Cyber Security Awareness Training vs. KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training vs. SANS Security Awareness Training

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cyber Security Awareness Training
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Boxphish's platform delivers cyber security training for employees.N/A
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
KnowBe4 is a security awareness and compliance training and simulated social engineering product. It is used by organizations worldwide to strengthen their security culture and reduce risk. The product includes a comprehensive suite of awareness and compliance training, real-time user coaching, AI-powered simulated social engineering, crowdsourced anti-phishing defense and an AI suite that enhances risk management through personalized training and automation. With…
$1.63
per month (billed annually) per seat
SANS Security Awareness Training
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
SANS Institute offers a suite of security awareness training courses, and other specialized security learning, delivered via computer, featuring role-based dynamic training modules.N/A
Pricing
Cyber Security Awareness TrainingKnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Training
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Foundation
$1.63
per month (billed annually) per seat
Diamond
$1.70
per month (billed annually) per seat
Advanced
$2.79
per month (billed annually) per seat
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cyber Security Awareness TrainingKnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Training
Free Trial
NoNoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsContact vendor for pricing information.Pricing listed is for 501-1000 seats. Other levels available. For organizations with over 1,000 seats, get a quote.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cyber Security Awareness TrainingKnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Training
Considered Multiple Products
Cyber Security Awareness Training

No answer on this topic

KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
KnowBe4 has good capability to provide more up-to-date content that related to several industries
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
It was in place
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
At this point, I am used to and comfortable with KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and expect the same level of product features and rapid support from any other vendor providing security awareness training for our company. Some of the others I have tried just did not have as …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
We liked the ease of use for end-users and how the content feels a bit less formal. It shouldn't be such a boring task to train.
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
There are other products that can compare to KnowBe4. We've assessed several others but we have experienced that other products are less intuitive for administration, have a lower ROI, have poor reporting, or a poor end-user experience on training.
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training, relative to the competition, is best-in-class. Superior training materials, simulations, user interface, and customer support. The application integrates particularly well with our other technology offerings. The provider gives us access …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
SANS was good, but the functionality we have gotten with KnowBe4 was what our company needed.
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
Hands down, KnowBe4 has been a superior product for us. Its reporting features are easy to set up, run, and allows for greater analysis of campaign results. This alone has justified the switch. Additionally, there is a far more comprehensive library of material and, within …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
SANS was too heavy handed and too intensive for the average user in the company. PhishProtection dealt with the narrow domain of phishing attacks only. We chose KnowBe4 for its ease of use and accessibility, not only for the IT security team but based on overall level of …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
EverFi has reasonable cost-effectiveness. Its popularity in higher education was a major factor in our selection. However, the EverFi Data Privacy and Security training is perhaps the best overall single general training module I have seen due to its realistic scenarios and …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
I was not involved with the the decision to use SANS training, but it sounds like it was a bit too cumbersome for the users that did use it. That and it was also a bit too advanced. Basically, a lot of money was spent on SANS and it was never properly utilized. KnowBe4 was easy …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
KnowBe4 training does a better job of keeping staff engaged. Their content and presentation method is both informative and entertaining. They present current real life examples in a meaningful way.
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training provided a wider variety of training materials and topics than other vendors. The management capabilities and flexibility in communicating with the trainees were deciding factors. Cost per user was a key contributor to the purchasing decision …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training

KnowBe4 integrates with Active Directory for Single sign on, SANS does not.

KnowBe4 has a much more robust Phish system. For example, SANS only allows 1 phish message and it sends it out to all users at the same time. KnowBe4 will send a random group of phish messages over …

Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
At the time of our evaluation, KnowBe4 stood out because of the size of its training library and the ability to customize training and phishing campaigns to match our organization's corporate and user culture, risk level, and regulatory compliance needs. The platform requires …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
KnowBe4 is easier to use for both me as the admin and for the users. It has relevant security training & Phishing email campaigns that are helpful. SANS didn't have this. Also as an Admin, I can't stress enough that our completion rate is high simply because of the automatic …
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
KnowBe4 compares favorably to other competitive products.
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
WE found that KnowBe4 updates its training modules more frequently than other security awareness training programs we have used in the past. Also, we felt like the training videos are more user friendly and very well done.
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
KnowBe4's price point for the number of trainings is far better than its competitors.
Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
While I think PhishMe is a good product, it lacks the continuous training required once the phishing campaign is complete. SANS has a decent training platform, but training materials can become outdated. It also does not address the need to evaluate effectiveness of the …
SANS Security Awareness Training
Chose SANS Security Awareness Training
We actually are currently migrating to Proofpoint Security Awareness Training because of its integration with the Proofpoint email filter. This will allow us to target specific users who are clicking on bad emails with specific training material. We have used KnowBe4 in the …
Features
Cyber Security Awareness TrainingKnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Training
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Cyber Security Awareness Training
-
Ratings
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
8.9
350 Ratings
3% above category average
SANS Security Awareness Training
9.0
1 Ratings
4% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings9.0312 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.7338 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Security Awareness Training
Comparison of Security Awareness Training features of Product A and Product B
Cyber Security Awareness Training
-
Ratings
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
8.3
382 Ratings
2% below category average
SANS Security Awareness Training
8.5
1 Ratings
0% below category average
Training Content Library00 Ratings8.6379 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Multilingual Training Content00 Ratings8.3215 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Training Gamification00 Ratings7.7316 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Industry-Specific Security Training00 Ratings7.5334 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Individualized Security Training Plans00 Ratings8.2324 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Phishing Simulations00 Ratings9.3377 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Security Reporting00 Ratings8.5367 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Integration with Security Tech Stack00 Ratings8.1219 Ratings6.01 Ratings
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User Ratings
Cyber Security Awareness TrainingKnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Training
Likelihood to Recommend
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(705 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(56 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
9.3
(196 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(20 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(21 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(260 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(17 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(24 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(16 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(39 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
6.5
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(21 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(17 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(16 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cyber Security Awareness TrainingKnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Training
Likelihood to Recommend
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
I think the most important factor is that our risk has decreased significantly among staff. Our staff is well below the industry (Education) benchmark in terms of users that are "prone to phishing". We also have multiple instances over the years where employees have stopped real efforts to access data illegally or an attempt to take funds from our institution
Read full review
SANS Institute
SANS Security Awareness Training program would be well suited for a large organization that needs to develop multiple training programs with different courses based on the roles of the end users. It seemed a bit difficult at times to achieve simple setup processes because of the configurations tailored to larger, more complex organizations.
Read full review
Pros
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
  • Phish tests can be set to various difficulty levels as staff becomes more knowledgeable in catching phish emails.
  • Automated phish tests and training save a lot of admin time. The product can also test for phone and USB stick practices.
  • The phish alert button in Outlook, along with PhishER and PhishFlip allow easy managing and response to actual phishing emails.
  • The interactive training is well designed to cover all types of phishing and safe email and phone behavior.
Read full review
SANS Institute
  • Variety of cyber threat videos and presentations
  • Web based and mobile access to the platform
  • Easy to manage administrator access to configure the training sessions
Read full review
Cons
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
  • Many items in the library aren't applicable to our use case, and it's sometimes difficult to filter out what I'm looking for.
  • I don't love the training dashboard, but maybe that's just a "me" thing.
  • Setting up groups can be tedious.
Read full review
SANS Institute
  • Mass import of users was a bit confusing
  • User interface was sometimes not intuitive
  • Ability to upload custom content was difficult to use
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
No question, KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training is a great value to our organization. Properly training our users in the proper use of email and how to be aware of possible dangerous emails is incredibly important now. Also, training users in the best practices for phone calls, as well as internet browsing can prevent data or information from being stolen or exposed. Users have even benefited when using their personal devices as a result of the trainings they have received at work.
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Usability
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
The training videos we have access to are high quality, and provide a wide variety. The Inside Man videos has a cult following within our organization, and has driven a much greater interest in security awareness. And KB4's willingness to negotiate pricing for us as a nonprofit has been very valuable to us as well.
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
There have only been a handful of outages in the 2 years we have had the product. Even during those instances, parts of the system were still operational
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Performance
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
Pages load quickly, filter/sort quickly, and don't slow down or freeze. Everything is smooth and very easy to use. There are a places in the UI where you can forget how to get there, but other than that everything is great. We have had no issues using any part of the website.
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
Tech prod support is great! I did have to ask for a new customer success rep, needed a more experienced person to match my 12 years of experience running Cybersec training programs. Would suggest that more matching of rep level of knowledge to client level knowledge would help.
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
Helpful and knowledgeable account managers have helped us navigate and use the system to our full potential
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
confusing question. I inherited this application so I didnt get any formal training other than the person who was leaving. The CSM provided some later on when I asked in a zoom call
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
The implementation went really well and KnowBe4 was there the whole time on setup to make sure things were setup correctly. The only thing we had to figure out on our own was to script users automatically being added to security groups. So that when they sync to knowBe4 from AD they are placed into the same/correct groups.
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
KnowBe4 offered a significantly more favorable cost-benefit ratio compared to other solutions. Its seamless integration with our existing infrastructure—particularly Active Directory and email systems—was the most compatible with our operational and security requirements.
Read full review
SANS Institute
We actually are currently migrating to Proofpoint Security Awareness Training because of its integration with the Proofpoint email filter. This will allow us to target specific users who are clicking on bad emails with specific training material. We have used KnowBe4 in the past as well, but it was rather costly compared to SANS Security Awareness Training and Proofpoint. SANS Security Awareness Training seems to be the least easy-to-use interface from an administrative perspective compared to the other two.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
I was not involved in the pricing, billing or contract terms.
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
The product scales greatly. As long as you upgrade the license to support the number of users you are needing, adding in those new users is easy. Also getting those users set up with trainings/campaigns is very easy as well
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
The team was great to work with and took their time to ensure that we knew what we were doing with the product and that it was set up to meet the specific needs of our organization. This wasn't just a cookie-cutter deployment, but rather they focused specifically on our needs.
Read full review
SANS Institute
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Boxphish
No answers on this topic
KnowBe4
  • There is really no way one can make all the needed trainings with in house resources anymore! The cost for this would be way way more than that of any platform!
  • There is no way to even calculate the damage a company would suffer in case of a cybersecurity breach! So the cost for the use of the KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training platform if minimal compared to that of a possible breach!
  • The cost of creating content for security awareness training is no longer realistic for a company. This is really no option, and it is in no way comparable to the cost of access to the training material available in the KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training platform. Also the training content needs to be constantly updated!
Read full review
SANS Institute
  • Positive impact knowing we are educating our staff from phishing and potential cyber criminals
  • Considering the potential for bad actors infiltrating our network, this is a small expense
  • Pricing based on actual end users, worth the investment
Read full review
ScreenShots

KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training Screenshots

Screenshot of The Phishing Dashboard. This displays how end users are doing at-a-glance and in comparison to peers across industries with Industry Benchmarking.Screenshot of KnowBe4's partners, including The Security Awareness Company, Popcorn Training, exploqii, Twist & Shout, El Pescador, CLTRe, Saya University, and MediaPRO. Together, they create security awareness training content available in the ModStore.Screenshot of A security training quiz question showing "Security Moments Series: Spot the Bad Link" asking what Lisa should do when receiving an unexpected email with an HTML attachment, with three answer options and Submit/Cancel buttons.Screenshot of The AIDA Phishing Template Generator interface, which displays a customizable phishing simulation tool with template setup options on the left and a preview of a generated "Annual Bonus Announcement" email featuring a QR code attack vector on the right.Screenshot of The AIDA Configure Training interface, which displays settings for personalized remedial phishing training, including user enrollment options, completion timeframes, knowledge refresher schedules, and notification preferences, with an "Activate Remedial Training" button to implement the configuration.