Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

TryHackMe VS Hack The Box

Compare TryHackMe VS Hack The Box and see what are their differences

TryHackMe logo TryHackMe

TryHackMe is an online platform for learning and teaching cyber security, all through your browser.

Hack The Box logo Hack The Box

An online platform to test and advance your skills in penetration testing and cyber security.
  • TryHackMe Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-27
  • Hack The Box Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-29

TryHackMe features and specs

  • Hands-On Experience
    TryHackMe provides practical, hands-on labs and challenges, allowing learners to gain real-world experience in cybersecurity and ethical hacking.
  • Wide Range of Topics
    The platform covers a broad spectrum of topics, from basic cybersecurity principles to advanced penetration testing techniques.
  • Guided Learning Paths
    Structured learning paths and tutorials make it easier for beginners to advance their knowledge in a systematic manner.
  • Cost-Effective
    Many of the rooms and learning paths are available for free, and the premium subscription is relatively affordable compared to other cybersecurity training platforms.
  • Interactive Community
    An active community of users can help with troubleshooting, provide tips, and foster a collaborative learning environment.
  • Certificates and Badges
    The platform offers certificates and badges upon completion of certain modules or challenges, which can be added to professional profiles.

Possible disadvantages of TryHackMe

  • Limited Advanced Content
    While the platform is excellent for beginners and intermediates, some advanced users may find the content lacking in depth or complexity.
  • Dependence on VM
    Most exercises rely on virtual machines (VMs), which can be resource-intensive and may not run smoothly on all computers.
  • Connectivity Issues
    Users sometimes experience connectivity problems with the platform's servers or VMs, affecting the learning experience.
  • Subscription Model
    Although affordable, some users may find it inconvenient to unlock certain valuable content behind a paywall.
  • Varied Quality of Rooms
    The quality of rooms and challenges can be inconsistent, as they are often created by different individuals with varying levels of expertise.

Hack The Box features and specs

  • Realistic Practice Environment
    Hack The Box offers a wide variety of machines and challenges that closely mimic real-world scenarios, providing users with practical, hands-on experience in cybersecurity.
  • Community and Collaboration
    The platform fosters a strong community where users can interact, collaborate, and share knowledge through forums and team-based activities.
  • Diverse Skill Levels
    Hack The Box caters to all skill levels, from beginners to advanced professionals, ensuring that there are challenges appropriate for everyone.
  • Regular Updates
    The platform consistently updates its content with new machines and challenges, keeping the practice environment fresh and engaging.
  • Competitive Environment
    With leaderboards and point systems in place, users are encouraged to improve their skills and compete in a friendly environment.
  • Job Opportunities
    High performers on the platform can garner attention from companies and recruiters, leading to potential job offers and career advancements.

Possible disadvantages of Hack The Box

  • Learning Curve
    The platform can be intimidating for complete beginners as it assumes a certain level of knowledge in cybersecurity.
  • Steep Subscription Costs
    While basic access is free, the more advanced features and machines are locked behind a subscription paywall, which can be pricey for some users.
  • Limited Guidance
    Hack The Box emphasizes self-learning and problem-solving, which might not be suitable for users who require more structured guidance or tutorials.
  • Time-Consuming
    Many of the challenges and machines can be very time-intensive, which may not be practical for those with a busy schedule.
  • Potential for Frustration
    Due to the complex nature of some challenges, users might experience frustration and discouragement when they cannot solve certain tasks.

TryHackMe videos

Hackthebox, TryHackme, Hacker101: Which one to choose? #hacking #bugbounty

More videos:

  • Review - TryHackMe Overview | Cybersecurity 101

Hack The Box videos

Hack The Box VIP Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to TryHackMe and Hack The Box)
Training & Education
70 70%
30% 30
Monitoring Tools
50 50%
50% 50
Education
57 57%
43% 43
Machine Data Analytics
54 54%
46% 46

User comments

Share your experience with using TryHackMe and Hack The Box. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare TryHackMe and Hack The Box

TryHackMe Reviews

Hack the Box vs TryHackMe – A Comparative Analysis
In the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity, the need to learn and evolve has never been greater. Security enthusiasts, pen-testers, and cybersecurity professionals need to stay ahead of potential adversaries. For this reason, platforms like Hack The Box (HTB) and TryHackMe (THM) have come to the fore, providing immersive environments to practice and learn cybersecurity...
Source: nextdoorsec.com
Top 5 Cyber Security Online Courses to Make a Good Pay
TryHackMe provides information for persons new to cybersecurity courses and covers a wide range of subjects, including offensive and defensive security training. Capture the Flag activities with walk-through write-ups by contributing users that show members how to approach and solve difficulties are also available on TryHackMe. There are four tiers to choose from:
Get Your Cybersecurity Career Started: The Best Websites for Newbies to Practice Cybersecurity
TryHackMe is an online platform that offers a wide range of cybersecurity courses and challenges. The platform is designed to be beginner-friendly and offers hands-on experience with real-world cybersecurity scenarios. TryHackMe covers topics such as Linux, networking, web application security, and more.

Hack The Box Reviews

Hack the Box vs TryHackMe – A Comparative Analysis
In the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity, the need to learn and evolve has never been greater. Security enthusiasts, pen-testers, and cybersecurity professionals need to stay ahead of potential adversaries. For this reason, platforms like Hack The Box (HTB) and TryHackMe (THM) have come to the fore, providing immersive environments to practice and learn cybersecurity...
Source: nextdoorsec.com
Top 5 Cyber Security Online Courses to Make a Good Pay
Hack The Box is targeted at offensive security and provides a live training place for hackers to practice their abilities without affecting production systems. For those who wish to be guided through the process, the course includes retiring boxes with write-ups by other members of the Hack The Box community. It also features active boxes with unpublished solutions. Hacking...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, TryHackMe should be more popular than Hack The Box. It has been mentiond 373 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

TryHackMe mentions (373)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (November 2024)
    TryHackMe | Full-time | Remote | with annual team retreats | https://tryhackme.com/ TryHackMe is the fastest-growing online cyber security training platform. Our mission is to make learning and teaching cyber security easier by providing gamified security exercises and challenges. Having only been around for a handful of years, we've grown to more than 3 million community members and our growth isn't slowing down!... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Exploiting Active Directory: How to Abuse Kerberos
    This will be a write-up post for the Attacktive Directory room on TryHackMe. It's a learning room in the Cyber Defense path, under the Threat Emulation section. The idea is to attempt to exploit a vulnerable Domain Controller in Active Directory. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Why are CTFs so important???
    CTF Platforms: Sign up on platforms like CTFtime, Hack The Box, and TryHackMe. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Ask HN: Good book to learn modern networking?
    It's more focused on security than just networking, and I don't believe it's quite what you're looking for, but https://tryhackme.com/ might be enjoyable. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Beginner question
    HTB Academy is definetely more suitable than jumping straight into solving boxes as it explains the methodology behind solving boxes. Try Hack Me learning paths is similar to HTB Academy, so what you choose between them is a matter of personal taste. If you want something to study kind of long-termish the Penetration Tester Job Role Path might be of interest. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

Hack The Box mentions (67)

  • Tips for a CS student in college who wants to get into cyber-sec?
    You could also put any work you have done such as I am this far on tryhackme.com or hackthebox.com. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How long did it take for you to make 80-100k?
    Definitely. There’s (Try Hack Me)[http://tryhackme.com] and (Hack The Box)[http://hackthebox.com], which are both excellent interactive learning platforms. I’m less personally familiar with Hack The Box, but at least for Try Hack Me, there are free modules and there are also modules locked behind a subscription service (it was $90/year when I signed up last year). I found it very helpful when I was prepping for my... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Jak nauczyć się etycznego hackingu?
    I'm sure there are some great Polish resources out there, unfortunately, I only know English language resources like https://tryhackme.com, Https://hackthebox.com, Https://overthewire.org, Etc. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Linux noob
    Most people that get into pentesting are already pretty familiar with Windows/Linux/Networking concepts, so you have an uphill battle in front of you. hackthebox.com and the youtube channel Ippsec are good places to start. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How do I get started in all of this?
    Have to agree, for a beginner and even beyond that, http://tryhackme.com/ is a great resource. There are others like http://hackthebox.com/ but they are considered a little bit less beginner friendly. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing TryHackMe and Hack The Box, you can also consider the following products

VulnHub - VulnHub provides materials allowing anyone to gain practical hands-on experience with digital security, computer applications and network administration tasks.

PentesterLab - Learn all about web hacking through online courses spanning the basics to advanced vulnerabilities

HackThisSite - Hack This Site is a legal free training ground for users to test and expand their hacking skills.

LetsDefend - LetsDefend is a security operation center analysis and response training platform that provides a full lifecycle of learning modules in the form of courses, labs, and exercises to help organizations meet their compliance and cyber-resilience needs.

pwn.guide - Your guide to pwning stuff.

PwnTillDawn Online Battlefield - PwnTillDawn Online Battlefield is an online platform that allows you to learn and improve your pentesting and other cybersecurity assessments skills.