Hack The Box
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're serious about offensive or defensive security skills, or upskilling a security team . G2 badges rank it #1 in category.
New check
Comparison
Hack The Box vs TryHackMe
Hack The Box 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 pentesters | Cybersecurity beginners |
| Who it's not for | Total beginners wanting guided hand-holding | Experienced pentesters wanting hard challenges |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No usable support evidence in sources | No reliable individual support evidence found. |
| Public sentiment | Reddit and review sites praise HTB's depth and realism but flag its difficulty for beginners and frustration over 2026 pricing changes.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 | Academy moved to tier-based pricing in 2026; Reddit users say costs rose noticeably⁴ | Student discounts were canceled; verify current pricing before assuming discounts apply. |
Pick Hack The Box when
- Aspiring pentesters
- Security teams upskilling staff
- CPTS/CDSA certification seekers
- Intermediate-to-advanced hackers
When Hack The Box is not a fit
- Total beginners wanting guided hand-holding
- Casual hobbyists on tight budgets after repricing
- Non-technical staff needing basic awareness training
- Buyers needing transparent pricing upfront
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
review
- HTB G2 Winter 2025 achievements: #1 platformhackthebox.comofficial
- Hack The Box Secures $55 Million Series Bhackthebox.comnews
- Pricing changes on HTB Academy: tier-based modelhackthebox.comofficial
- Reddit: reaction to HTB pricing changereddit.comreview
review
- TryHackMe vs Hack The Box comparisontryhackme.comreview
- HTB CPTS certification pageacademy.hackthebox.comofficial
- Hack The Box Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.comreview
- Learn Cyber Security | TryHackMetryhackme.comofficial
- TryHackMe Premium Planstryhackme.comofficial
- About TryHackMetryhackme.comofficial
- Cyber Security Training for Business Teamstryhackme.comofficial
- Four Million Users on TryHackMe!tryhackme.comofficial
- Introducing TryHackMe Maxtryhackme.comofficial