The Top 7 KnowBe4 Alternatives for Security Awareness Training in 2025

KnowBe4 has established itself as a leader in the security awareness training space, but here's the truth: one size doesn't fit all when it comes to protecting your organization from cyber threats. You might be exploring alternatives because KnowBe4's pricing doesn't align with your budget, or perhaps you're seeking a more engaging training approach that resonates with your team culture. Maybe you need deeper technical content, better integration capabilities, or simply want to evaluate all your options before making this critical investment.

The good news? The security awareness training market has evolved dramatically, offering you incredible alternatives that might actually serve your organization better than the industry giant. Whether you're looking for gamified experiences that boost engagement, Hollywood-style content that captures attention, or technical training that meets developers where they are, there's a platform designed to help you build an outstanding security culture.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover 7 powerful KnowBe4 alternatives, each with unique strengths that could unlock your team's potential to become your strongest line of defense against cyber threats.

Quick Comparison: Top KnowBe4 Alternatives at a Glance

1. Symbol Security

Symbol Security is a comprehensive cybersecurity provider focused on reducing human-centric cyber risk. They offer a suite of services designed to educate employees, simulate real-world cyber threats, and provide proactive threat intelligence. Their approach centers on creating a security-conscious culture through engaging, accessible, and actionable training programs.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Security Awareness Training: A suite of training modules covering a wide range of cybersecurity topics, including phishing, password security, and industry compliance. The training utilizes interactive videos, gamification, and real-world scenarios to enhance learning and retention.
• Realistic Phishing Simulations: A platform that allows organizations to send lifelike phishing emails to employees to test their vigilance. It includes a library of templates and a "Phish Alert Button" to help measure the effectiveness of the training.
• Proactive Threat Surveillance: Symbol offers services that monitor the dark web for stolen employee credentials and watch for newly registered "doppelgänger" domains that could be used in spoofing attacks against the company.
• Engaging and Customizable Training: The training content is designed to be interactive and can be tailored to specific industries, job roles, and risk profiles, making it more relevant and effective for employees.

Strengths

• Managed Program Services for a Hands-Off Approach: For organizations with limited resources or expertise, Symbol offers managed services for security awareness training to oversee the entire security awareness program. This is a significant advantage for prospective customers as it reduces the administrative burden, ensures the program is implemented according to best practices by experts, and allows internal teams to focus on their core business functions.
• Policy Management (Policy PRO): A tool to distribute, track, and capture electronic signatures on critical IT security policies, ensuring that employees have read and acknowledged them. This feature also allows for linking training directly to relevant policies.
• Holistic Approach to Human Risk: Symbol Security's platform integrates various aspects of human-related risk, from education and testing to policy management and proactive threat monitoring, offering a more complete solution.
• Actionable and Intuitive Reporting: The platform provides smart and intuitive reporting that offers meaningful data for administrators to track progress and make informed decisions.
• Partner-Focused Model: Symbol Security empowers a channel of partners, including Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) and Virtual CISOs (vCISOs), to deliver their solutions, often with white-labeling options.

Limitations

• Less Established Brand Recognition: Compared to other industry players, Symbol Security has a lower market profile.
• Advanced AI-Powered Simulations Not Publicized: While the cybersecurity industry is moving towards AI-powered and deepfake phishing simulations to counter emerging threats, these advanced features are not currently part of Symbol Security's current offerings.

2. Hoxhunt

Hoxhunt revolutionizes security awareness training through gamification, creating an environment where employees actually look forward to learning about cybersecurity while building genuine skills to protect your organization.

Key Features

• Gamified Training Experience: To drive engagement, the platform incorporates leaderboards, rewards, and competitive elements.
• Automated and Adaptive Phishing Simulations: Hoxhunt delivers automated phishing simulations that adjust the difficulty based on the performance of individual users.
• Instant Feedback and Micro-training: Users who are tricked by simulations receive immediate feedback and brief, targeted training.
• Seamless Email Client Integration: The platform integrates smoothly with email clients, allowing for easy reporting of suspicious emails.

Strengths

• High User Engagement: The gamified approach leads to significantly higher user engagement compared to traditional training methods.
• Reduced Administrative Burden: Automated and adaptive campaigns dramatically lessen the workload for IT administrators.
• Realistic and Current Simulations: The platform uses realistic and up-to-date phishing simulations to effectively prepare employees for real threats.
• Excellent Customer Support: Users consistently highlight the exceptional quality of customer support.

Limitations

• Narrower Focus: The training has a strong emphasis on phishing, with less extensive content on broader compliance topics when compared to KnowBe4.
• Less Manual Control: The high degree of automation may offer less granular, manual control for administrators who prefer a more hands-on approach.
• Motivation Style: The gamified approach may not be equally motivating for all personality types.
• Cultural Buy-in: Achieving maximum effectiveness may require a degree of cultural buy-in from the organization.

3. Proofpoint Security Awareness Training

Proofpoint leverages its position as an email security leader to deliver training informed by real-time threat intelligence, making it an excellent choice for organizations seeking enterprise-grade integration and current threat awareness.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Training Suite: The platform includes a wide range of training modules that cover compliance and industry-specific threats.
• Threat Intelligence-Powered Simulations: Proofpoint offers customizable phishing simulations that are powered by real-time threat intelligence.
• Advanced Threat Intelligence: Users have access to technical reporting and analytics based on advanced threat intelligence.
• Ecosystem Integration: The training platform deeply integrates with Proofpoint's broader ecosystem of security products.

Strengths

• Informed by Real-Time Data: The training is informed by current threat data, leveraging the company's leadership in email security.
• Strong Customization: The platform offers robust customization options for tailoring training paths and content delivery.
• Detailed Analytics: Proofpoint provides detailed analytics and reporting on user performance and organizational risk.
• Enterprise-Grade Scalability: The platform is designed for enterprise-level scalability and offers extensive integration capabilities.

Limitations

• Less Engaging Content: The training content can sometimes feel more focused on compliance and less engaging than more modern alternatives.
• Less Intuitive Interface: The user interface and overall experience may be less intuitive when compared to some competitors.
• Inconsistent Customer Support: Customer support has received lower ratings from some users compared to competitor offerings.
• Complexity for Smaller Organizations: The platform may be overly complex for smaller organizations that are looking for simpler solutions.

4. Cofense

Cofense specializes in transforming your employees into a human threat detection network, offering a comprehensive phishing defense ecosystem that connects training directly to incident response and measurable security improvements.

Key Features

• Complete Phishing Defense Suite: The platform provides a full suite of capabilities, including training, reporting, and incident response.
• Realistic Simulations with Just-in-Time Training: Cofense delivers realistic phishing simulations and provides training at the moment it's needed.
• Widely-Used Reporting Button: The platform includes a widely-used email reporting button that integrates with Triage and Vision products for incident response.
• Extensive Customization: The training content can be extensively customized to meet the specific needs of an organization.

Strengths

• Active Threat Detection: The platform has a strong focus on turning employees into an active human threat detection system.
• Measurable Security Impact: The integration of training with incident response provides a measurable impact on security operations.
• Effective Simulations: Realistic templates and adaptive campaigns enhance the effectiveness of the phishing simulations.
• Proven Track Record: Cofense has a proven track record in the area of phishing-specific security awareness.

Limitations

• Limited Platform Updates: Some users have noted a lack of substantial platform updates over time.
• Less Advanced Interface: The user interface and automation may be less advanced than some of the newer competitors.
• Cost-Benefit Ratio: The cost-benefit ratio may be less favorable when compared to other available solutions.
• Narrow Focus on Phishing: A heavy focus on phishing may leave gaps in addressing broader security awareness needs.

5. SoSafe

SoSafe creates an engaging, user-centric training experience through gamification and automation, making it particularly appealing for organizations prioritizing ease of use and employee engagement over complex feature sets.

Key Features

• Gamified Approach: The platform uses points and avatars to boost user engagement.
• Simulated Phishing and E-learning: SoSafe combines simulated phishing attacks with interactive e-learning modules.
• "Awareness Assistant" Chatbot: A chatbot is included to provide ongoing learning reinforcement.
• Compliance-Oriented Reporting: The platform offers reporting that supports standards like GDPR.

Strengths

• User-Centric Design: The platform is highly praised for its user-centric design and engaging, easy-to-understand training modules.
• Fully Automated Platform: The fully automated platform significantly reduces the administrative workload.
• Effective Behavior Change: The training is effective at changing user behavior in both professional and personal contexts.
• Strong European Presence: SoSafe has a strong presence in the European market with a focus on GDPR compliance.

Limitations

• Less Extensive Feature Range: The platform has a less extensive range of features and reporting capabilities compared to KnowBe4.
• Limited Simulation Capabilities: The in-depth threat simulation capabilities are more limited when compared to technically focused platforms.
• Fewer Customization Options: According to some users, the platform offers more limited customization options.
• May Be Too Simplified: The platform may be too simplified for organizations that require more advanced features.

6. Infosec IQ

Infosec IQ delivers exceptional value through its extensive content library and NIST-aligned training programs, making it an outstanding choice for budget-conscious organizations that refuse to compromise on training quality.

Key Features

• Massive Content Library: The platform provides a massive library with over 1,000 training resources and phishing simulation templates.
• Customizable Training and Campaigns: Training modules and phishing campaigns can be customized to fit an organization's specific needs.
• Detailed Reporting and Analytics: The platform offers detailed reporting and analytics to track employee progress and identify vulnerabilities.
• NIST Guideline Alignment: The training programs are aligned with NIST guidelines and include pre-designed program plans.

Strengths

• Realistic Simulations and Value: The platform is praised for its realistic simulated phishing emails and excellent price-to-value ratio.
• Engaging Gamification: Some users find the gamification features to be more engaging than those offered by KnowBe4.
• Versatile Content Tailoring: The platform offers versatile content tailoring capabilities to serve the needs of various organizations.
• Comprehensive Training Options: The strong content library provides a comprehensive range of training options.

Limitations

• Content Engagement: While extensive, some users find KnowBe4's content library to be more engaging.
• Less Proactive Evolution: The product's evolution is seen as less proactive in responding to user feedback compared to KnowBe4.
• Less Polished Interface: Although intuitive, the user interface is considered less polished than some of its competitors.
• Requires More Hands-On Management: The platform may require more hands-on management than fully automated alternatives.

7. NINJIO Security Awareness

NINJIO transforms security training through Hollywood-style storytelling, creating micro-learning experiences based on real security breaches that capture attention and drive behavioral change through emotional engagement.

Key Features

• Engaging Micro-Learning Episodes: The platform features Hollywood-style micro-learning episodes that are based on actual security breaches.
• Proprietary Risk Algorithm: A proprietary risk algorithm identifies user vulnerabilities and personalizes the training experience.
• Behavioral Science-Based Training: The training is based on behavioral science to help employees recognize the feelings of being manipulated.
• Targeted Phishing Simulations: Phishing simulations focus on the social engineering tricks that are most likely to deceive users.

Strengths

• High-Quality, Story-Based Content: The high-quality, story-based content is frequently cited as more engaging and effective for knowledge retention.
• Detailed Vulnerability Insights: The risk-scoring and continuous assessment features are highly rated for providing detailed insights into vulnerabilities.
• Responsive Customer Support: Customer support is consistently praised for its responsiveness and helpfulness.
• Memorable Learning Experiences: The unique narrative approach creates memorable learning experiences for users.

Limitations

• Less Comprehensive Content Library: The content library may not be as broad as KnowBe4's for covering comprehensive compliance topics.
• Narrative-Focused Approach: The narrative-focused approach may not be suitable for all employee learning preferences.
• Platform Usability: The usability and ease of administration of the platform are sometimes rated lower than KnowBe4.
• Focus on Engagement Over Technical Depth: A higher focus on engagement may come at the expense of technical depth.

How to Choose the Right KnowBe4 Alternative for Your Business

Selecting the perfect security awareness training platform requires careful consideration of your organization's unique needs, culture, and goals. Here's your roadmap to making an outstanding decision:

• Training Style and Engagement: Consider your team's learning preferences. Do they respond better to gamified experiences like Hoxhunt's competitive approach, or would they prefer Symbol Security’s engaging video content and microtrainings?
• Managed Program Services: Evaluate whether your team has the time and expertise to run a continuous training program. Some providers such as Symbol Security offer managed services where they handle the day-to-day administration, campaign creation, and reporting for you. This can be highly appealing for organizations with limited IT staff or resources, ensuring the program is run effectively without adding to your internal team's workload.
• Simulation Sophistication Needs: Evaluate whether you need basic phishing templates or comprehensive multi-vector simulations. 
• Integration Requirements: If you're already invested in a security ecosystem, platforms like Proofpoint offer seamless integration that can streamline your security operations and provide unified management experiences.
• Reporting and Analytics Depth: Determine what level of detail you need to demonstrate ROI and track risk reduction. NINJIO's risk-scoring algorithms provide deep insights, while Symbol Security focuses on actionable reporting that drives cultural change.
• Budget and Scalability: Consider both current costs and future scaling needs. Infosec IQ delivers exceptional value for budget-conscious organizations, while enterprise solutions like Proofpoint offer advanced features that justify higher investments.

Unlock Your Organization's Security Potential Today

The security awareness training landscape offers incredible opportunities to build a stronger, more resilient security culture than ever before. While KnowBe4 established the market, these 7 alternatives prove that innovation thrives when organizations demand better solutions tailored to their unique needs.

Whether you're drawn to Hoxhunt's engaging gamification, enlightened by Symbol Security’s engaging training approach, or attracted to the comprehensive value of Infosec IQ, you now have the knowledge to make a decision that will transform your team into your strongest security asset. The perfect platform for your organization is within reach - one that will not only protect against current threats but also build the security-conscious culture that ensures long-term resilience.

Remember, the best security awareness training platform isn't necessarily the most well-known one. It's the one that resonates with your team, fits your budget, and delivers measurable improvements in your organization's security posture. Your journey to outstanding security awareness starts with taking that next step toward evaluation and implementation.