The Forrester Wave™: Cybersecurity Skills And Training Platforms, Q1 2026

Cybersecurity Skills And Training Platforms Vendor Product Comparisons 2026

Key features and pros and cons of top Cybersecurity Skills And Training Platforms products:

Hack The Box - Leaders

Pros:

Compelling vision for hybrid human-AI readiness, aiming to redefine capability measurement across people and AI agents
Future-focused innovation strategy with pillars around AI security, emerging threats, and operational readiness
Robust partner ecosystem spanning tech innovators like Google and Mistral, workforce development programs, and consultancies
Strong community engagement and gamification features that foster adoption and continuous learning
Long-standing strengths in gamification and accessibility with immersive challenges, global leaderboards, and mobile-friendly access
Strong security framework alignment and reporting with proprietary elements like Operational Readiness Index and hybrid human-AI roles

Cons:

Roadmap prioritizes platform unification, AI-assisted program creation, and adversarial simulation capabilities but is rated as on-par
Revamped pricing tiers are confusing compared to others, though still cost-effective
Language support lags other vendors
Customers want improved enterprise-level features and expanded academy offerings

Immersive - Leaders

Pros:

Bold vision to transform cybersecurity training into measurable, organizational resilience
Outstanding innovation with significant headcount dedicated to R&D, driving rapid content updates, attack agents, and integrations with leading security tools
Well-defined and forward-looking roadmap introducing capabilities like AI Program Builder and marketplace features
Mature partner ecosystem with strategic alliances with consultancies and tech vendors for co-innovation
Breadth and timeliness of content offering hands-on labs, dynamic ranges, and crisis simulations across offensive, defensive, cloud, application, AI, OT/ICS, and GRC domains
Differentiated reporting and dashboards with executive-level views, heatmaps, and benchmarking
Differentiated integrations with talent and security ecosystems, embedding training into workflows and HR systems

Cons:

Cyber ranges and team exercises rated as on-par rather than differentiated
Security framework alignment is on-par with market
Customers note that adding more advanced material for emerging tech would strengthen offering

SimSpace - Leaders

Pros:

Strategy centered on realism, aiming to unify learning, tool validation, and performance measurement in environments that mirror production complexity
Above-par innovation fueled by significant investment in automated range design, AI-assisted scoring, adaptive mission orchestration, and AI agent training
Comprehensive roadmap that expands hardware and cloud integrations, accelerates scenario customization, and embeds AI for scenario generation and benchmarking
Stands out for realism of cyber ranges and team exercises, replicating full enterprise environments with enterprise security tools and realistic network traffic
Excels in agentic AI readiness, enabling organizations to test AI-assisted workflows and agent behavior
Strong content breadth and timeliness across multiple domains and architectures

Cons:

Reporting is on-par and dashboards are customizable and exportable, but they offer limited executive-level content
Accessibility trails others
Partner ecosystem and pricing are on par rather than differentiated
Customers say that leveraging advanced capabilities requires substantial infrastructure and resources

Cyberbit - Strong Performers

Pros:

Clear and inclusive pricing of team exercises, differentiating Cyberbit from competitors
Solid vision that anticipates the convergence of human and agent training
Innovation fueled by reinvesting revenue into R&D post-acquisition, reducing range complexity, and enabling AI-driven customization
Excels in breach and crisis simulation with live-fire exercises and readiness cycles that test both technical and nontechnical skills
Differentiated reporting and dashboards with Defense Readiness Index, MITRE- and NICE-aligned views, and post-exercise reports that quantify team performance and maturity
Differentiated language support - AI Tutor can translate and generate labs in any language, enabling users to ask questions in their native language

Cons:

Roadmap is on par with others
Cyber ranges and team exercises are on par with the market
Catching up in agentic AI readiness
Customers would like reduced complexity and enhanced guidance during exercises

Cloud Range - Contenders

Pros:

On-par realistic live-fire simulations and OT/ICS range capabilities, supporting sector-specific scenarios and large-scale exercises
Pricing models offer flexibility for guided and self-service experiences
Customers like realistic cyber ranges and customer support, which enable team-based incident response simulations

Cons:

Poorly articulated vision to move practitioners and teams beyond compliance-driven training toward real, measurable readiness
Execution trails competitors in innovation and roadmap maturity
Planned enhancements include AI-driven content creation and readiness portals, but current capabilities lean heavily on manual delivery
Partnerships with IBM and resellers extend reach but are limited
Community engagement and benchmarking remain limited compared to peers
Reporting, dashboards, and security framework mapping are largely manual and service driven
Breadth and timeliness of content are limited compared to peers, with a smaller body of labs and exercises
Gamification and recognition elements are limited, as are accessibility and language support
Customers suggest improvements including broader tool integrations and enhancing reporting and benchmarking capabilities

Infosec - Contenders

Pros:

Differentiates in its skills verification focus, offering adaptive assessments and a unique approach to candidate screening
Curriculum management supported by AI-powered Skills Navigator for recommendations
Content breadth spans SOC and AI security topics
Customers praise course catalog that covers certifications and technical topics

Cons:

Narrowly focused vision to make verified skills the new currency of cybersecurity talent
Solid innovation approach but places less emphasis on and investment in innovation than others
Partnerships are limited except for AWS's investment in development of patent-pending skills verification capabilities
On-par roadmap focuses on dashboards, team benchmarking, and talent ecosystem integrations
Pricing includes options for pooled licensing and prepaid vouchers but is comparatively confusing
Reporting is adequate, but customization and executive insights are limited
Content lacks the format variety offered by peers
Gamification and competitive features are minimal
Cyber ranges and team exercises lack realism and team effectiveness measurement
Customers want more labs, team exercises, and faster updates on emerging threats

TryHackMe - Contenders

Pros:

Vision aligns with peers, emphasizing measurable security outcomes in detection engineering, incident response, and threat hunting
Gamification features like streaks, badges, and leagues increase learner engagement
Solid content spans offensive and defensive domains with frequent updates for emerging threats
Aligns with frameworks including MITRE ATT&CK and NIST for tabletop exercises, supporting compliance needs
Customers praise affordability, practical hands-on approach, and responsiveness to customer needs

Cons:

Innovation is practitioner led but resource constrained relative to others evaluated, with incremental advances
Roadmap aims to evolve to a defensive readiness platform by adding IR simulations and improved reporting to close gaps
Dashboards provide heatmaps and SOC skills tracking but lag in depth and customization
Cyber ranges are partially customizable and more suited to individual learning
Administrator experience, ecosystem integrations, accessibility, and language support trail others
Customers cite the need for more enterprise-level features and advanced content to better serve large organizations and evolving threat landscapes
Only one of TryHackMe's reference customers responded to Forrester's outreach for this evaluation

FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2026?

A: Hack The Box, Immersive, SimSpace

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

A: Leaders in Forrester Wave evaluations are vendors that demonstrate the strongest current offering and strategy in the market. They have well-executed capabilities that meet current customer needs, a clear and compelling vision for the future, and a strong track record of innovation and market presence. Leaders typically excel across multiple evaluation criteria and show evidence of customer satisfaction and market momentum.

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

A: https://www.forrester.com/policies/forrester-wave-methodology/

Report:

Top Vendor Products for Cybersecurity Skills And Training Platforms in 2026

Cybersecurity Skills And Training Platforms Vendor Product Comparisons 2026

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FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2026?

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

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