6 Proofpoint Competitors & Alternatives for Effective Training

Proofpoint is a popular email security and training solution, mostly known for its technical protection features.

If you're shopping around for similar solutions or just doing some last minute checks before making a decision, there are plenty of alternatives for reducing human cyber risk.

This guide weighs Proofpoint up against a shortlist of the most relevant competitors.

*Insights below based on 6,000 real customer reviews.

‍

Proofpoint: email security and basic training

Proofpoint offers a fairly comprehensive solutions for email security, data loss prevention, and security awareness training.

It's particularly known for its email protection and threat intelligence services.

What users like about Proofpoint

Effective threat simulation

• Users appreciate realistic phishing simulations that mimic real-world malicious emails.
• Tailored training content adjusts to employees' roles and geographic locations, so that content is relevant and engaging.

Interactive training

• Proofpoint’s security awareness training uses engaging, interactive content.
• The platform also uses gamified elements such as rewards and leaderboards.

Integration with other security tools

• Many users appreciate how Proofpoint integrates with other security tools, such as email filtering and security awareness applications.

Threat detection & reporting

• Strong email threat detection, identifying malicious emails effectively.
• Comprehensive reporting features for tracking incidents and user responses.

Potential drawbacks of Proofpoint

Content depth

• Some users say that the depth of training could be improved, particularly for more advanced users.
• In some cases, customers feel training is more suitable for basic to intermediate users, and could benefit from additional depth for more advanced threats.

Occasional technical issues

• A few users reported that the platform occasionally experiences technical glitches, including delays in reporting or issues with accessing certain features.
• These problems, while not widespread, can affect the user experience and may require additional support.

Limited advanced features for experienced users

• Some reviewers have mentioned that while the platform is great for general use, it lacks some advanced customization options that would benefit larger organizations or those with specific, niche needs.
• While Proofpoint offers a variety of training modules, some customers feel the level of customization is limited.
• Tailoring the content to their specific needs, particularly for different teams or departments, can be difficult.
• Users often request more flexibility in modifying training content and phishing simulations.

User interface complexity

• Many users find Proofpoint’s platform to be complex and unintuitive.
• Setting up campaigns, navigating through the training modules, and managing users can be time-consuming and require a steep learning curve.
• Some reviewers mention that the interface isn't as modern or user-friendly compared to other security awareness platforms.

‍

Hoxhunt: G2 #1 recommended solution

Hoxhunt provides automated, personalized phishing and security awareness training that empowers employees to recognize and report phishing threats.

What users like about Hoxhunt

Engaging, gamified training

• Hoxhunt uses gamification to reward employees with badges, points, and leaderboards for identifying phishing attempts.
• Realistic phishing simulations tailored to users' locations and roles make training relevant and challenging.

Ease of use and automation

• Automation of phishing simulations and training deployment reduces manual admin.
• Users can choose their level of automation - using AI to run adaptive simulations or manually controlling targeting and training frequency. 
• Hoxhunt customers mention the platform's simple and intuitive user interface.
  

Realistic simulations

• Phishing simulations mimic real-world threats, tailored to industries, roles, and locations​.
• Simulations adapt to user progress, providing increasingly challenging scenarios to improve learning​.

Security operations automation

• Hoxhunt users with high volumes of reported threats can automate their remediation process by reducing tickets from user reports.
• Users can focus on the most critical incidents with Hoxhunt's clustering solution and detect malicious emails with the platform's classification algorithm.

Potential drawbacks of Hoxhunt

Gamification skepticism

• Some users express skepticism about the effectiveness of gamification for security awareness training, questioning whether badges and streaks truly drive meaningful engagement.
• While not for everyone, gamification has consistently proven to boost participation and make training engaging, especially for non-technical employees​

High volume of threat reports for large organizations

• As users adopt the behavior of reporting suspicious messages, larger organizations need to ready themselves to handle the surge in reported emails.
• Hoxhunt's security operations solution can help cut out the noise and focus on the most important attacks. SOC Teams can act quickly by focusing on the most critical email reports - reducing the tickets they need to manage by 97%.

Frequency of simulations

• Some end-users might not want to participate in frequent cybersecurity training.
• It's worth noting though that the data shows repetitions builds good habits. Hoxhunt customers report a 60% success rate after first year of training with the fastest 10% of users reporting a threat in under 60 seconds​.

‍

Knowbe4: legacy solution, large library

KnowBe4 is a widely-renowned security awareness platform, known for its comprehensive content library.

What users like about KnowBe4

Comprehensive content library

• KnowBe4 offers a wide range of training materials like videos, interactive modules, and quizzes.
• Content is regularly updated to address emerging advanced email threats like spear phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and other email-borne threats​
  

Robust reporting and analytics

• Comprehensive reporting and analytics tools provide insights into user behavior, identifying areas of improvement.
• KnowBe4 provides actionable insights to help enterprises understand potential threats to email security and adjust their strategies accordingly​.

Easy deployment and management

• User-friendly interface streamlines deployment and management.
• Users mention that it's simple to manage training tasks without significant technical knowledge​.

Potential drawbacks of KnowBe4

Content quality

• Some users feel the training modules are repetitive and lack enough variety or updates to remain engaging for seasoned employees.
• Others mentioned that the materials sometimes fail to align with specific industries or roles, potentially reducing effectiveness.
• Phishing simulations are occasionally perceived as too generic, lacking the advanced threat detection capabilities seen in more customizable platforms like Hoxhunt.

High cost of customization

• Users have expressed dissatisfaction with the platform's tendency to repackage existing content as new products, requiring additional purchases for features that were once included.
• Advanced phishing simulation features, like more realistic and adaptive attack scenarios, are either limited or require upgrading to more expensive plans.

Limited adaptability

• While KnowBe4 offers a wide range of phishing templates, users have noted that these can sometimes lack the depth and realism required to mimic advanced or highly targeted phishing attacks effectively.

‍

Mimecast: email protection with training

Mimecast provides email and security training solutions, focussed around reducing human risk.

The platform is best known for its email security tool for filtering threats.

What users like about Mimecast

Comprehensive email security integration

• Mimecast integrates security training directly with email security platforms, enabling a unified approach to phishing prevention and user education.
• Customers appreciate the ability to correlate simulated phishing outcomes with real-world email threat data​.

Wide variety of training modules

• Mimecast provides diverse simulation types, including phishing emails and credential-harvesting attempts.
• These modules are updated regularly, ensuring employees stay informed about the latest attack vectors.

Detailed reporting features

• Mimecast’s reporting tools provide insights into employee performance, including who failed simulations and overall organizational risk levels.

Potential drawbacks of Mimecast

Limited depth in advanced threat scenarios

• While Mimecast covers basic and intermediate threats well, some users find the platform lacking when it comes to simulating advanced or highly targeted attacks, such as spear phishing or whaling.
• Unlike some competitors, Mimecast doesn’t extensively leverage AI to adapt simulations based on employee performance. This makes the training less dynamic for individual users and can lead to repetition

Steeper learning curve for adminis

• While the interface is user-friendly, setting up advanced campaigns and interpreting complex reports may require technical expertise.
• Some customers report needing additional support for these tasks​.
  

User feedback

• While the platform tracks metrics well, the feedback provided to users who fail simulations is seen as generic and less actionable compared to leading alternatives​.

Metacompliance: awareness and compliance focus

MetaCompliance is a platform focused on security awareness and meeting compliance requirements.

What users like about Metacompliance

Customizable content and flexibility

• Customers appreciate the ability to tailor training materials to their organization's specific needs.
• The platform offers a wide range of security and compliance modules that can be easily adjusted to suit specific industries and regulations.

Compliance support

• MetaCompliance is often highlighted for its effectiveness in helping organizations meet regulatory requirements, including GDPR and ISO standards.
• The structured approach to compliance training is one of its key features.​

Easy to deploy and use

• MetaCompliance is praised for its user-friendly interface and straightforward deployment process.
• Admin controls are intuitive, allowing managers to track progress easily and quickly modify content or assign new courses as needed​.

Potential drawbacks of Metacompliance

Limited advanced features

• Some users feel the platform lacks certain advanced functionalities compared to competitors, particularly in automation and AI-driven insights for phishing simulations.

Content relevance

• While beginner-level training is well-received, more experienced employees may find the content less challenging or lacking depth.
• Some users mention that the library of phishing scenarios and training modules could be wider, with requests for more frequent content updates to address evolving threats.
• Simulations have to be manually initiated and are delivered randomly.

Customer support

• Although the platform is generally user-friendly, a few reviews indicate that customer support response times could be improved, especially when resolving technical issues.

Ironscales: AI phishing defense

Ironscales is an AI-powered email security and training platform that focuses on detecting and mitigating phishing threats.

What users like about Ironscales

User-friendly interface

• Many users praise Ironscales for its intuitive interface, making it accessible even for those without extensive technical expertise.
• Easily integrates with platforms like Office 365, Google Workspace, and cloud email security platforms.

Threat protection

• Recognized for its capabilities in detecting and mitigating insider threats.
• Capable of flagging unauthorized access attempts and blocking phishing emails in real time.

Robust features

• Offers tools for investigating suspicious activities and conducting thorough audits.
• Provides detailed insights and contextual analysis into user activity and email traffic.

Potential drawbacks of Ironscales

Initial setup complexity

• Some users find the initial setup process challenging, particularly for enterprises with complex email systems. Additional technical support may be required.

Limited reporting features

• Some users report that analytics tools lack depth, making it difficult to gain granular insights into employee progress and threat detection rates.
• Admins seeking detailed data may need to export and manipulate it manually.
• Reports often emphasize high-level summaries rather than actionable, detailed breakdowns of where users are struggling, limiting the ability to fine-tune training efforts.

Customization complexity

• Although Ironscales offers customizable phishing scenarios, administrators often find it challenging to configure them without prior experience.
• The interface, while user-friendly for basic operations, can become less intuitive when setting up advanced training campaigns.

Infosec IQ: awareness and phishing simulations

Infosec IQ provides a platform for security awareness and phishing simulation training - offering customizable modules and simulations.

What users like about Infosec IQ

Comprehensive content library

• Users appreciate the extensive library of training materials covering diverse topics, which can be tailored to various industries and roles.
• The ability to customize training content to suit specific organizational needs is frequently highlighted as a strength.

User-friendly interface

• Both administrators and employees find the platform intuitive and easy to navigate, making deployment and engagement straightforward.
• Some admins report that the onboarding process is seamless, with minimal technical hurdles.

Effective simulations

• Infosec IQ offers engaging phishing simulations that are reported to closely mimic real-world threats.
• Users mention being able to adjust difficulty levels in simulations, which allows for gradual skill-building (similarly to how how our adaptive training works at here at Hoxhunt).

Potential drawbacks of Infosec IQ

Limited content updates

• Users mention that the platform's training content is not updated as often as they'd like, potentially leaving out emerging threats .
• Feedback highlights a gap in niche or specialized training scenarios for certain industries.

Customization limitations

• While customization is possible, some administrators find it cumbersome to implement advanced customizations without significant time investment.
• The templates for phishing simulations and training modules can feel repetitive.

Integration challenges

• Users have encountered difficulties integrating Infosec IQ with other tools and platforms, particularly in legacy systems.
• Some organizations have pointed out the lack of API options for deeper integration with their existing ecosystems.

‍

Hoxhunt vs Proofpoint

Superior employee engagement

• Hoxhunt’s gamified training increase employee participation and enthusiasm.
• 60% of Hoxhunt users report a real threat within their first year of training​.
• While effective in delivering training, Proofpoint lacks more advanced gamified elements, which may result in lower engagement for some organizations

Personalization

• Despite offering comprehensive coverage for email-borne threats and email authentication via Proofpoint Email Protection, users have noted that Proofpoint’s training solutions can feel more generic and less tailored, potentially reducing their effectiveness in real-world scenarios
• Hoxhunt offers personalized phishing simulations based on over 100k real-world threats, tailored to employees’ roles, locations, and skill levels, ensuring relevance and a higher learning impact​.
  

Comprehensive threat simulation and behavioral insights

• Hoxhunt Provides realistic phishing scenarios that adapt dynamically based on real-time monitoring and user behavior analytics.
• Though Proofpoint excels in advanced analytics for email protection (such as blocking phishing attempts and inbound malware), its training simulations lack the same depth and contextual insights offered by Hoxhunt.

In-depth reporting

• Proofpoint’s reporting and insights, while valuable for compliance tools and external threats, may not offer the same detailed analytics or actionable insights for behavioral analysis as Hoxhunt does.
• Hoxhunt's reporting features offer comprehensive analytics on user behavior, regulatory compliance, and email security posture, enabling enterprises to measure both training impact and overall human risk effectively.

Long-term behavioral change

• Using a solution like Hoxhunt emphasizes long-term employee behavior changes through adaptive training.
• Proofpoint’s approach to security awareness training, while robust for endpoint activities and intellectual property protection, might not influence sustained behavioral changes​.

‍

Why choose Hoxhunt?

Whilst Proofpoint is fairly strong when it comes to technical protection, the platform isn't designed to help meaningfully change human behavior and reduce your organization's overall risk level.

Here at Hoxhunt, we train users to catch what technical filters don't, which is usually more advanced threats.

Hoxhunt is purpose-built to drive engagement and reduce risky behavior through simulating real-life threats and personalizing training to each employee.

This is how our customers are able to achieve:

• 20x lower failure rates
• 90%+ engagement rates
• 75%+ detect rates

‍

_Sources

^{Proofpoint Email Security and Protection – G2, TrustRadius, Gartner, Software Advice
‍Hoxhunt – G2, TrustRadius, Capterra, Gartner, Software Advice
‍Mimecast Email Security – G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, Gartner, Software Advice
‍MetaCompliance Security Awareness Training – G2, Featured Customers, Software Reviews
‍Ironscales Email Security Platform – G2, Featured Customers, Software Reviews, Gartner
Infosec IQ Security Training – G2, TrustRadius, Software Reviews, Gartner}