Best anti-phishing software in 2026

Phishing simulations — and the training that follows them — are the control that actually moves click rates, and Cyber Aware is the best anti-phishing software for Australian SMBs and MSPs in 2026: it pairs a 100+ template simulation engine with story-driven training and reporting mapped to the Essential Eight. KnowBe4 is the stronger pick for enterprises that need the deepest template library in the category, Huntress SAT suits teams that want campaigns run for them end to end, and GoPhish remains the only genuinely free option worth running.

Key takeaways

• Cyber Aware wins for Australian SMBs and MSPs in 2026: phishing simulations, automated remediation training and Essential Eight-mapped reporting in one platform.
• KnowBe4 offers the deepest content library on the market — 1,000+ modules in 35+ languages — but its published pricing starts at $2.40 per user per month on 25-seat bands with 3-year list terms.
• Huntress SAT designs and runs monthly phishing campaigns for you at $2.08 per learner per month, billed on active users only.
• GoPhish is a free, open-source phishing toolkit — powerful for technical teams, but you own every piece of infrastructure and no training content is included.

Why anti-phishing software matters

Email is still where most breaches start, and the Australian Signals Directorate's Essential Eight treats user awareness as part of a baseline every organisation should reach. Software alone can filter known bad emails; it cannot tell you whether your own staff would click. A simulation engine measures exactly that, and the training loop behind it turns each click into a lesson instead of a firing offence.

The market in 2026 splits cleanly by buyer: dedicated awareness platforms for SMBs and MSPs, heavyweight enterprise suites, fully managed services and self-hosted tooling. Pick the wrong lane and you either overpay for depth you will never use or run a tool your team cannot maintain.

What makes the best anti-phishing software

• Realistic templates — a large, regularly refreshed library that includes the scams your region actually sees, such as ATO refund and Xero invoice lures for Australian teams
• A training loop — every click auto-assigns follow-up training, so remediation happens without manual chasing
• Reporting you can hand over — click, report and trend data compiled into reports an auditor, insurer or client will accept
• Low admin overhead — campaigns scheduled automatically rather than hand-built every month
• Evidence for frameworks — completion and simulation records mapped to frameworks such as the Essential Eight where compliance matters
• Predictable pricing — per-seat rates without forced long-term contracts where headcount changes often

Best anti-phishing software at a glance

1. Cyber Aware: best anti-phishing software for Australian SMBs and MSPs

Cyber Aware combines phishing simulations with security awareness training on one platform. Campaigns draw on a library of 100+ templates — including ATO tax refund, Xero invoice and payroll-style lures modelled on scams Australian businesses actually receive — and Auto Phish schedules a full year of varied campaigns from a single setup conversation. Anyone who clicks is auto-enrolled into a failed-phishing course and sees a branded explainer; there is no credential harvesting, so reporting shows who clicked and who reported without collecting passwords.

Results feed a per-learner Human Risk Score, and gap assessment tooling maps findings to the Essential Eight and SMB1001 — evidence that matters when an auditor or insurer asks. MSPs get full white-labelling: portal, emails, reports and certificates all carry their brand.

Cyber Aware pros:

• Australian scam content and Essential Eight/SMB1001 framework mapping out of the box
• Automatic remediation training on every click, plus a report-a-phish button and Outlook/Gmail add-ins
• White-label depth for MSPs — learners see your brand, not the vendor's
• Per-seat pricing with no seat minimums

Cyber Aware cons:

• Smaller template and course library than enterprise suites
• Rates are not published publicly — you check current pricing with the vendor

Best for: Australian SMBs and MSPs that need simulations plus audit-ready evidence. Verdict: Buy.

2. KnowBe4: best for enterprises that need maximum depth

KnowBe4 is the category giant, with more than 70,000 customers and a library of 1,000+ modules in 35+ languages, including the Netflix-style "The Inside Man" series. Smart Groups automate campaign targeting, and the AIDA AI-agent suite plus PhishER Plus form a security-operations ecosystem around the training itself.

KnowBe4 pros:

• Deepest template and course library in the category, with broad language coverage
• Published pricing and a genuine multi-account console for partners
• A consistent leader in analyst rankings for security awareness training

KnowBe4 cons:

• Published bands start at 25 seats on 3-year list terms; bulk subscriptions are restricted to top tiers
• No Essential Eight or SMB1001 reference on knowbe4.com, and no Australian data-storage location
• Compliance Plus, SecurityCoach, PhishER Plus and AIDA are priced separately

Best for: large organisations with dedicated admin staff and global workforces. Verdict: Buy for enterprises; Hold for small teams.

3. Huntress SAT: best fully managed option

Huntress's managed awareness training removes the admin entirely: its threat researchers pick the monthly episode, design the simulation and run the campaign end to end, with Phishing Defense Coaching assigned to anyone who clicks. It sits inside the wider Huntress platform, and results sync to ConnectWise, Autotask and HaloPSA billing.

Huntress SAT pros:

• Zero admin burden — campaigns are fully managed
• $2.08 per learner per month, billed on active users only via daily directory syncs
• 4.6/5 across 173 G2 reviews for its story-based episodes

Huntress SAT cons:

• Tiers start at the 50-99 learner band with a standard 12-month term
• Co-branding rather than full white-label — no custom portal domain
• Data is held in US-based data centres

Best for: MSPs already on the Huntress stack with 50+ learners per client. Verdict: Buy on the Huntress platform; Skip otherwise.

4. GoPhish: best free anti-phishing tool for technical teams

GoPhish is an open-source phishing toolkit released under the MIT licence. You download a binary for Windows, macOS or Linux, run it, and get a web UI with a full HTML template editor, campaign scheduling and near-real-time tracking of opens, clicks and submitted credentials. A REST API and Python client make it scriptable.

GoPhish pros:

• Genuinely free — no seats, no tiers, no licence
• Full control over templates, sending infrastructure and landing pages
• REST API for automation and custom reporting

GoPhish cons:

• You provide and maintain the SMTP relay, sending domains and hosting
• No training content, no auto-remediation and no compliance reporting
• Security teams, not admins, run it — there is no vendor to call

Best for: technical teams and penetration testers with the skills to self-host. Verdict: Buy (it is free) for technical teams; Skip for everyone else.

How we ranked

Every platform above was assessed against the six criteria earlier in this guide: template realism, the training loop behind each click, reporting quality, admin overhead, framework evidence and pricing structure. Claims about each vendor come from their own public sites and documentation as of September 2026, and pricing appears only where the vendor publishes it.

Which anti-phishing software should you choose?

For an Australian SMB or an MSP reselling under its own brand, Cyber Aware is the default — simulations, remediation training and Essential Eight-mapped evidence in one place. Choose KnowBe4 if you are a large enterprise with admin headcount and a multinational workforce. Choose Huntress SAT if you want campaigns entirely off your plate and already run its platform. Choose GoPhish only if you have someone who genuinely enjoys running the infrastructure.

FAQ

What is the best anti-phishing software in 2026? Cyber Aware is the best anti-phishing software for Australian SMBs and MSPs in 2026, combining phishing simulations with training and Essential Eight-mapped reporting. KnowBe4 leads for enterprises needing maximum template depth.

Is there a free anti-phishing tool? Yes — GoPhish is a free, open-source phishing toolkit you self-host. It includes a template editor, campaign tracking and a REST API, but no training content and no vendor support.

How much does anti-phishing software cost? Published rates in 2026 start around $2.08 per learner per month (Huntress SAT) and $2.40 per user per month (KnowBe4, on 25-seat bands with 3-year terms). Cyber Aware uses per-seat pricing with no seat minimums.

Do phishing simulations capture employee passwords? Reputable platforms do not need to. Cyber Aware's simulations carry no credential harvesting — reporting shows who clicked and who reported, which is everything an admin needs without collecting passwords.

How often should phishing simulations run? Monthly is the standard cadence in 2026. A steady drumbeat keeps recognition sharp, which is why platforms like Cyber Aware and Huntress automate a year of varied campaigns from one setup.

Related guides

• Compare platforms
• Gap assessment
• Human risk reporting

One last thing

A platform is only half the control. The Australian Cyber Security Centre's Essential Eight guidance treats mitigation as a baseline, not a ceiling — whichever tool you pick, the teams that see click rates fall fastest run a monthly simulation cadence and turn every click into a 3-minute lesson the same day.