Best Cybersecurity Awareness Platforms for 2026

Published: 01/20/2026

Written by: Nadine Rozell

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Security awareness training has come a long way. Gone are the days of the once-a-year, check-the-box snoozefest. Today, it’s all about automated, behavior-focused programs that actually reduce human risk. The best cybersecurity awareness platforms in 2026 combine smart automation, tons of content, realistic phishing simulations, and sharp reporting—all without piling more work onto your plate.

We're diving into the top solutions through a lens that matters: scaling up good security habits with automation, integrating with your existing tech stack, and delivering dashboards that prove your program is working. Whether you're running a lean in-house team or managing security for clients as an MSP, this guide will help you find the right fit.

What to look for in a cybersecurity awareness platform

You should prioritize platforms that cut down on manual work, get your team engaged, and produce metrics you can actually trust.

Here are the core concepts that separate the good from the "meh":

  • Automation: Set-it-and-forget-it processes. Think automated training campaigns, reminders for the stragglers, and auto-assigned modules when someone clicks a sketchy link.

  • Escalation: When a user repeatedly fails tests or spots a real threat, the platform should automatically ping their manager, security, or HR. This creates a clear, documented response.

Top criteria for comparison of cybersecurity awareness platforms

  • Automation & Escalation Workflows: Does it handle the heavy lifting for you?

  • Reporting & Dashboards: Can you easily show the C-suite what’s working? Human risk scoring is a big plus here.

  • Content Quality: Is the content fresh, relevant, and updated for the latest threats like AI phishing?

  • Integrations: Does it play nice with your SSO, HR systems, and other tools?

  • Multilingual Support: Can you train a global team without anyone getting lost in translation?

  • Customization: Can you slap your logo on it and make it feel like your own?


  • Criterion

    What to Look For

    Why It Matters

    Automation

    Scheduled campaigns, remedial learning

    Scales your impact without needing more people.

    Escalation

    Tiered notifications to managers/security

    Speeds up response and holds people accountable.

    Reporting

    Role-based dashboards, human risk scores

    Proves the program's value and guides your next move.

    Content

    Microlearning, frequent updates, diverse topics

    Keeps training from getting stale and boring.

    Integrations

    SSO, SCIM/HR feeds, LMS, APIs

    Cuts manual user management and sync errors.

    Multilingual

    20+ languages, regional content

    Ensures everyone understands the training.

    Customization

    Your branding, editable content, policy inserts

    Boosts credibility and gets more people on board.

Comparing the top platforms

Huntress Managed Security Awareness Training (SAT)

A top Security Awareness Training solution in 2026, Huntress Managed SAT is designed to help organizations reduce human-driven risk without the overhead of traditional cybersecurity awareness platforms.

Huntress delivers SAT as a completely managed service, which slashes admin overhead for your team. The training content is actually fun (seriously, users remember it)—think story-driven episodes crafted by Emmy-winning animators, not the same old snooze-fest modules.

Content is written by experts and fueled by Huntress’s own threat telemetry, meaning every simulation connects directly to real-world attacks they see across millions of endpoints and identities.

The platform stands out for its quick, frictionless deployment (think minutes, not weeks), ultra-simple automation, and affordable, transparent pricing with no gotchas. Programs can be rolled out quickly and provide clear visibility into user behavior and risk trends over time. Try it for yourself with our guided demo.

Features include:

  • Genuinely engaging, story-based content with a custom content creator for custom modules.

  • Very easy to deploy and manage, with pre-built integrations to automate onboarding.

  • Reporting capabilities to track trends over time, supporting audits and reviews.

  • Straightforward per-active-user pricing. Contact us for a direct quote on Huntress Security Awareness Training pricing (especially if you’re an MSP or need volume rates).

Pros: Super-fast setup, low administrative overhead, and engaging content that stays aligned with real-world threats. Cons: No big-enterprise fluff—just the essentials focused on changing risky behavior.


Proofpoint Security Awareness Training

Proofpoint delivers a robust platform that's tightly integrated with its leading email security solutions—making it an obvious add-on for Proofpoint customers. Its value shines in:

  • Intelligence-driven threat updates, constantly refreshing training based on active phishing campaigns and emerging social engineering lures

  • Deep and customizable phishing simulations, including advanced payloads that mimic real attacker tricks

  • Automated, role-based content delivery (HR, finance, execs—everyone gets what they need)

  • Some of the industry’s most comprehensive compliance-focused reporting, tailored for audits, risk committees, or the C-suite

  • Rich integration with Proofpoint’s threat defense stack for a seamless, layered approach to threat reduction

If you’re looking for a platform to level up existing Proofpoint infrastructure—and make the compliance and metrics side a breeze—this one hits the mark.

Pros: Best-in-class for Proofpoint shops, killer reporting, unmatched integration with their threat intelligence. Cons: Really shines for existing Proofpoint customers—outside that stack, it may not be the most natural fit.


Cofense PhishMe & Cofense SAT

Cofense has carved out a specialized niche: transforming your employees into an extension of your phishing defense workflow. Instead of positioning itself as a one-size-fits-all SAT platform, Cofense excels at:

  • Real-time phishing simulations calibrated against live global phishing activity

  • Native “report phish” buttons in Outlook and other email clients, streamlining user reporting into your SOC workflows

  • Auto-ingest of user reports into Cofense Triage/Responder or other security operations processes—closing the loop from click to remediation

  • Training that’s closely tied to active threats, boosting end-user detection skills

Bottom line: you get a product that treats employees as human sensors and contributors to a full-cycle phishing defense—not just passive learners checking off a compliance box.

Pros: Directly boosts phishing detection and SOC response, excellent for teams prioritizing reporting. Cons: Not positioned as a full managed SAT program—less of an all-in-one training platform.


Boxphish

Boxphish focuses on making awareness straightforward for busy teams. Its platform is designed for easy rollout in organizations that need “security basics, done right” with:

  • Automated, recurring phishing simulations that get smarter based on user mistakes

  • Engaging, microlearning modules tailored for non-technical audiences (no jargon alarm bells here)

  • One-click campaign setup for rapid deployment

  • Clear user progress dashboards and risk insights for managers

Boxphish is great for organizations that want effective, continuous training without administrative friction or overkill.

Pros: Simple rollout, no-nonsense training, and quick time-to-value. Cons: May be too basic for organizations with complex compliance or customization needs.


Immersive Labs

Immersive Labs flips the SAT script, turning security awareness into hands-on skills drills and live scenarios. Instead of assigning static videos to everyone, Immersive Labs offers:

  • Phishing and social engineering labs that simulate actual attacker moves, with users making real decisions in branching storylines

  • Role-based exercises—think legal, IT, execs, devs—all mapped to the types of threats they’ll face

  • Progress tracking and benchmarking so orgs know which roles are ready for the next incident (and who needs more training)

  • Deep reporting on capability growth and readiness to respond to live attacks

Immersive Labs is a fit for organizations that want realistic resilience drills (tabletop style) for key staff, not just traditional awareness modules for every employee.

Pros: Best for real-world, role-based readiness and engaging “drills.” Cons: Not classic SAT for all employees—coverage and licensing may focus only on key roles, not everyone.


Mimecast Awareness Training & Engage

Mimecast’s awareness offerings are designed for companies already invested in Mimecast’s robust email security suite. The value of sticking with Mimecast includes:

  • Seamless integration: Training is embedded in the same platform already defending user mailboxes

  • Adaptive phishing simulation and targeted content, with content refreshed to reflect new email threats detected in Mimecast’s ecosystem

  • Built-in reporting that links user training performance to actual email threat outcomes

  • Gamified elements and knowledge checks to keep engagement high

Mimecast is the perfect bolt-on for organizations that want to keep all their email and security awareness tools under one roof, saving time on setup and reducing vendor sprawl.

Pros: Tight integration for existing Mimecast email security users, email threat insight. Cons: Typically makes sense if you’re already committed to Mimecast; less flexible as a standalone SAT option.


Barracuda Security Awareness Training

Barracuda SAT is laser-focused on email attack defense. It’s most commonly deployed alongside Barracuda’s email protection products, creating an integrated front against phishing and business email compromise, with features like:

  • Training content tightly aligned to real-world email threats Barracuda sees hitting your organization

  • Automated phishing simulation campaigns scheduled from a central dashboard

  • Straightforward, click-oriented learning modules—easy for non-technical users to digest

  • Reporting that highlights risky users and links progress to broader Barracuda email threat monitoring

If your security stack already relies on Barracuda, this awareness platform extends that email protection with no extra admin hassle.

Pros: Extends Barracuda email defenses, very straightforward to manage. Cons: Most valuable when paired with Barracuda’s other offerings—limited appeal as a standalone SAT platform.

Dashboards that actually mean something

Good reporting should translate training activity into business risk and ROI. Don't settle for vanity metrics. Look for:

  • Role-based views for everyone from the CISO to IT admins.

  • Key metrics like completion rates, phish-prone percentage, and time-to-report.

  • A human risk score that rolls up user behaviors into a single, easy-to-understand metric.


  • Metric

    What It Tells You

    Who Cares About It

    Human Risk Score

    A weighted score of risky user behaviors.

    CISO/Board

    Phish-Prone %

    The percentage of users who clicked a simulated phish.

    Security/IT

    Time to Report

    How quickly users report a potential phish.

    SOC/IR Team

    Completion Rate

    The percentage of users who finished their training.

    Compliance/HR

    Repeat Offenders

    Users who have failed multiple phishing tests.

    Managers/Security

Getting the right fit for your organization

Still not sure where to start? Ask yourself these questions:

  • How many people are you training, and in what languages?

  • What industry are you in? Do you have regulatory requirements (HIPAA, PCI, etc.)?

  • How much time can your team dedicate to managing this?

  • What other systems (HR, LMS, SSO) does this need to connect with?

  • What’s your team’s learning style? Do they prefer short videos, deep courses, or hands-on simulations?

Quick shortlists for cybersecurity awareness platforms

  • Lean IT/MSPs and Growing Orgs: Huntress, Boxphish

  • Enterprises already using Proofpoint: Proofpoint (seamless add-on, deep reporting)

  • Email-Security-Centric Orgs: Mimecast Awareness Training/Engage (if you’re already a Mimecast shop), Barracuda Security Awareness Training (great complement for Barracuda-protected email environments), Cofense PhishMe/SAT (for phishing detection/reporting and integration into defense workflows)

  • Phishing, Drills & Readiness Across Roles: Immersive Labs (for targeted simulations and role-based exercises—not classic SAT for everyone)

The future of security awareness training is adaptive, integrated, and intelligent. It’s about delivering the right nudge at the right time, powered by real-world threat data.

Consistently ranked as one of the top security awareness training solutions, the goal of Huntress Managed SAT is to democratize advanced protection. We make measurable behavior change accessible and affordable for everyone—not just the Fortune 500.

Frequently Asked Questions

The top platforms kill it with automation, engaging content, unified phishing and awareness modules, solid reporting, and seamless integrations that make compliance a breeze.

Automation scales your efforts by delivering timely training without manual work. Escalation ensures risky behavior is addressed quickly by notifying the right people, improving accountability and response time.

Focus on phish-prone percentage, human risk scores, time-to-report, completion rates, and the knowledge gap between pre- and post-training assessments.

Absolutely. It's critical. Integrations automate user provisioning, sync data with your LMS or HR systems, and drastically cut down on administrative headaches.

Leading vendors constantly refresh their content and use adaptive learning to simulate the latest threats, including AI-generated phishing, deepfakes, and other social engineering tactics.

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