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AI Agent Bug Bounty Cost Calculator

Estimate the monthly cost to run a bug bounty or vulnerability disclosure program for an AI agent: payouts, triage, fixes, legal, tooling, and reserve.

Scenario presets

Program parameters

Program type Platform / management Submissions / month Valid bug rate (%) Average bounty payout ($) Triage hours / submission Fix hours / valid bug Engineering hourly rate ($) Legal / compliance hours / month Legal hourly rate ($) Tooling cost / month ($) Security retainer / month ($) Projection (months) Reserve (months of cost)

Last updated: 2026-07-13. See notes.

Valid bugs / month

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Monthly program cost

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Cost per valid bug

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Recommended reserve

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Verdict

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Cost breakdown

Line item	Monthly	% of total
Run a calculation to see the breakdown.

Platform comparison

Platform	Monthly fee	Platform fee	Extra triage	Total monthly	Status
Run a calculation to compare platforms.

Frequently asked questions

What does an AI agent bug bounty program cost per month?

A small private program with ~20 submissions/month typically costs $2,000-$6,000/month including payouts, triage, and fixes. A public enterprise program can exceed $50,000/month once high-severity findings are paid.

Should AI agents have a VDP or paid bounty first?

Start with a Vulnerability Disclosure Program if budget is tight and attack surface is low. Move to a paid private bounty before a public launch once prompt injection, tool hijacking, and PII leak risks are confirmed.

How are valid-bug rate and payouts estimated?

Public programs often see 5-15% valid bugs. Private/curated programs can hit 20-30%. Average payouts depend on scope and max bounty, with critical agent vulnerabilities often $2,000-$10,000+.

Does the calculator include platform fees?

Yes. Platform fees are applied to bounty payouts using the selected platform or program-type default. Self-managed programs have no platform fee but higher triage overhead.

What is the recommended reserve?

A reserve equal to 2-4 months of expected total program cost helps cover spikes after launches, disclosures, or high-severity findings.

Methodology notes

Valid bugs per month = submissions × valid bug rate. Average bounty payouts are multiplied by valid bugs to estimate bounty cost.
Triage cost = submissions × triage hours × engineering rate. Fix cost = valid bugs × fix hours × engineering rate.
Platform fee = bounty cost × platform fee percentage. Self-managed programs skip the fee but add extra triage hours.
Legal/compliance cost = legal hours × legal rate. Tooling and retainer are direct monthly costs.
Recommended reserve = monthly total × reserve months. It is not included in the monthly total.
Projection = monthly total × projection months, without compounding bounty spikes.