evidence an auditor or customer can act on. Most small companies run a scanner and add a bounded human-reviewed test for the systems that matter.

When should I not choose SKYEN?

When a tender or regulator requires a specific accredited or certified testing body, when you need internal network, OT or cloud-account configuration reviews, or when you want continuous automated scanning rather than a bounded monthly test. SKYEN tests one web application or API per agreed month and is technical evidence, not a certificate.

What does the comparison cost in practice?

SKYEN starts at €500 per month excluding VAT with one retest included. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce notes that a one-off pentest for a small business typically starts around €1,000; one-off project pricing and freelance rates vary with scope. Scanners are usually monthly subscriptions.

Scanner, freelancer, pentest firm or SKYEN?

Four honest options for testing a web application or API. A scanner is cheap hygiene, a freelancer or firm gives you a one-off project, and SKYEN gives you one bounded, human-reviewed test per agreed month from €500 excluding VAT with the retest included. The right choice depends on what you need to prove, how often, and to whom.

This page describes the categories as buyers meet them; it names no competitors and quotes no competitor prices. LOKI's own prices are published; a quote never starts a test.

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Side by side

	Automated scanner	Freelance pentester	Pentest firm (one-off)	SKYEN by LOKI
What you get	A list of known issues: outdated software, missing headers, common misconfigurations	One person's manual test of an agreed scope, written up in their own format	A project with a formal report, often with a kick-off, test window and read-out	One bounded test per agreed month: up to 10,000 AI agents attack, a person checks every finding
Human review	None; rules and signatures decide	Yes, by the same person who tests	Yes, usually a team with QA	Yes: every finding is checked by a person before it reaches the report
Price model	Monthly subscription	One-off, by day rate or fixed quote	One-off project; KvK notes small-business pentests typically start around €1,000	From €500 per month excl. VAT for one web app or API; larger scopes quoted in writing
Retest after the fix	Continuous rescans, no judgement	Usually a separate assignment	Often a separate line item	One scoped retest included, result in the report
Evidence you can hand over	Scan export	Depends on the person	Formal report, sometimes a letter of attestation	Dated, reproducible findings with impact and fix; technical evidence for NIS2, Cbw or ISO 27001, not a certificate
Authorization and scope	You click accept	Varies; often an email	Contract and statement of work	Signed agreement naming target, exclusions, rules and test window; testing starts only after it
Best for	Continuous hygiene on many assets	A single deep look when you trust the person	Tenders that require a certified body; large or regulated scopes	Teams that ship monthly and need a fixed budget, a retest and evidence a customer or auditor accepts

Categories are described as buyers usually meet them; individual providers differ. LOKI facts are the published offer.

When not to choose SKYEN

We will say so in the first call.

A tender or regulator requires a specific accredited or certified testing body or a named certification scheme
You need internal network, Active Directory, OT or cloud-account configuration reviews
You want continuous automated scanning across hundreds of assets instead of a bounded monthly test
You cannot authorise the test in writing as the owner of the system

When SKYEN fits

One system that matters, every month.

A web application or API that changes every month and needs to stay tested
A customer, auditor or insurer asking for dated technical evidence, not a certificate
A fixed monthly budget instead of a one-off project price
Findings your engineers can reproduce and fix, with the retest already included

Questions

Is a scanner enough for a small company?: A scanner is good hygiene and catches known issues cheaply. It cannot judge authorization, business logic or chained findings, and it does not produce evidence an auditor or customer can act on. Most small companies run a scanner and add a bounded human-reviewed test for the systems that matter.
When should I not choose SKYEN?: When a tender or regulator requires a specific accredited or certified testing body, when you need internal network, OT or cloud-account configuration reviews, or when you want continuous automated scanning rather than a bounded monthly test. SKYEN tests one web application or API per agreed month and is technical evidence, not a certificate.
What does the comparison cost in practice?: SKYEN starts at €500 per month excluding VAT with one retest included. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce notes that a one-off pentest for a small business typically starts around €1,000; one-off project pricing and freelance rates vary with scope. Scanners are usually monthly subscriptions.

Not sure which one you need?

Tell us what you want to test and what you need to prove. We reply within one business day with a scoped proposal and a fixed price, or with the honest advice that another option fits better.

Request a fixed quote