Side by side · Facts only
Cytactic beside KnowBe4: training types and facts side by side
Short answer
Cytactic sells tabletop and crisis simulation; KnowBe4 sells awareness training. They differ on 2 of 4 training types and 6 of 8 checks on the pages we read. This page sets their published facts side by side; it does not pick one.
By The Range Desk · Cyber Range Compare · Published 2026-10-11 · Updated 2026-10-13
Desk research from public vendor, standards and regulator pages read on 27 September, 11 October and 13 October 2026. Profiles follow our published method; we did not run the products.
Which training types does each sell?
- Targets: Cytactic
- Diamonds: KnowBe4
- RANGE · Cyber range: Not in our sources; KnowBe4: Not in our sources
- LABS · Hands-on lab libraries: Not in our sources; KnowBe4: Not in our sources
- CRISIS · Tabletop and crisis simulation: Sold; KnowBe4: Not in our sources
- AWARE · Awareness training: Not in our sources; KnowBe4: Sold
- Filled target: the platform sells this training type on the pages we read
- Hatched target: sold with a condition (an add-on, an adjacent product, or part of the type)
- Dashed target: not in our sources (it may exist; we did not find it)
| Type | Cytactic | KnowBe4 |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber range | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. |
| Hands-on lab libraries | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. |
| Tabletop and crisis simulation | Sold "Risk-tuned, Realistic Crisis Simulation (Digital TTX)", with a Simulation Generator: five ready-made simulations plus an AI engine that builds new ones. Source: Cytactic blog: the next generation of cyber tabletops · Read 13 Oct 2026 | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. |
| Awareness training | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. | Sold Security awareness training and simulated phishing, with 1,000+ modules, videos and games. Source: KnowBe4 homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026 |
Where do their published facts differ?
Tabletop and crisis simulation: Cytactic Sold, KnowBe4 Not in our sources
Cytactic: "Risk-tuned, Realistic Crisis Simulation (Digital TTX)", with a Simulation Generator: five ready-made simulations plus an AI engine that builds new ones.
KnowBe4: Not described on the pages we read.
Awareness training: Cytactic Not in our sources, KnowBe4 Sold
Cytactic: Not described on the pages we read.
KnowBe4: Security awareness training and simulated phishing, with 1,000+ modules, videos and games.
Executives and non-technical roles take part: Cytactic Partly, KnowBe4 Not in our sources
Cytactic: Generated exercises include stakeholder discussions, with crisis communication and legal disclosure agents in the platform; an exercise format for executives or the board is not described.
KnowBe4: Not in our sources.
Built around your own environment or tools: Cytactic Partly, KnowBe4 Not in our sources
Cytactic: Scenarios are built from the organisation's profile and data.
KnowBe4: Not in our sources.
Reports or evidence for auditors, boards or regulators: Cytactic Matches, KnowBe4 Not in our sources
Cytactic: Post-simulation reports and "regulator-ready records" are stated.
KnowBe4: Not in our sources.
Price published: Cytactic Not in our sources, KnowBe4 Matches
Cytactic: Not in our sources.
KnowBe4: US list prices per seat per month on a 3-year term (May 2026): SAT Foundation $2.40 to $1.63 and SAT Advanced $3.75 to $2.79, from 25 to 1,000 seats; above 1,000 seats on quote.
Free start (free tier, trial or free material): Cytactic Not in our sources, KnowBe4 Partly
Cytactic: Not in our sources.
KnowBe4: A free Cybersecurity Awareness Month kit for October 2026: posters, four tabletop exercise documents, training videos and modules.
Reaches the whole workforce: Cytactic Not in our sources, KnowBe4 Matches
Cytactic: Not in our sources.
KnowBe4: Security awareness training and simulated phishing for the whole workforce.
Where do they match?
They match on no lane or check that either platform's pages describe.
Neither platform's pages describe: Cyber range, Hands-on lab libraries, Hands-on keyboard work, Sessions of an hour or less.
What do they cost?
SAT Foundation from $2.40 (25–50 seats) to $1.63 (501–1,000 seats) and SAT Advanced from $3.75 to $2.79, per seat per month, 3-year term, US MSRP as of May 2026, taxes excluded. Above 1,000 seats: quote. Add-ons such as PhishER Plus ($1.50) and Compliance Plus ($0.93) per seat per month at 101–500 seats.
Source: KnowBe4 security awareness training pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
How do their strengths and limits compare?
Strengths
- A ready library of five crisis simulations plus a generator that drafts new ones from the organisation's profile.
- Simulation artefacts such as ransom notes, breaking news and system data appear automatically.
- Sits next to playbooks, crisis communication and legal disclosure tools.
Limits
- Not a lab platform or a cyber range: no hands-on technical environment is described.
- No published price, and board formats and measurement are not described on the pages we read.
Strengths
- Built for every employee: awareness training and simulated phishing with 1,000+ modules, videos and games.
- A free Cybersecurity Awareness Month kit for October 2026, including four tabletop exercise documents.
- Published per-seat pricing for two awareness tiers, from $1.63 to $3.75 per seat per month on a 3-year term.
Limits
- Not incident response training: no range, no technical labs and no crisis simulation platform.
- Published prices assume a 3-year term and stop at 1,000 seats; larger organisations get a quote.
Which one fits which team?
Look at Cytactic if you want tabletop practice next to your playbooks and disclosure tools, or if you want ready-made crisis scenarios to start from. Look at KnowBe4 if your gap is employees clicking on or not reporting phishing, or if you need training that reaches every employee.
Not sure which training type you need first? The training type finder weighs your answers before it lists platforms.
Questions people ask
Is Cytactic or KnowBe4 cheaper?
KnowBe4 publishes a price: SAT Foundation from $2.40 (25–50 seats) to $1.63 (501–1,000 seats) and SAT Advanced from $3.75 to $2.79, per seat per month, 3-year term, US MSRP as of May 2026, taxes excluded. Above 1,000 seats: quote. Add-ons such as PhishER Plus ($1.50) and Compliance Plus ($0.93) per seat per month at 101–500 seats. Cytactic does not publish a price on the pages we read.
Do Cytactic and KnowBe4 sell the same kind of training?
They do not overlap on the pages we read. Cytactic also sells tabletop and crisis simulation; KnowBe4 also sells awareness training.
Can I compare several platforms at once?
Yes. The platform fact grid puts up to twelve side by side, and you can pick which ones.
Read next
- Cytactic profile
A cyber incident response management hub with a simulation generator: five ready-made crisis simulations and an AI engine that builds new ones from the organisation's profile, run in a Simulation Mode inside the platform.
- KnowBe4 profile
Security awareness training and simulated phishing for the whole workforce. It trains employees to spot and report threats, not the incident response team to run an incident.
- Tabletop and crisis simulation
The people who own decisions in an incident work through a scenario and decide what to do, from a scripted discussion to an adaptive simulation.
- Awareness training
Short modules and simulated phishing that teach every employee to spot and report threats.
- Platform fact grid
Every platform's facts in one table.