HTB Academy
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you have IT basics and want hard, hands-on offensive security training respected for pentest roles.
New check
Comparison
HTB Academy vs TryHackMe
HTB Academy and TryHackMe both land on Depends.
TryHackMe
Depends
Confidence: High
Buy if you're a cybersecurity beginner or an SMB team building hands-on security skills.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Aspiring penetration testers | Cybersecurity beginners |
| Who it's not for | Total beginners. TryHackMe is the gentler on-ramp | Experienced pentesters wanting hard challenges |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.12 | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No support evidence in reviewed sources | No reliable individual support evidence found. |
| Public sentiment | Users love the realism and rigor but repeatedly warn it is brutally hard for beginners.¹ | Beginners overwhelmingly call it worth it, while a vocal minority complains about price changes, the canceled student discount, and outgrowing the content. |
| Biggest gotcha | Cert recognition is thin: HTB certs in only 2% of job listings. Check target roles first.³ | Student discounts were canceled; verify current pricing before assuming discounts apply. |
Pick HTB Academy when
- Aspiring penetration testers
- Career-switchers with IT/networking basics
- Hands-on learners who want hard labs
- Devs moving into web security
When HTB Academy is not a fit
- Total beginners. TryHackMe is the gentler on-ramp
- Blue-team/SOC starters. TryHackMe fits better
- Anyone needing a widely recognized cert. Only 2% of job listings mention HTB
- Casual learners wanting quick, easy wins, nothing here is easy
Pick TryHackMe when
- Cybersecurity beginners
- Career switchers into security
- SMB hands-on security training
- Students wanting guided labs
When TryHackMe is not a fit
- Experienced pentesters wanting hard challenges
- Enterprises needing compliance-awareness platforms
- Anyone expecting full content for free
- Discount hunters . student pricing was canceled
Sources
- Hack The Box Reviews | Trustpilotuk.trustpilot.comreview
- HackTheBox vs TryHackMe for Cert Preprefontelearning.comreview
- Cybersecurity Certifications Comparison 2026simeononsecurity.comreview
- A Hands-On First Look at HTB Academynetstackreview.techreview
- HTB Academy Help : r/cybersecurityreddit.comreview
review
- Best Legit Sites that offer Upskillingreddit.comreview
- HTB Academy . official siteacademy.hackthebox.comofficial
- Learn cybersecurity for free . HTB bloghackthebox.comofficial
- HTB Academy Skill Paths & Job Role Pathsacademy.hackthebox.comofficial
- HTB Cybersecurity Certificationsacademy.hackthebox.comofficial
- HTB Academy security pageacademy.hackthebox.comsecurity
- Learn Cyber Security | TryHackMetryhackme.comofficial
- TryHackMe Premium Planstryhackme.comofficial
- About TryHackMetryhackme.comofficial
- Cyber Security Training for Business Teamstryhackme.comofficial