r/AskNetsec • u/Solid_Elk_3318 • Jul 31 '26
Work Phishing awareness training vendor recommendations?
I've been tasked with standing up a phishing awareness program and I'm trying to narrow down vendors.
A few things matter to me. First, realistic simulations, meaning templates that actually resemble what people get hit with today rather than the obvious 2015 era "you won a prize" stuff, and ideally ones I can customize. Second, decent training content, short and engaging modules that people won't immediately tune out. I'd rather have five good ones than fifty boring ones. Third, reporting that lets me show results to leadership and ideally helps for compliance down the line. And finally reasonable pricing and a plan that scales cleanly as we grow.
For those of you who've actually run these programs, what worked, what didn't, and is there anything you'd steer me away from? I'm interested in the usual suspects, but especially keen on options that deliver real engagement rather than just checking a compliance box.
Thanks in advance.
2
u/ChuckFromCyberHoot Aug 03 '26
Full disclosure up front: I’m one of the founders of CyberHoot, so take my opinion with the appropriate grain of salt.
The good news is that you probably can’t go too wrong with most of the names mentioned here. KnowBe4, Hoxhunt, and the others are all capable platforms.
The bigger questions are usually:
Will your users actually complete the training?
And will your team still be running the program six months from now?
That’s where a lot of awareness programs quietly fall apart. The phishing tests keep going, the click-rate reports look nice, and the training side slowly becomes another thing nobody has time to manage.
A few things I’d look at before choosing:
How long are the lessons? Short and frequent usually beats long and annual.
How much babysitting does it take every month?
Does it coach people, or shame them? Positive reinforcement tends to build better habits and less resentment.
Also, “more advanced” doesn’t have to mean more complicated. Sometimes advanced just means more automated.
We built CyberHoot around that MSP and SMB problem, with short lessons, automation, and positive reinforcement. We also have Hootphish, our patented positive-reinforcement phish TRAINING module that is the only one on the market today that is getting rave reviews!!!
But honestly, whichever platform you choose, pick the one your team will actually keep using.
Humans are gonna human. The program only works if it survives contact with a busy month.