Top Security Awareness Training Tools (2025): A Full Guide

Before comparing logos and features, think about what you're trying to fix. If your goal is true behaviour change, not just compliance, you’ll need more than a few videos and email tests.

Here’s what to look for:

● Coverage: Real attacks don’t come through email alone. Look for tools that simulate voice phishing (vishing), SMS phishing (smishing), QR phishing, and MFA fatigue.

● Personalization: Your CFO doesn’t face the same risks as a help desk rep. Training should adapt to roles, behaviors, and languages.

● Time-to-Value: Can you deploy quickly? Does it plug into your stack? Is the reporting executive-ready?

● Risk Data: Metrics should show behavior change and risk reduction, not just who clicked a link.

● Scalability and Cost: You shouldn’t be penalized for growing. Look for platforms that won’t nickel-and-dime you for every new course or feature.

Now, let’s dive into the top security awareness training software.

Keepnet is designed for the modern threat landscape where attacks are coming through phones, texts, QR codes, and MFA prompts, not just inboxes. What sets Keepnet apart is its Extended Human Risk Management Platform, which combines realistic phishing simulations across multiple channels, localized training content, and behaviour analytics.

Highlights

Who It’s Best For

Organizations that want to move beyond checkbox training and actually reduce human risk across the board. Ideal for teams looking to simulate threats the way attackers operate—across multiple vectors.

Example in Action

A large retail company was having problems with help desk workers resetting passwords too easily. Keepnet launched a vishing campaign, identified where verification steps were skipped, and delivered real-time training. Over the next 60 days, verification compliance increased and risk scores dropped significantly.

KnowBe4: The Industry Giant with an Extensive Content Library

KnowBe4 is a well-known name in the awareness training space, offering a vast catalog of content, phishing simulations, and a mature administrative experience. If your stakeholders want a recognizable name and a buffet of training options, KnowBe4 delivers.

Highlights

● Extensive Content Library: Everything from compliance to cybersecurity culture is covered across formats and languages.

● Phishing Simulation Engine: One of the best for email-based testing and templating.

● Strong Ecosystem: Solid integrations, community knowledge base, and third-party support.

Things to Consider

Managing KnowBe4’s vast content can be overwhelming. You’ll need a governance model to ensure relevance. While multi-channel training is available, it's primarily an email-focused platform, with voice, SMS, and other channels treated more like add-ons.

Who It’s Best For

Large enterprises need content breadth and stakeholder recognition. Great for organizations that have the capacity to curate and manage content centrally.

Proofpoint Security Awareness: Where Email Intel Meets Training

If you're already using Proofpoint for secure email, its security awareness module becomes a logical extension. The platform pulls from its own threat data to create timely, relevant simulations and campaigns.

Highlights

● Threat-Aligned Training: Uses real email attack data to train users against current tactics.

● Integrated Phish Reporting: Employees can easily report suspected phishing, feeding into your SOC workflow.

● Executive Reporting: Clean dashboards help communicate risk trends and program performance.

Things to Consider

Proofpoint’s strength is in email threat defense, and that’s where the awareness platform shines. If you want advanced simulations in voice, SMS, or MFA fatigue, you may need to augment it with another solution.

Who It’s Best For

Email-first organizations, particularly those already using Proofpoint’s other security products. Good for teams focusing on phishing resilience and email hygiene.

Cofense: Best-in-Class for Phish Reporting and Incident Response

Cofense takes a focused approach: it trains users to recognize and report phishing effectively, then helps security teams respond fast. Its tools support phishing simulations, employee reporting, and SOC integration.

Highlights

● Report Button Integration: Makes it easy for users to report phishing attempts directly to security teams.

● Rapid Triage: Reported emails are quickly analyzed, helping SOC teams respond to real threats faster.

● Collaborative Defense: Cofense offers intelligence sharing and phishing defense networks across organizations.

Things to Consider

Cofense’s simulations and training are email-centric. If you're looking to build resilience against vishing or MFA scams, you may need to look elsewhere or use Cofense alongside another tool.

Who It’s Best For

Teams that prioritize phishing response workflows and want a mature system for report-to-triage processing.

Quick Comparison Table

Lessons from the Field

Talk to any practitioner, and you’ll hear a common message: people don’t learn in theory; they learn in context. That’s why tools that simulate real-life situations like a phone call from a “bank agent” or a suspicious QR code at an airport lounge perform better than static training.

Here are some proven best practices:

1. Start from Real Incidents

Use recent real-world attacks your company faced to guide your first few campaigns. If your help desk was targeted, launch a vishing test.

2. Train at the Moment of Mistake

Deliver training right after someone fails a simulation. It’s the perfect teachable moment.

3. Culture Over Compliance

Translate training into the local context. Use familiar names, scenarios, and channels to drive emotional connection.

4. Track What Actually Matters

Go beyond click rates. Track reporting speed, quality, and compliance with real security processes like 2-step verification.

Matching Top Security Awareness Training Vendor to Your Threats

Final Thoughts

The best security awareness platform is the one that mirrors how your people are actually attacked and responds with the right training, at the right time, in the right format. Whether you're starting from scratch or refreshing a mature program, match your tools to your threats and your culture.

And remember: success isn’t just fewer clicks. It’s fewer incidents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need simulations beyond email?

Yes. Attackers have moved to QR codes, phone calls, text messages, and MFA abuse. Your training must evolve, too.

How should I use industry rankings like Gartner’s Magic Quadrant?

Use it as one input, not the only one. Align their research with your threat profile, existing stack, and learning culture.

What KPIs should I show executives?

Go beyond training completion. Show improvements in employee reporting quality, faster triage times, and reductions in failed verifications or risky behaviors.

How do I keep training fresh?

Mix quarterly modules with frequent micro-interactions. Regularly change simulation formats and align content to current threats.