# Security awareness training: what AI models recommend, September 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. Asked as "security awareness training platform" and as "phishing simulation and training tool", six framings each, to twelve models with search on, on behalf of a mid-market B2B company. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/security/security-awareness-training/

**Standing:** KnowBe4 leads with 42% of first choices; verdict clear leader. 45 first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts.

## First-choice share

| # | Product | Share | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KnowBe4 | 42% | 20% | 59 |
| 2 | Wizer | 20% | 0% | 11 |
| 3 | Hoxhunt | 13% | 0% | 41 |
| 4 | Huntress Managed Security Awareness Training | 9% | 0% | 16 |
| 5 | Hook Security | 4% | 0% | 14 |
| 6 | Infosec IQ | 4% | 11% | 19 |
| 7 | Arctic Wolf Managed Security Awareness | 2% | 0% | 13 |
| 8 | Proofpoint ZenGuide | 0% | 18% | 40 |
| 9 | SoSafe | 0% | 0% | 20 |
| 10 | NINJIO | 0% | 0% | 16 |
| 11 | Adaptive Security | 0% | 0% | 12 |
| 12 | MetaCompliance | 0% | 19% | 16 |

## Each model's first choice on the direct prompt

- Claude Haiku 4.5: no first choice; alternatives Hoxhunt, KnowBe4, RansomLeak
- GPT-5.4 mini: KnowBe4; alternatives Adaptive, Hoxhunt
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: Hoxhunt; alternatives Adaptive Security, Huntress Managed Security Awareness Training, NINJIO
- Perplexity Sonar: Hoxhunt; alternatives Infosec IQ, KnowBe4, MetaCompliance, SoSafe
- Grok 4.1 Fast: KnowBe4; alternatives Arctic Wolf Managed Security Awareness, Hoxhunt, MetaCompliance, Proofpoint ZenGuide
- Mistral Small: Infosec IQ, KnowBe4
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: Hoxhunt, KnowBe4; alternatives Infosec IQ, Proofpoint ZenGuide
- Llama 4 Maverick: no first choice; alternatives Arctic Wolf Managed Security Awareness, Hoxhunt, KnowBe4, MetaCompliance
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: Infosec IQ; alternatives Hoxhunt, KnowBe4, RansomLeak
- Kimi K2: KnowBe4; alternatives Hoxhunt, Proofpoint ZenGuide
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: Hoxhunt, KnowBe4; alternatives Arctic Wolf Managed Security Awareness, Proofpoint ZenGuide
- MiniMax M2.5: Arctic Wolf Managed Security Awareness, KnowBe4; alternatives MetaCompliance, Proofpoint ZenGuide

## Sources the answers cite

67 of 72 answers came back with a source list, from 12 of 12 models. Sites named in the most answers:

- hoxhunt.com: 47 answers, 66 citations
- adaptivesecurity.com: 38 answers, 84 citations
- expertinsights.com: 38 answers, 58 citations
- learn.g2.com: 27 answers, 27 citations
- brside.com: 25 answers, 40 citations
- gartner.com: 25 answers, 31 citations
- g2.com: 21 answers, 45 citations
- cipherssecurity.com: 19 answers, 20 citations

Pages named in the most answers:

- https://hoxhunt.com/blog/best-security-awareness-training (36 answers)
- https://learn.g2.com/best-security-awareness-training-software (27 answers)
- https://gartner.com/reviews/market/security-awareness-computer-based-training (23 answers)
- https://easyllama.com/blog/best-security-awareness-training-providers (19 answers)
- https://expertinsights.com/security-awareness-training/the-top-security-awareness-training-platforms-for-businesses (19 answers)
- https://doozy.live/blog/best-security-awareness-training-platforms (18 answers)
- https://expertinsights.com/security-awareness-training/top-security-awareness-content-and-development-solutions (16 answers)
- https://adaptivesecurity.com/blog/security-awareness-training-platforms (14 answers)
- https://brside.com/blog/best-security-awareness-training-platforms-comparison (13 answers)
- https://cipherssecurity.com/best-security-awareness-training-platforms (12 answers)

## Warned against

- KnowBe4: 12 of 59 labels negative. "Trustpilot Rating: 1.9/5 stars, with 85% of reviews being 1-star... training content is outdated, repetitive, and of poor quality" (Mistral Small, negative prompt)
- Proofpoint ZenGuide: 7 of 40 labels negative. "Avoid Platforms with "Campaign-Only" & "Tick-the-Box" Approaches * Examples of this model: ... (like Mimecast or Proofpoint/Wombat)." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt)
- Nimblr Security Awareness: 4 of 4 labels negative. "Avoid Nimblr Security Awareness – its user feedback highlights spam-filter interference, shallow reporting, limited customization, and a lack of engagement." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt)
- Cofense PhishMe: 2 of 8 labels negative. "PhishMe (4.4-4.7/5): Solid for phishing education but called overpriced for small orgs; lacks depth in non-phishing topics." (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt)

## Record

- Method: https://it-ai-index.com/methodology/
- Raw judge labels and full responses: https://it-ai-index.com/data/
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, it-ai-index.com.