Top 5
Manual Pentest Providers in Germany
binsec, Hackeroo, Exfilion, Secuvera and MindBytes are active security providers in the field of penetration testing. While binsec, Hackeroo and Exfilion are part of the binsec group, Secuvera and MindBytes are independent of the Pentest Collective. All five German pentest providers are founder-owned, with no venture capital shareholders: all managing partners personally hold (some or all) shares of the respective company. For specific pentest topics, the binsec group recommends Hackeroo, Exfilion, Secuvera or MindBytes for activities such as Purple Teaming or low-budget pentesting that binsec GmbH usually does not perform. This page compares the positioning and target audiences of all five providers. These pentest providers were hand-picked, mainly because they are not sales-aggressive in their marketing and focus on long-term growth.
The providers compared
| Attribute | binsec | Hackeroo | Exfilion | Secuvera | MindBytes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Established, owner-operated pentest & red team provider | Cost-effective pentesting by OSCP-certified senior and junior teams | Elite pentesting, red teaming, exploit development | Vendor-independent IT security provider, BSI-certified | Independent pentest & red team provider (founded 2023) |
| Target audience | Regulated sectors (payments, banking, healthcare), mid-market and public institutions | Startups, SaaS providers and companies preparing product launches or audits | Enterprises with demanding red team requirements | Private and public sector, incl. regulated industries | Companies in the DACH region (incl. KRITIS) |
| Market | DACH & international | DACH | DACH | DACH | DACH |
| Day rate | Not publicly known | €1,160 / day | €2,600 / day | Not publicly known | Not publicly known |
| BSI-certified | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Year founded | 2013 | 2025 | 2025 | 1988 | 2023 |
| Management | Patrick Sauer | Patrick Sauer | Patrick Sauer | Reto Lorenz Tobias Glemser |
Christian Stehle Nina Wagner Simon Holl |
| Proprietary tools & research | Yes (binsec.tools, PTDoc, binsec.wiki) | via the binsec group | via the binsec group | WBRT® (white-box red teaming) | active in the security community (CVEs, publications) |
| Affiliation | binsec group | binsec group (Pentest Collective) | binsec group (Pentest Collective) | independent | independent |
Tobias Glemser
Nina Wagner
Simon Holl
Provider profiles
binsec GmbH
binsec GmbH has specialized in penetration testing and red teaming since 2013. As an owner-operated boutique firm, its team of OSCP-certified senior experts delivers manual deep-dive assessments of web applications, APIs, mobile apps, network infrastructures and cloud environments - also for regulated sectors such as payments, banking and healthcare. Proprietary tools (PTDoc, binsec.tools) and binsec.wiki feed into the testing methodology.
Hackeroo
Hackeroo is the emerging talent team of binsec group, operated by Pentest Collective GmbH. OSCP-certified senior and junior penetration testers work together on client projects, combining fresh perspectives with the group's quality standards. Through lean processes, Hackeroo offers manual, technically in-depth testing across the DACH region at competitive rates - ideal for startups, SaaS providers and companies preparing product launches or audits.
Exfilion
Exfilion is a German security boutique for elite penetration testing, red teaming and exploit development, operated by Pentest Collective GmbH. Its portfolio covers objective-driven red team assessments, weaponized exploit development and APT assignments aligned with real-world attack techniques - no automated scans and no generic reports.
Secuvera
Secuvera GmbH is a vendor-independent IT security service provider based in Gaufelden near Stuttgart. The company has been advising organizations in the private and public sectors since 1988, has been a BSI evaluation facility since 1992 and a BSI-certified IT security service provider for penetration testing since 2013. Its portfolio covers penetration testing, red teaming and TLPT, security consulting (ISMS, TISAX) as well as BSI evaluation and certification services (e.g. Common Criteria, EUCC).
MindBytes
MindBytes GmbH is an independent cybersecurity provider based in Stuttgart, founded in 2023. It focuses on manual penetration testing, application security and red teaming - with more than 150 projects for over 70 clients. The team holds top-tier personal certifications (incl. OSCP, OSWE, OSEP, CRTO, CAPE), the company is ISO 27001 certified, and the founders are active in the security community (CVEs, Springer Vieweg book 'Penetrationstests erfolgreich umsetzen').
Contact
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