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KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training vs. SANS Security Awareness Training vs. usecure uLearn

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AKnowBe4 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…

    $2.79

    per seat

    SANS Security Awareness Training

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ASANS 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

    usecure uLearn

    Score9.6 out of 10
    N/Ausecure's Human Risk Management (HRM) platform uLearn is presented as a solution for building a security-savvy workforce through admin-lite automation. The solution identifies staffs' individual security blind spots and automate the fix with user-tailored training programs.N/A
    Pricing
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Trainingusecure uLearn
    Editions & Modules
    SAT Advanced 501-1000 Monthly Pricing 3 Year
    $2.79
    per seat
    SAT Advanced 251-500 Monthly Pricing 3 Year
    $2.96
    per seat
    SAT Advanced 101-250 Monthly Pricing 3 Year
    $3.19
    per seat
    SAT Advanced 51-100 Monthly Pricing 3 Year
    $3.40
    per seat
    SAT Advanced 25-50 Monthly Pricing 3 Year
    $3.75
    per seat
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Trainingusecure uLearn
    Free Trial
    NoNoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPricing listed is for SAT Advanced. Other levels available. For organizations with over 1,000 seats, get a quote.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Trainingusecure uLearn
    Considered Multiple Products
    KnowBe4
    Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
    KnowBe4 has good capability to provide more up-to-date content that related to several industries
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
    It was in place
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
    SANS was good, but the functionality we have gotten with KnowBe4 was what our company needed.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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 …

    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
    KnowBe4 compares favorably to other competitive products.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Chose KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
    KnowBe4's price point for the number of trainings is far better than its competitors.
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    SANS Institute
    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 …
    Incentivized
    usecure
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    98%
    Would buy again
    673 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    639 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    679 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    532 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    572 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Trainingusecure uLearn
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and SANS Security Awareness Training and usecure uLearn
    Feature
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
    8.7
    350 Ratings
    0% above category average
    SANS Security Awareness Training
    9.0
    1 Ratings
    4% above category average
    usecure uLearn
    -
    Ratings
    Single sign-on capability8.8312 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions8.7338 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security Awareness Training
    Comparison of Security Awareness Training features of KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and SANS Security Awareness Training and usecure uLearn
    Feature
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
    8.2
    382 Ratings
    4% below category average
    SANS Security Awareness Training
    8.5
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    usecure uLearn
    -
    Ratings
    Training Content Library8.6379 Ratings10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multilingual Training Content8.4215 Ratings8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Training Gamification7.4316 Ratings8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Industry-Specific Security Training7.6334 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Individualized Security Training Plans8.1324 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Phishing Simulations9.2377 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security Reporting8.6367 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with Security Tech Stack8.1219 Ratings6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Trainingusecure uLearn
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Hoxhunt
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Hoxhunt
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Hoxhunt
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Proofpoint Security Awareness Training
    Score10 out of 10
    Proofpoint Security Awareness Training
    Score10 out of 10
    Proofpoint Security Awareness Training
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Trainingusecure uLearn
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (727 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (56 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.1
    (215 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    9.6
    (20 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.6
    (21 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.8
    (260 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    8.8
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.5
    (17 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.3
    (24 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.9
    (16 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    8.1
    (39 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.4
    (8 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.6
    (21 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    8.9
    (12 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.6
    (17 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.6
    (16 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    KnowBe4 Security Awareness TrainingSANS Security Awareness Trainingusecure uLearn
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    usecure
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    Cons
    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.
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Likelihood to Renew
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Reliability and Availability
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    In-Person Training
    KnowBe4
    Helpful and knowledgeable account managers have helped us navigate and use the system to our full potential
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    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
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    KnowBe4
    I was not involved in the pricing, billing or contract terms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SANS Institute
    No answers on this topic
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    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!
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    usecure
    No answers on this topic
    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.