Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Barracuda PhishLine vs KnowBe4 comparison

Barracuda Networks and KnowBe4 are both solutions in the Security Awareness Training category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #12, while KnowBe4 is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7. Barracuda Networks holds a 2.0% mindshare in SAT, compared to KnowBe4’s 27.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of KnowBe4 users are willing to recommend the solution.
Barracuda PhishLine
Read 1 Barracuda PhishLine review
  • 203 Views
  • 117 Comparison Views
0% willing to recommend
KnowBe4
Read 15 KnowBe4 reviews
  • 1,683 Views
  • 1,011 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Barracuda PhishLine and KnowBe4 based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about KnowBe4, Proofpoint, Sophos and others in Security Awareness Training.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed Security Awareness Training Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Security Awareness Training
June 2025
Download the complete report
Helped 859,687 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Barracuda PhishLine
Ranking in Security Awareness Training
12th
Average Rating
0.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
KnowBe4
Ranking in Security Awareness Training
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Security Awareness Training category, the mindshare of Barracuda PhishLine is 2.0%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KnowBe4 is 27.3%, down from 34.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Security Awareness Training
 

Featured Reviews

DW
Efficient threat repelling, continual updates, and friendly support
Barracuda PhishLine continues to evolve because as the attacks get more sophisticated, they get integrated into the campaigns. Then the users are exposed to the latest attacks in the form of a training session rather than in real life. They're much better prepared for these real-life ransomware attacks that come through via email.
Read full review
Amran Hossain - PeerSpot reviewer
Training program enables comprehensive security awareness and cautious email practices
One feature that would be highly beneficial in a future release is the ability to automatically send training articles or security tips to users on a regular, scheduled basis—for example, weekly or monthly. While the current training modules and phishing simulations are highly effective, ongoing awareness is equally important to keep security top of mind in day-to-day operations. These short, digestible articles or micro-learning content could cover recent phishing trends, real-world examples of security breaches, or quick tips on secure online behavior. Periodic delivery would serve as a continuous learning touchpoint, reinforcing key concepts from the main training and adapting to evolving threats. Ideally, this feature would also include personalization, allowing content to be tailored based on a user’s role, previous training performance, or common mistakes observed in phishing simulations. This kind of proactive, lightweight training approach could significantly enhance employee engagement with security practices and help maintain a strong security posture over time.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Barracuda PhishLine continues to evolve because as the attacks get more sophisticated, they get integrated into the campaigns. Then the users are exposed to the latest attacks in the form of a training session rather than in real life. They're much better prepared for these real-life ransomware attacks that come through via email."
"KnowBe4's AI integration has enhanced email authenticity."
"The impact of KnowBe4's automated training campaigns on the overall cybersecurity posture is quite comprehensive because it covers everything from the very basics of cybersecurity to evolving and emerging threats."
"KnowBe4 has a training program that lasts approximately 15 or 30 minutes, and we provide this security training for our employees so they learn which emails they should open, which links they should click, which links they should not click, and which software they should install."
"The impact of KnowBe4's automated training campaigns on the overall cybersecurity posture is quite comprehensive because it covers everything from the very basics of cybersecurity to evolving and emerging threats."
"There are many valuable features. It's already deployed in the cloud, and you don't have to install anything. You just upload your users to the cloud and tweak something if needed. You can whitelist some servers to work with this properly. When everything is ready, you can start using the platform and its many automated features."
"The main thing is the overall report card. We get to tell the percentages of users who click on links and who don't click on links. We also get an overall score or risk score from them, which also helps us."
"The ability to have business leadership be aware of their users' security posture as well as any kind of security awareness training being pushed by cybersecurity insurance and underwriters is valuable."
"The benefits I have seen from using KnowBe4 include that many people are now cautious."
More KnowBe4 pros
 

Cons

"The initial setup of Barracuda PhishLine is very easy. All of it can be set up in approximately one hour with someone that has some IT training and previous exposure to Barracuda."
"The training program is very interactive, but sometimes it is hard to follow the process, particularly the steps."
"It can be more interactive with users. We want to put the users in different scenarios and let them make decisions. For example, instead of making users go through a video and then asking questions, it can have a video where they click on the scenarios and have to make decisions. It can maybe have something like a live simulation. It would be nice for users."
"Enhancing the product's emotional intelligence, particularly by providing training content tailored to specific audiences, is an area for improvement."
"I would like to see Novo4 expand to other channels outside of emails to things such as text messages."
"During the last downtime, it caused significant disruption as users couldn't access the system."
"Some courses have the same type of content, the same type of page. But not too much, I think some repeated content exists in multiple courses in KnowBe4."
"In terms of improvement, we would appreciate having the attachments or more details on the raw messages used in the PhishER site, as sometimes it can be a bit buggy."
"A lot of their training is designed for people who are almost entirely computer illiterate, which is fine because you want to be comprehensive in your cybersecurity training, but much of the content they have might not be required, and that might cause frustration, especially when you're trying to implement a cybersecurity program where you're training your entire workforce."
More KnowBe4 cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are different package plans available, such as email protection advanced, premium, and premium plus."
"I don't know the cost, but I believe we are paying yearly. We did like a three-year or five-year contract. I am not aware of any extra costs in addition to a standard licensing fee."
"Licensing is paid on a yearly basis. You can go to the official site to check their approximate pricing. It's based on the number of users or staff. It can vary from country to country, but for Ukraine, it works as it's stated on the site."
"It's about five dollars a seat per month."
"I rate the product pricing as four out of ten."
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Security Awareness Training solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
859,687 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Construction Company
6%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What do you like most about KnowBe4?
Their customizable nature allows us to create scenarios that closely resemble real-world phishing attempts, making them highly relatable to our end users.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for KnowBe4?
As an exceptional product, they are relatively expensive, but it is worth it because compared to offline education with hired dedicated people, it would be much more expensive and not obviously mor...
See all answers
What needs improvement with KnowBe4?
It is difficult to identify areas for improvement because this company is developing rapidly, and they are working on AI assistance for creating better knowledge, better learning experiences, and c...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Sophos Phish Threat vs Barracuda PhishLine Logo
Sophos Phish Threat vs Barracuda PhishLine
Compared 28% of the time
More Barracuda PhishLine Competitors
Arctic Wolf Managed Security Awareness vs KnowBe4 Logo
Arctic Wolf Managed Security Awareness vs KnowBe4
Compared 13% of the time
Proofpoint Email Protection vs KnowBe4 Logo
Proofpoint Email Protection vs KnowBe4
Compared 12% of the time
Proofpoint’s ZenGuide vs KnowBe4 Logo
Proofpoint’s ZenGuide vs KnowBe4
Compared 12% of the time
Terranova Security vs KnowBe4 Logo
Terranova Security vs KnowBe4
Compared 11% of the time
Kaspersky Security Awareness vs KnowBe4 Logo
Kaspersky Security Awareness vs KnowBe4
Compared 5% of the time
More KnowBe4 Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Security Awareness Training
June 2025
Barracuda PhishLine reportDownload Barracuda PhishLine product report
Buyer's Guide
KnowBe4
June 2025
KnowBe4 reportDownload KnowBe4 product report
 

Also Known As

PhishLine
No data available
 

Overview

With PhishLine, you guard against every facet of social-engineering threats with continuous simulation and training for employees. Show them the latest attack techniques, how to recognize the subtle clues and help stop email fraud, data loss, and brand damage. Embed learning into your everyday business processes with customized simulations that test and reinforce good behavior.

Barracuda Networks

Old school Security Awareness Training is static. It’s a one-time event without follow-up. KnowBe4's Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training starts with a baseline test to show the actual Phish-prone percentage of your users. Then it steps users through effective, interactive, on-demand browser-based training. As step three, you send frequent simulated phishing attacks to your employees to reinforce the training. This last feature, frequent simulated phishing attacks (we recommend at the very least once a month) really creates a change in behavior.

KnowBe4
 

Sample Customers

Humanitas, Mount Sinai
West Aurora Public School District 129
Buyer's Guide
Security Awareness Training
June 2025
Download Free Report
Find out what your peers are saying about KnowBe4, Proofpoint, Sophos and others in Security Awareness Training. Updated: June 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
859,687 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our list of best Security Awareness Training vendors.

We monitor all Security Awareness Training reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.