Cobalt
Cobalt is a Pentest as a Service platform that combines SaaS efficiency with a global community of security experts to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in your applications.
ID.me
ID.me provides a secure digital identity network that allows you to verify your identity once and use it across thousands of government agencies, healthcare providers, and retail brands.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Cobalt | ID.me |
|---|---|---|
| Website | cobalt.io | id.me |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Custom |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | McLean, USA |
Overview
Cobalt
Cobalt transforms traditional penetration testing into a dynamic, tech-enabled experience through its Pentest as a Service (PtaaS) platform. You can move away from slow, static PDF reports and instead launch comprehensive security assessments in days rather than weeks. The platform connects you directly with a vetted community of on-demand security researchers who test your web applications, APIs, and cloud infrastructure in real-time.
You can manage the entire testing lifecycle from a single dashboard, allowing your developers to communicate directly with testers for faster vulnerability remediation. It integrates with your existing development workflows to ensure security keeps pace with your release cycles. Whether you need to meet compliance requirements like SOC2 or harden your external attack surface, you get actionable data and on-demand retesting to stay secure.
ID.me
ID.me is a digital identity network that simplifies how you prove who you are online. Instead of creating new accounts and uploading documents for every service, you verify your identity once with ID.me and use those credentials across a vast network of partners. This approach reduces friction while maintaining high security standards for sensitive transactions with government agencies and healthcare providers.
You can use the platform to access state benefits, federal services, and exclusive discounts based on your professional status, such as military, student, or first responder. For businesses, it provides a pre-verified pool of millions of users, helping you reduce fraud and onboarding drop-off rates. It effectively bridges the gap between high-assurance security requirements and a smooth user experience.
Overview
Cobalt Features
- On-Demand Pentesting Launch a manual pentest in as little as 24 hours to meet tight production deadlines or compliance windows.
- Real-Time Reporting View vulnerabilities as testers find them so your team can start fixing critical bugs before the test even finishes.
- Direct Researcher Access Chat directly with your assigned security experts to clarify findings and get specific guidance on complex remediation steps.
- SDLC Integrations Push findings automatically to Jira, GitHub, or Slack so your developers can manage security fixes in their existing tools.
- Complimentary Retesting Request a free retest once you've applied a fix to ensure the vulnerability is fully resolved and verified.
- Compliance Reporting Generate audit-ready reports for SOC2, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS with a single click to satisfy your stakeholders and auditors.
ID.me Features
- Single Sign-On Identity. Verify your identity once and use your secure credentials to log into thousands of partner websites instantly.
- Document Verification. Upload government-issued IDs and use automated facial recognition to prove your identity in just a few minutes.
- Professional Status Verification. Confirm your status as a nurse, teacher, or veteran to unlock exclusive community discounts and specialized benefits.
- Multi-Factor Authentication. Protect your account with extra layers of security like push notifications, code generators, or physical security keys.
- Video Chat Agent. Connect with a live human agent over video if you have trouble with automated document scanning or verification.
- NIST-Compliant Security. Access high-stakes government services with confidence knowing the platform meets federal digital identity standards and encryption requirements.
Pricing Comparison
Cobalt Pricing
ID.me Pricing
Pros & Cons
Cobalt
Pros
- Significantly faster setup time than traditional consulting firms
- Direct communication with testers speeds up remediation
- Clean dashboard replaces messy PDF report management
- High-quality, vetted researchers provide deep manual insights
Cons
- Credit-based pricing can be complex to forecast
- Platform focus is primarily on manual testing over automation
- Premium pricing reflects the high-touch expert service
ID.me
Pros
- Verify once and use across thousands of different websites
- Access to exclusive discounts for specific professional groups
- High security standards trusted by federal government agencies
- Video chat support available for difficult verification cases
- User-friendly mobile interface for uploading identity documents
Cons
- Wait times for live video agents can be long
- Automated document scanning sometimes fails on older phones
- Privacy concerns regarding the storage of biometric data