Comparison

Milo's Launch Check vs a penetration test vs free scanners

By Milo Kits · Updated 17 October 2026

They do different jobs. Free scanners each check one slice (your headers, your database config, your repo) and are worth running. Milo's Launch Check is a passive, outside-in review of your whole live app's public side, with every fix written as a prompt for your AI coder, from $29. A penetration test is a human expert actively trying to break in, including logged-in areas and business logic. It typically costs thousands of dollars, and you need one when you handle sensitive data, take significant payments, or a customer or auditor asks for it. A Launch Check doesn't replace a pentest.

Side by side

	Free scanners	Milo's Launch Check	Penetration test
Who does it	Automated tool, run by you	Automated passive checks plus AI-assisted analysis, reviewed by a human	Security professionals
What's covered	One area each: headers, database config, secrets in a repo and so on	The public side of your live app: secrets in JS, readable tables, exposed files, admin routes, headers, cookies. Deep and Pro add more pages, flows and rule reviews.	Agreed scope, usually including logged-in roles, APIs and business logic
Active attacks?	Mostly no (some, like OWASP ZAP, can actively scan)	No. Read-only and rate-limited, and only on apps you own.	Yes, within the agreed rules of engagement
Business-logic flaws	No	Only what's visible from outside	Yes, that's a big part of the value
Output	A score or a list of warnings	Plain-English report, prioritized, with a copy-paste fix prompt per finding	Detailed report with evidence, often with a retest
Turnaround	Minutes	Within 24 hours (48 at most)	Usually days to weeks, plus scheduling
Cost	Free	$29 Quick · $79 Deep · $149 Pro · $19/month Monthly Watch	Often around $5,000–$30,000 for a web app (see below)
Best for	Quick spot checks you can repeat anytime	Indie apps and MVPs before and after launch, and non-security builders	Sensitive data, compliance, enterprise customers, larger apps

Free scanners worth running

Use these whatever else you do. They're free and they catch real problems:

Security headers: MDN HTTP Observatory and securityheaders.com grade your response headers. Our headers guide has the configs to fix them.
Supabase: the built-in Security Advisor flags tables without RLS and other misconfigurations, from inside your project.
Lovable: its built-in security scan and reviewer run before you publish (Lovable blog).
Secrets in code: GitHub secret scanning warns about keys committed to repositories.
Active scanning (more technical): OWASP ZAP is a free, open-source scanner that can actively probe an app. Only point it at apps you own, ideally a staging copy.

Each tool looks at one layer. None of them tells you "this table is readable without login and here's the exact prompt to fix it", which is the gap a Launch Check fills.

What a penetration test is (and roughly what it costs)

NIST describes penetration testing as testing in which evaluators mimic real-world attacks to find ways around an application's or system's security features (NIST glossary). The UK's NCSC has practical guidance on scoping and buying one (NCSC), and the OWASP Web Security Testing Guide is the common methodology for web apps.

On cost: industry pricing guides from testing vendors put a typical web application pentest at roughly $5,000–$30,000, depending on the number of user roles, APIs and workflows (Synack; Top Floor Security). These are vendors, so treat the numbers as ballpark. Both warn that very cheap "pentests" are often automated scans with a nicer cover page.

When you need a real pentest

You store health, financial or other sensitive personal data.
You process significant payments, or money moves between users.
An enterprise customer, investor or auditor (SOC 2, ISO 27001 and so on) asks for one.
Your app has multiple roles, teams or tenants, where one customer seeing another's data would be serious.
You've had an incident, or made a major architectural change.

If any of these apply, budget for a professional test. A Launch Check is still useful before it: fixing the obvious issues first means the pentesters spend their (expensive) time on the hard stuff.

When a Launch Check is the right fit

You built an MVP or side project with Lovable, Bolt, Cursor, Replit or v0, and you're about to share it.
You're not a security person and want fixes you can paste straight into your AI coder.
You want a second opinion on the classic AI-app mistakes (keys in the bundle, open tables, hidden-but-public admin pages) within a day, for less than the cost of a dinner out.
You want ongoing peace of mind: Monthly Watch re-checks every 30 days and emails you if something regresses.

What our check deliberately doesn't do

We don't attack, guess passwords, exploit anything or load-test. We only look at apps you confirm you own or are authorized to test. That keeps it safe and cheap, but it also means we can't find everything a pentester could, especially inside logged-in areas and in complex business logic. Every report says what we couldn't check. See a full sample report.

FAQ

Is Milo's Launch Check a penetration test?

No. It's a passive, read-only review of the publicly visible side of your live app, with fixes written as copy-paste prompts. A penetration test is an active, expert-led attempt to break in, including logged-in areas and business logic.

How much does a penetration test cost?

Industry pricing guides from testing vendors put a typical web application pentest at roughly $5,000 to $30,000, depending on scope, user roles, APIs and workflows. Very cheap offers are often automated scans.

Are free security scanners enough?

They're worth running and catch real problems, but each looks at one layer, such as headers, database config or secrets in a repo. They usually don't connect findings across your live app or give fixes tailored to your AI coding tool.

When does an AI-built app need a professional pentest?

When it handles sensitive personal, health or financial data, processes significant payments, has multiple tenants or roles, or when a customer, investor or auditor asks for one.

Can I use a Launch Check before a pentest?

Yes. Fixing the common issues first means a pentest can focus on deeper problems, which usually makes it more valuable.

Sources

This guide is general information, not a security audit. Platforms change, so check the linked docs for current details. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@milokits.com.