For incident work, we start with a short, fixed-fee assessment. Once we have seen the site, you receive a written fixed quote for the cleanup or recovery, listing exactly what is included. Maintenance plans are quoted monthly, based on what the site does rather than how big it is. If you would like to see what other Australian providers publish, our cost guide collects the market ranges.
Why we do not publish packages
Package prices look tidy, but security work does not divide neatly. A site with one infected theme file and a site with months of attacker access, custom code and thousands of spam pages can both be described as "hacked". A single price would either overcharge the first or underquote the second and leave the job half done.
Instead, we ask for enough information to understand the situation, look at the site, and then quote the specific job. You know the price before work starts.
How quoting works
- You tell us what you are seeing. Use the contact page or email, and attach the text file from our incident checklist if you have it. Please do not include passwords.
- We reply with questions and next steps. Often a couple of quick questions are enough to tell whether this is a cleanup, a recovery or something else.
- Assessment. For incidents, we look inside the site with temporary access you create for us. This is a fixed fee, stated before we start.
- Written quote. You receive a fixed price for the defined scope, what is included, what is not, and roughly how long it should take.
- Approval, then work. Nothing beyond the assessment starts until you approve the quote.
What affects the quote
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Extent of the infection | A few changed files take less time than an attacker who had admin access for weeks and touched the database. |
| Backups available | A clean backup from before the break-in can shorten a recovery considerably. |
| Custom code | Code written for your site cannot be compared with a public copy and has to be checked by hand. |
| Site type | Shops, booking and membership sites need more testing before reopening, and may involve customer data questions. |
| Google or host notices | Working through Search Console issues or a host suspension adds steps, although they often overlap with the cleanup. |
| Timing | Work requested outside business hours, or ahead of scheduled jobs, is quoted at a higher rate, which we state up front. |
What every quote includes
- The defined scope, written so you can check it was done.
- A full copy of the site before work starts.
- The steps we will take, including whether hardening and the Google review request are part of the job.
- What you need to provide, such as access and contacts.
- An estimated timeframe, and a note that Google's review time is outside our control.
- Whether a follow-up check is included if the same infection returns, and for how long.
- The written report you will receive at the end.
Maintenance plan quotes
Monthly plans are scoped by asking what the site does: whether it takes payments or bookings, how often it changes, which plugins are business critical, what your host already provides, and how quickly you need a response. The plan document lists every task, its frequency, the response times and their hours, and whether incident work is included. Read more on the maintenance plans page.
How a quote is set out
Every quote follows the same layout, so you can compare it with quotes from other providers line by line. The example below shows the structure only. It is illustrative, with no prices, and does not describe a real job.
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| Scope | The site address, any other domains or copies included, and anything explicitly left out. |
| What we found | A short summary of the initial check: the warnings showing, the signs reported and what we could see without changing anything. |
| Work to be done | Each task listed separately, such as file and database cleanup, account review, hardening and review requests. |
| Price | A fixed price for the listed work, or an hourly rate with a cap that will not be exceeded without your written approval. |
| Assumptions | What the price depends on, such as a single WordPress install and working access to the hosting account. |
| If it comes back | What happens, and at what cost, if the same problem reappears within the stated period. |
| What you receive | The written report, the pre-cleanup copy of the site and any handover notes. |
What the final report looks like
The report is a plain-English document, usually a few pages, written so you can forward it to an insurer, your bookkeeper or a future web provider without explaining it. It opens with a one-paragraph summary of what happened and the current state of the site. It then lists, in order, what was found, what was changed, which passwords and accounts were reset or removed, and which warnings were cleared or are still pending.
A final section lists recommendations we did not carry out, with a short reason for each, so nothing is left as an unspoken assumption. Technical details such as file paths sit in an appendix at the end.
Fair dealing
Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply on top of anything in a quote [1], and our terms say so. That is also why we will not promise that a site can never be hacked again, or give an uptime percentage on hosting we do not control.
Questions people ask
Do you charge for the assessment?
For incident work, a short paid assessment is usually the first step, because it takes real time to look inside a hacked site. The fee, and whether it is credited against the cleanup, is stated before we start. For maintenance plans and hardening reviews, the first conversation is free.
Is GST included?
Our quotes show prices with GST clearly stated, so there is no confusion between excluding and including figures.
What if you find more than expected?
We stop and tell you before doing extra work. You get a revised quote for the additional scope, and nothing beyond the original quote is charged without your approval.
Do you offer payment plans?
For larger recoveries, staged payments tied to milestones, such as cleanup complete and Google review submitted, can be discussed when you request a quote.
Sources
Labels show each source's type.
- Consumer rights and guarantees Primary source ACCC