Penetration Testing freelancers:
What the market really pays and wants.
Demand, rates and trends for Penetration Testing – calculated from 84 real project and job postings of the last 90 days. No survey, no guesswork without data.
- Listings (90 d)
- 84
- Rank 200 of 531 skills
- Trend (90 d)
- ▲ 44 %
- Market share compared with the 90 days before. IT postings overall: ▲ 42 %
- Of which must-have
- 43 %
- Rated for 84 postings (AI analysis), otherwise “nice to have”
- Median hourly rate
- €80
- 32 data points, incl. converted salaries
- Remote possible
- 89 %
- 21 % fully remote · stated in 87 % of postings
Growing, but still small.
Penetration Testing sits at rank 200 of 531, in the solid middle of demand. Its market share is rising (▲ 44 % vs. the 90 days before).
What is Penetration Testing – and why do companies hire Penetration Testing freelancers?
The postings that mention Penetration Testing fall into these types of project (share of the classified postings):
Typical roles
The roles hired most often are Security Specialist (77 %), Consultant (8 %), Software Architect (5 %) and QA Engineer (5 %). Of the postings that state an experience level, 81 % explicitly ask for senior profiles.
Demand over the last 12 weeks
new listings per weekWeekly postings for Penetration Testing are rising: from an average of 5 to 10 per week (+81 %). Volume is developing better than the IT market overall (▲ 42 %).
What do Penetration Testing freelancers earn?
The median is €80 per hour. The middle 50 % of all figures lie between €73 and €85.
| Segment | Median | Middle 50 % | Data points |
|---|---|---|---|
| All figures | €80 | €73–85 | 32 |
| Senior | – | not enough data | 23 |
| Mid-level | – | not enough data | 7 |
| Fully remote | – | not enough data | 2 |
| Partly remote | – | not enough data | 29 |
| On site | – | not enough data | 1 |
Basis: 32 figures of the last 90 days – 4 hourly rates from postings and 28 converted annual salaries from job ads (salary ÷ 1,000). We do not show segments with fewer than 30 data points. Figures in CHF are not included.
Who wants Penetration Testing – and under which conditions
Seniority
Senior dominates (81 %).
Stated in 99 % of listings
Industries
it_software dominates (65 %).
Stated in 82 % of listings
Contract type
Freelance dominates (50 %).
Stated in 100 % of listings
Workplace
Partly remote dominates (68 %). Anyone working fully remote only reaches 21 % of postings.
Stated in 87 % of listings
Regions (on site)
Mannheim leads (14 %).
Stated in 69 % of listings
Project language
German dominates (90 %).
Stated in 100 % of listings
Market dynamics: how contested is Penetration Testing?
Who posts Penetration Testing projects
Postings of the last 90 days.Current Penetration Testing projects
- Do you fit? Check12 months · 02.11.2026
- Do you fit? Check
- Do you fit? CheckBayern · 50 % remote
- Do you fit? CheckMannheim · 50 % remote
- Do you fit? CheckNiedersachsen · 60 % remote
- Do you fit? CheckKoblenz · 60 % remote
Frequently asked questions about Penetration Testing freelancing
How much does a Penetration Testing freelancer earn per hour?
The median is currently €80 per hour, with the middle 50 % between €73 and €85.
How many Penetration Testing projects are there right now?
In the last 90 days, 84 projects and jobs mentioning Penetration Testing were posted. That is around 7 per week. The market share changed by ▲ 44 % compared with the previous quarter.
Is Penetration Testing still in demand for freelancers?
Penetration Testing ranks 200 of 531 skills.
Are Penetration Testing projects possible remotely?
89 % of Penetration Testing postings allow remote work. 21 % are fully remote.
Who posts Penetration Testing projects?
The 2 most active recruiters account for 29 % of all Penetration Testing postings of the last 90 days.
Methodology: We count IT postings of the last 90 days that mention Penetration Testing. Projects posted several times that are detected as duplicates count once; postings without an assignable IT category are missing, so the figures are a lower bound. The trend compares the share of all IT postings with the 90 days before and only appears with enough comparison data. We do not show figures based on fewer than 30 data points. The rating “must have” or “nice to have” comes from an AI analysis of the posting texts. Hourly rates come from postings and from annual salaries in job ads that we convert into hourly rates (salary ÷ 1,000); we state the basis for each analysis. Distributions only refer to postings that state the respective attribute; we state the coverage alongside. Recruiters are the posters of the listing according to the source, only above a minimum number of postings. An AI assigns the project type and role of each posting from its title, category and skills; the shares are counted postings, not estimates, and only appear with enough classified postings.
Basis: 10,565 IT listings in the window
You now know the Penetration Testing market.
Now let the jury judge your profile.
Your CV against 84 Penetration Testing listings – with findings, strengths and an hourly-rate check.