2 January 2026 • Cyber security
KnowBe4 is a cyber security awareness training platform. Through videos, interactive elements and phishing simulations, it aims to boost awareness of digital threats and how to deal with them. KnowBe4 is intended to manage the human element in cyber security, educating employees on best practices to reduce risks from phishing attacks and other types of social engineering.
KnowBe4 offers interactive training modules, phishing simulations based on real-world threats, and gamification to engage learners and reinforce desired behavior. Through continuous training and evaluation, KnowBe4 aims to help organizations in creating a stronger security culture amongst personnel.
Due to its stylized name, KnowBe4 is occasionally misspelled as KnowB4 or KnowBeFour, although KnowBe4 is the correct branding used by the company.
How does KnowBe4 work?
KnowBe4 operates as a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. Because it’s SaaS, it doesn’t require traditional installation on an organization’s local servers.
First, the organization’s IT or digital security team will set up an administrative account on KnowBe4’s platform. Next, admins will onboard the user base. They can upload a list of employees to be enrolled or may integrate the platform with Windows Active Directory and synchronize user accounts automatically.
Once users are enrolled, admins can assign security awareness training courses and instructional videos. Courses cover topics like security best practices, social engineering, and phishing. Courses can be customized to an organization’s specific requirements. Overall, many admins mention that setting up course material can be a time-consuming task with KnowBe4.
Admins can set up simulated phishing attacks with KnowBe4. These attacks use automated emails which are designed to look like phishing emails encountered in the real world. These emails help test learner’s knowledge of phishing and social engineering, as well as help them to respond effectively.
KnowBe4 provides various tools for tracking, analyzing and reporting learners’ progress. As learners undertake the training and engage with phishing simulations, they are evaluated and scored on how well they’re doing.
Pros of KnowBe4: What is KnowBe4 good at?
Extensive training library: KnowBe4 has a broad range of training content, covering a comprehensive array of different topics relating to cybersecurity and social engineering. The training library is continually updated with fresh materials, ensuring that novel threats and new technologies are covered.
Interactivity and Gamification: As well as video content, KnowBe4 includes quizzes and other interactive elements which help users stay engaged and retain information. Learning is also gamified; users are awarded points for successful quizzes and for engaging appropriately with phishing simulations, allowing them to compete with other employees for spots on a leaderboard. This kind of reinforcement encourages learners to keep up with their training and be vigilant when checking email.
Phishing simulations: KnowBe4 provides automated phishing simulations which are tailored to mirror real-world attacks. There is a large template library to draw from when creating simulations, allowing admins to make the emails more relevant and convincing.
Instant feedback: When users engage with a simulated phishing email, they are immediately informed whether it was handled correctly. If a user falls for the attack, they are provided with relevant training materials to help understand where they went wrong.
Cloud-based deployment: KnowBe4’s SaaS model makes it easy to deploy, as there’s no need to install it on local servers.
AI-driven training: KnowBe4 uses AI and machine learning to determine the most appropriate training modules for each learner.
Multi-lingual and multi-cultural: KnowBe4 offers an unusually extensive range of translations and localizations, with materials that reflect regional cultures.
Cons of KnowBe4: What are KnowBe4’s downsides?
High cost: Knowbe4’s pricing structure is opaque, making it difficult to determine how much it might cost an organization without seeking a quote. Those who do enquire about pricing are confronted with a complex tiered structure, with many of the more desirable features paywalled and only available to high-tier users. The additional cost of elements like custom content and specialized phishing simulations can quickly drive up costs. For organizations with tight budgets, KnowBe4 may not be in their price range.
Content repetition: Despite the extensive content library, KnowBe4’s algorithms sometimes seem to serve the same content to a learner on multiple occasions. This can be tedious and frustrating.
Steep learning curve for some admins: While the platform is designed to be user-friendly, not all admins agree that this is the case. Some find the initial setup tricky and convoluted, although operating KnowBe4 is generally not too difficult. Getting to grips with some of the advanced features can also present difficulties.
Phishing template limitations: The library of different phishing templates is extensive; even so, it may not contain the kinds of specialized tailoring that some organizations require for their campaigns to be effective.
Limited channels: KnowBe4 leans heavily on email-based training, relying on its simulations more than other channels. This is effective for traditional phishing emails but may not help users develop their awareness across other digital channels, like SMS, robocalls, social media messages etc. If an organization has especially stringent email filters in place, users might not get the training emails at all.
Finding content: The training library is large and this makes finding specific content very difficult at times. Users report struggling with the sheer volume of training material that they need to comb through to find the elements they need. Better organization of the library would improve this.
KnowBe4 alternatives
Organizations exploring alternatives to KnowBe4 are usually responding to a gap between training completion and real employee behavior. While KnowBe4 centers around structured awareness programs and phishing simulations, alternatives like Guardey’s gamified security awareness training approach security awareness differently by using gamification to drive continuous engagement. Through short, interactive challenges, security awareness becomes an ongoing habit rather than a periodic training task, which is especially valuable for organizations dealing with low participation or training fatigue.
When teams compare tools in this category, they often review multiple platforms to understand different training styles and engagement mechanics. For additional context, you can also read our overviews of what Hoxhunt is and what Ninjio is, then assess which approach best aligns with your organization’s culture and risk profile. If you want to see how Guardey works in practice, you can start a free 14 day trial or schedule a personal demo.
What makes KnowBe4 unique?
There are plenty of security training products out there. What is KnowBe4 bringing to the table? Well, Knowbe4 does have some features that set it apart from its competitors. First of all, there’s the training library. KnowBe4’s training library is one of the most comprehensive out there, packed with interesting and informative content. KnowBe4’s continuous updates also make this one of the best-reviewed libraries in the field.
Which companies use KnowBe4?
KnowBe4 boasts over 30,000 customers worldwide. Some of their biggest customers include:
- Vivid Seats
- EverCommerce
- Tiger Global Management
- Klaviyo
- Unanet
Here’s what some customers say about KnowBe4
“Materials are insightful and helpful to ensure compliance with various standards and regulations. Integration was seamless and easy as well as the adoption from the user population. Administration is as intuitive as it can be and there are no hidden settings that one would have to dig each day to uncover.” – G2
“Some materials would be helpful to be available in more languages, Language barrier is still a thing today and people do not always appreciate subtitles.” – G2
“I like how we can tailor each year’s annual campaigns based on what we want to include and there are so many options to go through. The content has almost always been right on target and updated with the accelerating threat landscape.” – G2
“We have been using [KnowBe4] for about a year now and have been pleased. It was easy to set up, customer support is fantastic and my team has really taken to it! I love that I can see progress reports and send out reminders right inside of the Application!” – G2
“Sorting and filtering the training can be a bit cumbersome– especially when looking for the next part of a series.” – G2
“This product can fit into any security training needs, and is easy to set up and use. Support was fast to respond when I did need help during initial setup. We integrated it with Azure SSO and have followed their implementation guide to get initial user assessments completed to establish a baseline and now have quarterly phishing tests scheduled with auto-enrollment in remedial training for users who fail the tests.” – G2
“The content library is massive and can be confusing to decide what is the most relevant and/or included in your subscription.” – G2
“KnowBe4 is like having a cyber expert on staff. They assist with setting up and scheduling in-depth training and tracking. It’s so easy to set it up and then I receive reports of what’s going on with my users and their training as well as phish reports.” – G2
“Training can be a bit long for users at times. Not everyone has time for an hour-long video.” – G2
Who is the CEO of KnowBe4?
The founder and CEO of KnowBe4 is Stu Sjouwerman. He is an entrepreneur and expert in data security. Sjouwerman brings over 30 years of experience in the IT industry to bear in running KnowBe4.
What to use instead of KnowBe4
Organizations that start looking for an alternative to KnowBe4 are often responding to practical challenges in day to day management of security awareness programs. Maintaining course materials on a weekly or monthly basis can become time-consuming for administrators, especially when content needs frequent updates to stay relevant. In addition, some teams experience declining engagement over time when awareness activities feel repetitive or disconnected from daily work.
Another common consideration is clarity. For organizations scaling their security awareness efforts, understanding pricing structures and aligning features with actual usage can become increasingly complex.
If you are looking for a security awareness platform that reduces administrative overhead while keeping content fresh and employees engaged throughout the year, Guardey can be your go-to solution.
Guardey – Duolingo for security awareness training
Guardey transforms security awareness training into an engaging experience with gamification, making learning fun and interactive. Each week, users complete quick, 3-minute micro-challenges on essential topics like phishing, device security, CEO impersonation scams, and password protection.
Setting up Guardey is simple and takes just five minutes. Easily invite users through integrations like Entra ID, and the automated training program will begin immediately. There’s no need to create or even select content yourself—Guardey delivers fresh, relevant training content to users each week.
Guardey keeps users motivated with a variety of gamified features:
- Weekly challenges: Users earn extra points for consistent participation and maintaining streaks.
- Storytelling: Users step into the role of defenders, protecting a virtual organization from cyber threats.
- Achievements: Badges awarded for strong performance or high engagement encourage users to stay active.
- Leaderboard: A company-wide leaderboard creates friendly competition among colleagues.
Martin Sirotnak, IT Manager at International School of Stavanger, led the switch from KnowBe4 to Guardey. “We used to use KnowBe4 for security awareness training. The content on there was OK, but very enterprise-focused. It took me ages to prepare the training programs, which I had to manually select from their content library. I had to review the content at least twice to ensure I understood what I was asking our staff to learn. Besides that, much of KnowBe4’s training content was very long-winded and boring. Some of the content was up to 20 minutes long, including monotonous videos that would drag on.”
Guardey helped him to improve participation during training. “The participation during training has been way better than with KnowBe4. This is for a large part thanks to the shorter training content. Guardey’s challenges only take a few minutes, while some of the KnowBe4 content would take up to 20 minutes.”
Guardey is often referred to as the Duolingo of security awareness training. With short and fun challenges, we make the learning experience engaging and effective.
💡 Learn more about how Guardey makes security awareness training fun
