Cyber Essentials Cost UK: 2026 Pricing Guide

Cyber Essentials Pricing by Organisation Size

Cyber Essentials pricing is set by IASME, the National Cyber Security Centre's delivery partner, using a tiered model based on staff numbers. IASME's fixed size bands apply to basic Cyber Essentials only. The Cyber Essentials Plus figures below are NixInfinity-AI's starting prices; CE Plus is quoted by the certification body on the agreed estate size, scope and complexity.

What's Included in the Price

• Official IASME certification fee
• Pre-assessment guidance from a qualified assessor
• Question-by-question support on the self-assessment
• First-time-pass review before submission
• £25,000 cyber liability insurance (UK-domiciled, under £20m turnover)
• Re-submission support if remediation is needed

Cyber Essentials Plus: What Drives the Price?

Cyber Essentials Plus adds an independent technical audit on top of the self-assessment. Pricing reflects three factors:

1. Sample size – a representative sample of in-scope user devices selected under the CE Plus test specification, reflecting the estate and device types.
2. Internet-facing scope and checks – external testing of in-scope internet gateways and internet-facing services, authenticated vulnerability scans of a representative device sample to verify patching, plus checks of malware protection, MFA and account separation. Cloud checks focus on your accounts and settings, not scanning each SaaS provider's infrastructure.
3. Operating system mix – multi-OS estates (Windows, macOS, mobile) require broader test coverage.

Is Cyber Essentials Worth the Cost?

For most UK SMEs the answer is unambiguously yes. The certification:

• Uses controls that can reduce the impact of common cyber-attack approaches by up to 80% (IASME).
• Is mandatory for many UK government, NHS and MoD contracts.
• Is increasingly required by enterprise customers, insurers and supply-chain partners.
• Includes £25,000 of cyber liability insurance for eligible UK organisations under £20m turnover – often worth more than the certification fee.

Frequently Asked Questions