What Hackrate does

Hackrate (legal entity: HACKRATE Kft.) is a Hungary-based crowdsourced cybersecurity platform founded in 2016 by Balázs Pózne (CEO) and Levente Molnár (CTO) that connects organizations with a global, KYC-verified community of ethical hackers to perform continuous security testing. The platform operates four managed service lines - Managed Bug Bounty, Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS), Managed Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (mVDP), and Attack Surface Management - and one infrastructure add-on, HackGATE, an application-level (Layer 7 OSI) managed gateway with a pending US patent (#63/645,845) that provides transparency and control over penetration testing traffic.

The technology stack centers on a two-sided marketplace with hacker-side self-service registration and corporate-side enterprise field sales, supported by native integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira Cloud, and Zapier, plus an opt-in OpenAI integration for AI-generated vulnerability remediation tips. Hackrate also operates a tiered program structure (Private, Continuous, Hybrid, Scale) that allows customers to scale testing intensity as their security maturity grows, and was appointed Hungary's first CVE Numbering Authority.

The business model is a mix of subscription (mVDP from €200/month, HackGATE) and managed services / multi-year contracts (Bug Bounty, PTaaS, Attack Surface Management), with pricing largely custom and quote-based. The company targets mid-market and enterprise customers across Finance & Banking, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Technology & SaaS, Telecom, E-Commerce, and Gaming & Gambling, with a sales motion that includes direct enterprise demos, inside sales, and a Service Partner channel (OR Security, Avatao, TheFence). Reported funding is approximately $520,121 across three Hiventures-led rounds between 2020 and 2023, and the company remains founder-owned with 51-100 employees.

Name

Hackrate

Legal name

HACKRATE Kft.

Website

https://hckrt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hackrate is a Hungary-based crowdsourced cybersecurity platform connecting organizations with a global community of KYC-verified ethical hackers to run managed bug bounty, pentest, vulnerability disclosure, and attack surface management programs, with proprietary HackGATE monitoring technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crowdsourced Security Testing

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bug Bounty, Vulnerability Disclosure & Security Services (FSAPAJAL), Vulnerability Assessment & Scanning (HDADAHAA), Vulnerability Intelligence & Exploit Prediction (HDADAHAI)

Keywords

• Bug bounty platform
• Crowdsourced security testing
• Penetration testing as a service
• Vulnerability disclosure
• Ethical hacking platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Managed Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (mVDP): Subscription-based service enabling ethical hackers to report potential security bugs. Includes VDP consultancy, customized disclosure forms, compliance with ISO standards, and limited report validation. Provides continuous vulnerability intake without active testing.
2. Pentest as a Service (PTaaS): Managed penetration testing service using 5-20 verified ethical hackers for 15-30 day engagements. Includes report validation and retesting. Cost-effective alternative to hiring external security researchers, priced based on project scope.
3. Managed Bug Bounty Program: Continuous security testing through a global community of ethical hackers. Includes payment management for bounty rewards, mVDP form integration, and expert assessment of defense capabilities. Pricing depends on program scope and budget.
4. Attack Surface Management: Continuous monitoring and discovery of internet-facing assets combined with automated vulnerability scanning and elite hacker testing. Includes updated asset inventory and advanced security assessment.
5. HackGATE Enterprise Monitoring: Enterprise-level monitoring solution providing full control over ethical hacking projects. Enables transparent reporting on testing processes for compliance audits. Offered as a standalone product with free tier available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hackrate operates a crowdsourced ethical hacking platform that connects organizations with a global community of vetted ethical hackers to identify software vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can exploit them. Its core portfolio includes a Managed Bug Bounty Program, Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS), a Managed Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (mVDP), and Attack Surface Management. The proprietary HackGATE managed gateway (US Patent Applied #63/645,845) provides application-level (Layer 7 OSI) monitoring and control over penetration testing traffic for transparency and compliance.

Product overview

Hackrate is a crowdsourced cybersecurity platform offering a unified portfolio of ethical hacking services. At its core is the Ethical Hacking Platform, which provides a centralized view for managing all security testing projects. The platform is complemented by four managed service lines: the Managed Bug Bounty Program (for continuous crowdsourced vulnerability discovery), Penetration Testing as a Service (for verified hacker-led pentesting), Managed Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (mVDP, for ISO-compliant bug reporting), and Attack Surface Management (for continuous asset discovery and monitoring). An add-on module called HackGATE serves as the industry's first managed gateway solution for controlling and monitoring pentest projects, providing Layer 7 traffic inspection and transparent reporting. The platform integrates with Slack, Teams, and Jira for workflow management, and includes features for payment management, report validation, and AI-generated remediation tips via an OpenAI integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HackGATE™: The industry's first managed gateway designed for security testing. An enterprise-level monitoring appliance that enables organizations to have more transparency and better control over ethical hacking projects. US Patent Applied #63/645,845.
• Managed Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (mVDP)
• Pentest as a Service (PTaaS)
• Managed Bug Bounty Program
• Attack Surface Management

Products and services

• Hackrate Ethical Hacking Platform Central crowdsourced security platform that connects organizations with a global community of ethical hackers for managing ethical hacking projects, vulnerability reports, budget tracking, and payments.
• Managed Bug Bounty Program Managed continuous crowdsourced security testing where organizations offer rewards to ethical hackers for reporting vulnerabilities. Includes program design, hacker coordination, report validation, severity assessment, and payment management for bounties.
• Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) On-demand penetration testing powered by 5-20 verified ethical hackers for 15-30 day engagements. Covers web app, mobile app, API, network, blockchain, and IoT testing with real-time visibility and compliance-ready reporting for SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
• Managed Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (mVDP) Managed process for enabling ethical hackers to report vulnerabilities safely, following ISO/IEC 29147 (vulnerability disclosure) and ISO/IEC 30111 (vulnerability handling) standards. Includes report validation, triage, and structured vulnerability reports.
• Attack Surface Management Identifies and minimizes an organization's potential vulnerabilities and entry points across internet-facing assets. Includes continuous monitoring, automated vulnerability scanning, elite hacker testing, updated asset inventory, and risk prioritization.
• HackGATE Managed Gateway Enterprise-level monitoring gateway for controlling and monitoring ethical hacking projects. Acts as an application-level gateway (Layer 7 OSI) to inspect, log, and create transparent reports on security testing traffic, including attack types and functionalities tested.

Quantifiable outcome

• NPS of 96 (Excellent category, vs industry average of 75)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OR SecuritycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerService Partner offering holistic approach in application security. Helps integrate bug bounty programs into customer cybersecurity strategies.
• AvataocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSecurity training and education partner. Part of the same group as Hackrate (member of Avatao group), offering integrated security learning and practical testing.
• TheFenceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerService Partner providing application security services alongside Hackrate's crowdsourced security testing platform.
• ComplyCubecoreTechnology or IntegrationKYC verification services provider used to verify trustworthiness of ethical hackers. Layered protection ensures only vetted researchers participate in security testing programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HackerOne: HackerOne is the largest crowdsourced bug bounty platform connecting organizations with a global researcher community; directly comparable to Hackrate across bug bounty, VDP, and pentest offerings with much greater scale and funding.
• Bugcrowd: Bugcrowd operates a managed crowdsourced security platform offering bug bounty, pen testing-as-a-service, and attack surface management to enterprise customers — directly overlapping with Hackrate's core service lines.
• YesWeHack: YesWeHack is a European-based bug bounty and crowdsourced security platform with a global researcher community; a direct competitor to Hackrate in the EU market with overlapping VDP and PTaaS offerings.
• Intigriti: Intigriti is a Belgium-based crowdsourced cybersecurity company offering bug bounty, VDP, and pentest services — a direct European competitor to Hackrate with a comparable two-sided researcher-and-customer marketplace.
• Synack: Synack offers an on-demand crowdsourced security testing platform with vetted researchers, comparable to Hackrate's PTaaS and managed bug bounty offerings but with a stronger enterprise/Silicon Valley footprint.
• Cobalt: Cobalt provides Pentest as a Service (PTaaS) connecting companies with vetted security researchers; directly comparable to Hackrate's PTaaS line with overlapping customers and delivery model.
• OpenBugBounty: OpenBugBounty is a free/open vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty platform; narrower scope than Hackrate but directly comparable on coordinated disclosure and the researcher-driven model.

Emerging players

• Detectify: Detectify provides attack surface monitoring and automated vulnerability scanning; overlaps with Hackrate's Attack Surface Management product, though more focused on automated scanning than crowdsourced testing.

Broad incumbents

• Pentera: Pentera is an established automated security validation vendor offering continuous penetration testing; an adjacent incumbent that competes for the same enterprise security testing budget as Hackrate's PTaaS line.
• Bishop Fox: Bishop Fox is a long-established offensive security services firm offering traditional and continuous penetration testing; a broader incumbent in the enterprise pentest market where Hackrate also competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hackrate
• Facebookfacebook.com/hackrate

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hackrate