The Cheapest IASME-Licensed Certification Bodies for Cyber Essentials

If you are looking for the most affordable Cyber Essentials certification, the choice of certification body matters more than you might expect. The certificate is identical regardless of provider, but prices range from just over £300 to well over £1,000 for what is functionally the same output.

This article ranks the most affordable options based on published pricing and examines whether cutting costs means cutting corners.

Why prices vary so much

Every certification body pays a licence fee to IASME. Beyond that, each body sets its own pricing based on their cost structure, target market, and service model. Bodies with large consultancy teams, expensive offices, and enterprise sales processes tend to charge more. Lean, technology-driven operations can charge less.

The certificate itself is not affected by pricing. A £315 certificate from Fig Compliance is identical to a £1,000 certificate from another body. Same NCSC badge, same register, same validity.

Ranked by published price (Cyber Essentials, micro organisation)

1. Fig Compliance - £314.99 + VAT

2. Bulletproof - £500 ex VAT

3. Pentest People - £575

4. CyberSmart - £999 + VAT per year (subscription)

5. LRQA - Quote required

6. QMS International - Quote required

Fig Compliance is priced approximately 37% below Bulletproof and 45% below Pentest People. Against subscription models like CyberSmart, the difference is even more pronounced for organisations that only need annual certification.

Does cheaper mean worse?

This is the natural concern, and it is a fair one. In most markets, significantly lower pricing raises questions about quality or service levels. With Cyber Essentials, this concern is largely unfounded for one reason: the assessment criteria are standardised.

Every IASME-licensed body assesses against the same NCSC requirements. The assessor follows the same question set. The pass/fail criteria are identical. A body cannot issue a certificate for a submission that would fail at another body, and vice versa.

What can differ is the support and turnaround:

Fig Compliance includes three rounds of feedback, a free readiness checker, and a 6-hour turnaround guarantee. This is more, not less, than what many higher-priced bodies offer.

Bulletproof at £500 includes one free retest and 32 hours of remote support. Solid, but fewer feedback rounds and a 48-hour turnaround.

Pentest People at £575 includes two retests and a dedicated project manager. The 3-day turnaround is standard for the industry.

When a higher price makes sense

There are scenarios where paying more is justified:

For a straightforward Cyber Essentials certification, however, paying two or three times more for the same certificate does not add value.

The bottom line

Fig Compliance publishes the lowest Cyber Essentials pricing of any IASME-licensed body in the UK. It also offers the fastest guaranteed turnaround and the most included feedback rounds. The certificate is identical to one from a body charging twice the price.

For budget-conscious organisations, that combination is hard to argue with.

View Fig Compliance pricing