Best cyber security awareness training for employees in 2026: 14 compared
Vendor facts checked · 14 optionsThe short answer
Cyber security awareness training for employees comes in three shapes: subscription platforms with simulated phishing (KnowBe4, Hoxhunt, NINJIO, Huntress), short or free courses (NCSC, ESET, Traliant) and longer video courses (Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy). Choose by how people practise, which channels it covers, whether you need inbox simulations, and what record each learner leaves.
Bodhih is our course. We list it first and say so. Prices were checked on 6 November 2026; quote-based prices are marked.
Security awareness training now ranges from a free 30-minute module to a year-round platform with phishing simulations. Phishing has moved beyond email to texts, chat, calls, QR codes and deepfaked video meetings, so the useful questions are whether staff practise on those channels, whether the content fits their role, whether you need simulations in real inboxes, and whether you get a dated record per learner for your ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF or PCI DSS evidence.
How we built this list
- Included: cybersecurity awareness courses and platforms for general employees that are on sale or free today and that a company can roll out.
- Checked for each: price, length or format and what is included, as stated on the page listed in its sources.
- Where a price appeared only on third-party review or listing sites, we describe it as quote-based and give no figure.
- Order: Bodhih’s course is ours, so it is listed first and labelled. The rest are alphabetical by provider. This is a shortlist with facts, not a ranking.
Disclosure: Bodhih publishes this guide and sells the product marked “Our product”. We receive nothing from the other providers listed, and links to them are not affiliate links.
Comparison at a glance
| # | Name | Price | Length | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cyber Safe at Work (our product) | ₹1,199 / US$29 a seat a year (25+) | ~4 h | Threat Inspector, 3 sims, Role Lens, before and after, record per learner, 3 Pro Kits |
| 2 | CybSafe | Quote | Platform | Behaviour measurement, nudges, culture surveys |
| 3 | Cybersecurity Awareness Training | Free (1 user); US$25 a person (Business) | ~60 min | Gamified course, certificate, simulator in Business tier |
| 4 | Hoxhunt | Quote | Micro-training | Adaptive simulations, gamification |
| 5 | Managed Security Awareness Training | Quote (per learner a month, billed annually) | Monthly episodes | Managed programme, phishing campaigns, game, directory sync |
| 6 | Security Awareness Training (Foundation / Advanced) | From US$2.40 a seat a month (25-50 seats, 3-year term) | Library | Large library, unlimited phishing simulations, report button |
| 7 | Cybersecurity at Work | Subscription | Video | Social engineering, Wi-Fi, MFA, hybrid work, data security |
| 8 | Top Tips for Staff | Free | < 30 min | SCORM, four core topics, short quiz |
| 9 | NINJIO AWARE | Quote | Short episodes | Animated monthly stories, phishing simulations |
| 10 | Employee Cybersecurity Awareness in the Age of AI | Coursera subscription | ~7 h | Video, AI-era threats, 10 graded assignments, certificate |
| 11 | ZenGuide (security awareness) | Quote | Library | Threat-informed microlearning, dashboards |
| 12 | SANS Security Awareness (EndUser) | Quote | 50+ modules | Tracks, 34 languages, compliance editions |
| 13 | Cybersecurity Awareness S7 | US$24.95 a licence | ~30 min | SCORM course, certificate, deepfakes covered |
| 14 | Security Awareness Training 2026 (AI era) | Udemy list price | ~4 h | Video; deepfakes, QR scams, MFA, AI tool safety |
- Our product · Bodhih Training Solutions (Bengaluru, India)
1. Cyber Safe at Work
Best for: Companies that want a measured annual course with hands-on practice, role-based examples and India-first reporting routes alongside UK and US ones.
Watch out for: It does not send simulated phishing emails into staff inboxes, and it launched in November 2026, so it has no alumni record yet.
Price ₹1,199 / US$29 per seat a year (minimum 25 seats); ₹1,499 / US$35 individual; INR plus GST Length About 4 hours, self-paced, six modules Practice Threat Inspector and three Scenario Sims (The CFO Call, Push at Midnight, I Think I Clicked It) Role Lens Seven functions Record Before-and-after check, certificate (Open Badge 2.0) and a dated completion record per learner Phishing simulations Not included See Cyber Safe at Work on Bodhih · Source: bodhih.org
- CybSafe
2. CybSafe
Best for: Security teams building a security culture programme around behaviour measurement.
Watch out for: Pricing is quote-based, and a behaviour platform takes set-up effort.
Price Quote-based per-user subscription Format Behaviour platform with nudges Includes Behaviour measurement, culture surveys CybSafe website · Source: g2.com
- ESET
3. Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Best for: Small teams on a budget, starting with a free single-user course.
Watch out for: The free tier is about an hour, so coverage is shorter, and the phishing simulator is in the Business tier only.
Price Free for 1 user; Business US$25 per person (5-99 users) Length About 60 minutes (free tier) Format Self-paced, gamified Includes Certificate and badge; phishing simulator in Business ESET website · Source: eset.com
- Hoxhunt
4. Hoxhunt
Best for: Larger organisations focused on adaptive phishing simulations and reporting behaviour.
Watch out for: Pricing is not published; ask about minimums, which may not suit small teams.
Price Quote-based Format Adaptive phishing simulations with gamified micro-training Includes Adaptive simulations, gamification Hoxhunt website · Source: g2.com
- Huntress
5. Managed Security Awareness Training
Best for: Small and mid-sized businesses and managed service providers that want a managed programme.
Watch out for: Pricing is by quote, and a managed approach may not suit an in-house L&D team that wants control of content.
Price Quote; per learner per month, billed annually Format Managed monthly episodes and phishing campaigns Includes Gamification, a threat simulator game, directory sync Huntress website · Source: prod.huntress.com
- KnowBe4
6. Security Awareness Training (Foundation / Advanced)
Best for: Programmes built around year-round simulated phishing and a large content library.
Watch out for: The listed seat prices are on a three-year term, and choosing and assigning content from a large library is your team’s job.
Price From US$2.40 (Foundation) or US$3.75 (Advanced) per seat a month at 25-50 seats, on a 3-year term (list price) Format Library of short modules, from 5-minute micro modules to longer courses Includes 200+ content pieces (Foundation), unlimited phishing tests, Phish Alert Button KnowBe4 website · Source: knowbe4.com
- LinkedIn Learning
7. Cybersecurity at Work
Best for: Companies already subscribed to LinkedIn Learning that want a broad video introduction.
Watch out for: It is a video course, with no hands-on practice labs described.
Price LinkedIn Learning subscription Format Video course Covers Social engineering, Wi-Fi, accounts and MFA, hybrid work, data security LinkedIn Learning website · Source: classcentral.com
- National Cyber Security Centre (UK)
8. Top Tips for Staff
Best for: UK organisations, and anyone, wanting a free, short baseline that can run in their own LMS.
Watch out for: No certificate is mentioned, so it gives you no per-learner record on its own.
Price Free Length Under 30 minutes Format Online, or SCORM 1.2 / 2004 Covers Passwords, devices, phishing, reporting; short quiz National Cyber Security Centre (UK) website · Source: ncsc.gov.uk
- NINJIO
9. NINJIO AWARE
Best for: Organisations that want to keep staff engaged with short, story-led monthly episodes.
Watch out for: Pricing is quote-based, and the format centres on watching episodes rather than hands-on practice.
Price Quote-based per-user subscription Format Short animated episodes, monthly Includes Story-led videos, phishing simulations NINJIO website · Source: g2.com
- Packt (on Coursera)
10. Employee Cybersecurity Awareness in the Age of AI
Best for: Individuals who want to go deeper on AI-era threats with graded work.
Watch out for: It is video-led and longer than most staff will need, with no role-based switching described.
Price Coursera Plus subscription Length About 7 hours (about 3 hours of video) Includes 10 graded assignments; AI phishing, voice cloning, shadow AI, reporting culture; course certificate Packt (on Coursera) website · Source: coursera.org
- Proofpoint
11. ZenGuide (security awareness)
Best for: Organisations already using Proofpoint for email security.
Watch out for: Pricing is quote-based.
Price Quote-based Format Microlearning library Includes Threat-informed microlearning, dashboards Proofpoint website · Source: g2.com
- SANS Institute
12. SANS Security Awareness (EndUser)
Best for: Large multinationals that need many languages and role-based tracks.
Watch out for: Pricing is by contact only, and role and compliance editions are sold separately.
Price “Contact us”, per year Length 50+ modules in 6 tracks Languages 34 Includes Phishing, compliance and role-based tracks (separate editions) SANS Institute website · Source: g2.com
- Traliant (via Coggno)
13. Cybersecurity Awareness S7
Best for: A quick, SCORM-ready compliance module that covers AI-enabled threats and deepfakes.
Watch out for: At about 30 minutes it is short, with little hands-on practice.
Price US$24.95 per licence, or US$5 per user a month (team plan, 10-user minimum) Length About 30 minutes Format SCORM Includes Data classification, phishing, AI-enabled threats and deepfakes, reporting; completion certificate Traliant (via Coggno) website · Source: coggno.com
- Udemy (independent instructor)
14. Security Awareness Training 2026 (AI era)
Best for: Individuals who want an up-to-date video course on AI-era scams.
Watch out for: It is a video course for individuals, with no company record or role switching described on the page.
Price Udemy list price (varies) Length 4 h 11 min of video, 15 lectures Covers AI phishing, deepfake calls, voice clones, QR scams, MFA, AI tool safety
How to choose
Which cyber security awareness training fits your organisation?
Start with what you need to show and how people should practise, then compare within the matching row.
| If you need… | Look at |
|---|---|
| Year-round simulated phishing in real inboxes | KnowBe4; Hoxhunt; Huntress; NINJIO |
| A free or very low-cost baseline | NCSC Top Tips for Staff; ESET (free tier) |
| A short SCORM module for your own LMS | NCSC; Traliant (via Coggno) |
| Hands-on practice, role-based examples and a record per learner | Bodhih Cyber Safe at Work |
| Many languages and role tracks for a multinational | SANS; KnowBe4 |
| A longer course for one person | Packt on Coursera; Udemy; LinkedIn Learning |
Check which channels it covers, not only email
Phishing now arrives by text, chat, phone and video calls, QR codes and calendar invites, and deepfaked voices and faces are used in payment fraud. Ask whether the course has staff practise on those channels and rehearse verifying a payment or bank-change request on a second, known channel, not only spot a suspicious email.
Decide whether you need inbox simulations
Platforms such as KnowBe4, Hoxhunt and Huntress send simulated phishing to real inboxes and report who clicks. Courses such as NCSC’s, Traliant’s and Bodhih’s train inside the course instead. A large peer-reviewed study (Ho and colleagues, IEEE S&P 2025) found annual training alone had no significant link with clicking and embedded “you clicked” lessons cut clicks only slightly, so whichever you choose, pair it with technical defences such as phishing-resistant MFA and password managers, and with easy reporting.
Ask what record each learner leaves
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A 6.3, NIST CSF 2.0 PR.AT and PCI DSS v4.0.1 Requirement 12.6 all expect awareness training. A dated record per learner, with what they completed and how they scored, is easier to show an auditor than an attendance list. No course on this list makes you compliant on its own.
Questions people ask next
What is the best cyber security awareness training for employees?
It depends on what you need. For year-round simulated phishing, look at platforms such as KnowBe4, Hoxhunt or Huntress. For a free baseline, the UK NCSC’s Top Tips for Staff takes under 30 minutes. For a measured annual course with hands-on practice, role-based examples and a record per learner, Bodhih Cyber Safe at Work takes about four hours.
Is there free cyber security awareness training for employees?
Yes. The UK NCSC’s Top Tips for Staff is free, takes under 30 minutes and is available as SCORM. ESET offers a free single-user course of about 60 minutes. Neither gives a company a full per-learner record on its own.
How much does security awareness training cost per employee?
Published prices checked in November 2026 run from free (NCSC, ESET single user) to about US$25-35 per person for a course (ESET Business, Traliant, Bodhih individual), and from US$2.40 per seat a month on a three-year term for KnowBe4. Many platforms are quote-based.
How long should security awareness training take?
Options on this list range from under 30 minutes (NCSC, Traliant) to about 4 hours (Bodhih, Udemy) and about 7 hours (Packt on Coursera). Platforms deliver a few minutes a month instead. Annual courses are usually refreshed every year.
Does security awareness training need to include phishing simulations?
Not necessarily. Standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and PCI DSS expect awareness training, not a specific method. Simulations measure who clicks a test email; in-course practice can cover more channels, such as calls, chat and QR codes. Many organisations use both.