How Much Does
Cyber Essentials Cost?
Cyber Essentials certification costs from £1,500 and Cyber Essentials Plus from £3,000 with Precursor (IASME fee included); market prices vary by assessor and organisation size.
Cyber Essentials certification costs from £1,500 and Cyber Essentials Plus from £3,000, billed as fixed pricing after a free 20-minute scoping call, with the IASME certification fee included. Here is the full pricing breakdown, what affects the price, and what should be included before you sign.
Cyber Essentials costs from £1,500.
Cyber Essentials certification costs from £1,500 and Cyber Essentials Plus from £3,000 with Precursor, with the IASME certification fee included. Market prices vary by assessor and organisation size, so confirm what a headline figure actually includes before comparing quotes.
First-time applicant?
The Pre-Assessment Gap Analysis (from £500) is the most common starting point, identifying gaps against the five NCSC controls before your formal assessment to maximise your first-time pass rate. Not sure whether you need Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus? See the full CE vs CE Plus comparison.
How Cyber Essentials pricing works
Across the market, Cyber Essentials pricing is typically set by certification level (Cyber Essentials versus Cyber Essentials Plus), organisation size (a micro or SME band versus a mid-market or larger band), and assessor fees, which some providers quote separately from the IASME certification fee itself.
Some assessors will not publish a starting price at all. Every environment genuinely differs, so a scoping call is a reasonable part of the process. But an entry price still tells you whether an assessor is even in your budget range before you spend time on a call, and its absence is often used to obscure how the final figure is built.
Precursor prices Cyber Essentials on published tiers, shown below. A free 20-minute scoping call confirms the exact figure, but the starting point and the bands either side of it are visible up front.
Cyber Essentials cost by tier
Four published starting points covering every UK organisation size. Each is fixed pricing with the IASME certification fee included, and is scoped on a free call before you commit.
Cyber Essentials
SAQ verification | 1-2 week turnaround
- Self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) verification
- Scope review included
- IASME certification fee included
- Certificate and digital badge
Best for: Standard UK Government contracts, Crown Commercial Service frameworks, and general cyber hygiene baseline.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Hands-on technical audit | 2-4 week turnaround
- Everything in Cyber Essentials
- External vulnerability scan
- Device sampling and configuration review
- IASME certification fee included
Best for: MOD supply chain, NHS, and enterprise procurement teams requiring independent technical verification.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Multi-site scoping | 2-4 week turnaround
- Everything in Cyber Essentials Plus (SME)
- Multi-site device sampling
- Configuration review at scale
- IASME certification fee included
Best for: Larger estates spanning multiple sites, needing a proportionally larger device sample.
Pre-Assessment Gap Analysis
1-3 days
- Gap identification against the five controls
- Remediation guidance
- SAQ support
- First-time pass maximiser
Best for: First-time applicants wanting to maximise their first-time pass rate before the formal assessment.
What should be included in the price
Not every assessor bundles the same things into a headline figure. Before comparing quotes on price alone, confirm what is actually included.
With Precursor, the IASME certification fee is included in every quote and a re-test is free if you do not pass first time. Some Cyber Essentials pricing looks lower on paper because the IASME fee, remediation support, or a re-test are quoted separately once you are already a customer. Ask what happens, and what it costs, the first time your assessment does not pass.
Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus cost
The gap between the two levels is a verified self-assessment versus an independent hands-on technical audit, and the price follows that gap in scope.
| Level | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Cyber Essentials | From £1,500, all organisation sizes |
| Cyber Essentials Plus (SME) | From £3,000, micro & SME (1-249 staff) |
| Cyber Essentials Plus (250+) | From £4,500, mid-market (250+ staff) |
Standard UK Government contracts and general cyber hygiene are typically satisfied by Cyber Essentials (Basic). MOD supply chain, defence sector, and NHS or health sector supplier requirements typically require Cyber Essentials Plus. For the full decision guide by scenario, see the Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus comparison.
What affects Cyber Essentials cost
Four factors set where your price lands within each band. We confirm all four on a free scoping call before quoting.
The cost of not having it
Certification cost is only half the comparison. Weigh it against what missing certification actually closes off.
Cyber Essentials certification has been mandatory for UK Government contracts involving sensitive or personal information since 2014, and current procurement policy (PPN 01/25, from 2025) extends the requirement, including to major framework contracts over £5M. Missing this baseline certification removes an organisation from that pipeline of work entirely, not just makes it less competitive within it.
Organisations with the five Cyber Essentials controls in place are 92% less likely to make a claim on cyber insurance, and an increasing number of insurers and enterprise supply chains now apply the same baseline standard when assessing risk and setting premiums.
Cyber Essentials is a baseline, not a ceiling
Cyber Essentials Plus includes an external vulnerability scan. For deeper assurance, or the next step in your compliance roadmap, see the full Cyber Essentials certification page for methodology, process, and scenario guidance.
Get your fixed-price Cyber Essentials quote
A free 20-minute scoping call establishes which level applies to your requirement. You get a fixed-price quote, IASME fee included, with no open-ended day rates.
Get a Fixed-Price QuoteCyber Essentials pricing questions
Cyber Essentials certification starts from £1,500 for all organisation sizes with Precursor. The IASME certification fee is included, and pricing is fixed after a free 20-minute scoping call, with no open-ended day rates.
Cyber Essentials Plus starts from £3,000 for micro and SME organisations (1-249 staff) and from £4,500 for mid-market organisations (250+ staff). The higher figure reflects the larger device sample and multi-site scoping involved in the hands-on technical audit for bigger estates.
Precursor's Cyber Essentials pricing includes scope review, SAQ verification (or the hands-on technical audit, vulnerability scan, and device sampling for Cyber Essentials Plus), the IASME certification fee, your certificate and digital badge, and a free re-test if gaps are found. Pre-assessment gap analysis is available separately from £500, recommended for first-time applicants.
No. With Precursor, the IASME certification fee is included in the quoted price for both Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus. Some assessors quote the IASME fee separately from their own assessment fee, so it is worth confirming this before comparing quotes on price alone.
A standard Cyber Essentials self-assessment typically takes 1-2 weeks from scoping to certificate. Cyber Essentials Plus typically takes 2-4 weeks, covering gap analysis, remediation support, and the formal technical assessment. Organisations with mature IT environments often complete the process faster.