VAPT is shorthand for two related but distinct activities: Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing. They're often bought together, but they answer different questions.
Vulnerability Assessment
A vulnerability assessment is a broad, largely automated scan of your systems for known weaknesses - outdated software, missing patches, misconfigurations, and so on. It's good at coverage: finding a large number of potential issues quickly.
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is manual, expert-led testing that attempts to actually exploit weaknesses the way a real attacker would, within an agreed scope. It's slower and narrower than automated scanning, but it tells you whether a theoretical weakness is actually exploitable in practice.
Choosing a tier
Most organisations start with manual and scanner-based testing, then add remediation support and retesting as the programme matures. Where AI-assisted testing and code review make sense, they're best layered on top of - not instead of - solid manual testing fundamentals. Our VAPT plans page walks through how the tiers build on each other.