Top 5 KnowBe4 Alternatives for Security Awareness Training

KnowBe4 has been an incumbent as a security awareness training platform for over a decade, providing an extensive library of content and mature infrastructure. However, it’s essential to assess whether they’re the right fit for you and your organization, or if it’s time to make a switch.

Considering KnowBe4 or switching to another security awareness training platform? This comprehensive guide will help you determine which platform — amongst KnowBe4 and its alternatives — best suits your organization.

How to Choose Security Awareness Training Software

Security awareness training software differs significantly between KnowBe4 and its competitors. KnowBe4, as a legacy solution, actually lacks several key features and capabilities that IT and security teams require in a platform.

Here’s a breakdown of the most important factors to consider when choosing security awareness training software: 

1. Future-Oriented: The platform should directly confront the changing landscape of security. With the development and expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), the next generation of security threats poses new and unforeseen challenges. Deepfakes, for instance, offer bad actors the opportunity to target employees in novel and previously unseen ways.
2. Engagement: Training should come in a myriad of ways, including videos, quizzes, gamification, and should be in short, bite-sized content. This ensures that the information you are trying to get across actually does.
3. All-in-One Platform: You don’t want to be jumping back and forth between different platforms for training, simulations, or tracking. You also don’t want employees to be lost on where to go. It should be as simple and straightforward as possible. Therefore, your chosen platform should allow you to conduct training, track fail rates, enroll employers, simulate attacks, and more — all in one place.

IT and security professionals will also have unique expectations on their wish list. Still, the factors listed above capture what a platform for security awareness training needs to have to be considered. After all, cybersecurity threats are more sophisticated than ever, so security awareness training must keep pace.

KnowBe4 Alternatives: Top Competitors for IT & Security Teams to Consider

Organizations have a plethora of platforms to choose from. But how do you know which to choose? We’ve compiled a list of the top KnowBe4 competitors to help IT and security teams find the best security awareness training platform.

#1. Adaptive Security

Backed by OpenAI as its first cybersecurity investment, Adaptive Security is a next-generation security awareness training and phishing simulation platform built for evolving AI-powered attacks, such as deepfakes, voice phishing, and SMS phishing. Publicly launched in January, Adaptive Security is already loved by hundreds of companies worldwide, including Figma, First State Bank, and the Dallas Mavericks.

Pros of Adaptive Security

• AI Content Creator allows administrators to create custom training for any industry.
• Impressive deepfake and phishing simulations, with the ability to generate AI personas for anyone across organizations.
• Better pricing than legacy solutions.
• All-in-one, modern UI platform for training, simulations, and reporting.
• Dedicated customer success managers for every client.
• Focused on the future of AI threats, yet the training spans all relevant departments of a business.

Cons of Adaptive Security

• Automated threat remediation is still in beta.
• Product development is continually expanding and requires adaptation to new features.

Adaptive Security is an excellent choice for future-oriented organizations concerned about the next generation of AI threats, although the introduction of new, advanced features requires frequent adaptation.

#2. Proofpoint

Proofpoint’s security awareness training platform is designed to enable organizations to adopt a simulation-based approach while maintaining their threat detection capabilities.

Pros of Proofpoint

• Realistic phishing simulations updated to reflect modern threats.
• Tight integration with Proofpoint’s email security platform for unified threat detection and training.
• Solid training content with interactive modules and quizzes.

Cons of Proofpoint

• Challenging and time-consuming setup and configuration process.
• Platform complexity leads to a steep learning curve requiring dedicated staff.
• Support and documentation can be slow or sparse.
• Training content feels generic and lacks personalization.

Proofpoint is a valuable integrated email security and training solution, but it could benefit from a more personalized learning experience and a forward-thinking approach. It feels limited for organizations keeping an eye on the always-evolving nature of cybersecurity.

#3. Hoxhunt

Hoxhunt places gamification at the center of its security awareness training platform, focusing on behavior change as it delivers personalized phishing simulations and automated training to reduce human risk at scale.

Pros of Hoxhunt

• Engaging, game-like training experience with points, badges, and leaderboards.
• Realistic and adaptive phishing simulations tailored to user performance.
• Intuitive interface for both employees and admins with easy email integration and clear reporting dashboards.

Cons of Hoxhunt

• Training content can become repetitive over time.
• Some users find gamification quirks frustrating, such as penalties for slow phishing reporting.
• Initial setup and customization require significant effort and can be complex.

Good for organizations seeking engaging, behavior-changing training with minimal administrative upkeep, but Hoxhunt lacks some flexibility and requires careful setup.

#4. SoSafe 

SoSafe is a security awareness platform with a focus on localized, gamified learning. SoSafe emphasizes interactive micro-learning and adaptive content to drive long-term behavior change, including support for multiple languages and regional customization.

Pros of SoSafe

• Gamified content fosters friendly competition and higher engagement.
• Behavior-driven training that adapts to each user’s security maturity.
• Customizable phishing simulations tailored to industry and local languages, particularly in Europe.

Cons of SoSafe

• Complex and time-consuming initial setup, especially for smaller teams.
• Reporting and dashboards lack depth, resulting in limited granular insights.
• Limited mobile and offline access, as well as fewer advanced gamification features.
• Language support and cultural tailoring could be improved for global companies.

Despite being a fun, personalized training experience that is adaptive to users, SoSafe lacks sophisticated reporting and flexibility.

#5. Cofense PhishMe

Cofense PhishMe is a legacy solution for security awareness training and phishing simulations focused on threat detection and response training. It provides extensive phishing email scenarios and integrates with incident response tools to train users and remediate threats.

Pros of Cofense PhishMe

• Large library of phishing templates and training content based on real-world attacks.
• Deep customization options for templates and campaign settings.
• Comprehensive reporting with detailed stats and analytics.
• Responsive, hands-on vendor support during setup and operations.

Cons of Cofense PhishMe

• User interface feels unintuitive, and navigation can be confusing.
• Limited localization and fewer region-specific phishing scenarios.
• Training feedback is primarily provided only to users who perform simulations, missing others.

While it has extensive phishing content and robust analytics, Cofense PhishMe lacks modern polish and uniform training reinforcement.

Security Awareness Training Platforms: Comparison

The Best Security Awareness Training Platform: Adaptive Security

Adaptive Security offers industry-leading security awareness training and phishing simulations all in one dedicated platform, built for the future of AI-powered threats.

Recognized for its next-generation approach, with a strong focus on deepfakes and multi-channel simulations across email, voice, video, and SMS, Adaptive Security boasts a 5-star rating on G2.

Why do top brands choose Adaptive Security?

Top brands from every industry choose Adaptive Security to stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity attacks targeting their employees.

Built for AI Threats

• Adaptive Security enables users to gain hands-on experience with emerging cyberattacks. The platform can create AI personas for deepfakes of anyone within an organization and instantly implement them into training and simulations.
• With a focus not just on email phishing, the platform enables organizations to conduct comprehensive training on more modern threats, including SMS and voice phishing.

Modern UI & Adaptable

• Adaptive Security’s platform is built for the future. New users say that it’s intuitive and easy to use.
• While the platform offers extensive training tailored to compliance, specific departments, and industries, Adaptive Security’s AI Content Creator enables managers to easily create content tailored to any of an organization’s needs.

Seamless Support

• With every team getting access to a customer success manager, potential problems are resolved in minutes, not days.
• Onboarding is quick and efficient, even for non-technical users, and Adaptive Security’s 30+ integrations make it seamless to connect to your organization.

Deciding on a security awareness training platform can be challenging due to the numerous options available. With this comprehensive review in mind, we hope that the decision will be more straightforward. Every organization is unique, with its own distinct needs and demands.

Regardless of industry or size, every organization should protect itself, its employees, and its executives from future security threats. With bad actors possessing advanced and previously unseen capabilities, this protection is more relevant now than ever.