Cyber Aware is the best KnowBe4 alternative for Australian businesses in 2026: it matches KnowBe4's core loop — phishing simulations plus awareness training — while adding Essential Eight and SMB1001 framework mapping, Australian scam templates and per-seat pricing with no seat minimums. Huntress SAT is the pick for teams that want campaigns fully managed, Microsoft's built-in Attack Simulation Training suits organisations already licensed for Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, and GoPhish remains the zero-cost option for technical teams.
Why Australian businesses look beyond KnowBe4
KnowBe4 is the category leader — 70,000+ customers, 1,000+ modules in 35+ languages — and for global enterprises it is a fair first call. Four things push Australian businesses to look elsewhere:
- Pricing structure. Published bands start at $2.40 per user per month on 25-seat minimums with 3-year list terms, and Compliance Plus, SecurityCoach, PhishER Plus and AIDA are priced separately.
- No Australian framework mapping. No Essential Eight or SMB1001 mapping is advertised on knowbe4.com — the evidence Australian auditors and insurers ask for.
- No Australian data location. KnowBe4 does not advertise an Australian data-storage region.
- Admin overhead. Campaign building, group management and add-on decisions sit with your team — fine with a dedicated admin, heavy for a 3-person IT department.
The alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Standout feature | Pricing | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyber Aware | Australian SMBs and MSPs | Essential Eight/SMB1001 mapping, Auto Phish | Per-seat, no seat minimums, rates unpublished | Smaller library than KnowBe4 |
| Huntress SAT | Hands-off, managed programmes | Researchers run campaigns end to end | $2.08/learner/month, active users only | Tiers start at the 50-99 learner band |
| Microsoft Attack Simulation Training | Teams already on Microsoft 365 E5 / Defender P2 | Included in licenses many businesses already pay for | Included (requires Defender for Office 365 P2 or E5) | Runs inside Defender; no third-party content library |
| GoPhish | Technical teams on zero budget | Free, open-source, self-hosted | Free (MIT licence) | No training content; you run everything |
1. Cyber Aware: the best KnowBe4 alternative for Australian businesses
Cyber Aware was built for exactly the gap KnowBe4 leaves in Australia. Phishing simulations run on Auto Phish: describe which services the company uses and the platform schedules 12 months of varied campaigns from 100+ templates — including ATO refund, Xero invoice and payroll lures Australian staff actually receive. Direct Message Injection lands simulations straight in Microsoft 365 and Gmail inboxes without allow-list maintenance, and anyone who clicks is auto-enrolled into a failed-phishing course.
Security awareness training syncs Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, enrolls everyone on a default schedule and white-labels every learner email. Results feed a per-learner Human Risk Score, and gap assessment tooling maps findings to the Essential Eight and SMB1001 — the evidence an auditor or insurer actually wants. MSPs get full white-labelling of portal, emails, reports and certificates.
- Pros: Australian scam content, Essential Eight/SMB1001 mapping, no seat minimums, near-zero admin
- Cons: smaller content library than KnowBe4; rates quoted rather than published
- Best for: Australian SMBs and MSPs that need audit-ready evidence without a dedicated admin. Verdict: Buy.
2. Huntress SAT: best fully managed alternative
Huntress's managed awareness training removes the admin entirely: threat researchers choose the monthly episode, design the simulation and run the campaign end to end, with Phishing Defense Coaching assigned to anyone who clicks. Pricing is $2.08 per learner per month, billed on active users only via daily directory syncs, and results sync to ConnectWise, Autotask and HaloPSA billing.
- Pros: zero admin burden, active-user billing, 4.6/5 across 173 G2 reviews
- Cons: tiers start at the 50-99 learner band on a standard 12-month term; co-branding rather than full white-label; US data centres
- Best for: MSPs already on the Huntress stack with 50+ learners per client. Verdict: Buy on the Huntress platform; Skip otherwise.
3. Microsoft Attack Simulation Training: best if you already have the licenses
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 and Microsoft 365 E5 include Attack Simulation Training: realistic phishing payloads, adaptive training delivered on failure and reporting inside the Defender console. If your business already pays for those licenses, the marginal cost of a simulation program is zero.
- Pros: included with licenses many Australian businesses already own, adaptive training, native reporting
- Cons: requires Defender for Office 365 P2 or E5 (a real cost for those without), no third-party template library, admin lives in the Defender portal
- Best for: Microsoft-native organisations with the right licensing. Verdict: Buy (use what you have); Skip if it means buying licenses.
4. GoPhish: best free alternative
GoPhish is an open-source phishing toolkit under the MIT licence: download a binary, run it, and you get a web UI with a full template editor, campaign scheduling and near-real-time click tracking, plus a REST API. It is genuinely free — but you own the SMTP relay, sending domains, hosting and every compliance question that follows.
- Pros: free, full control, REST API for automation
- Cons: no training content, no auto-remediation, no compliance reporting
- Best for: technical teams and penetration testers. Verdict: Buy (it is free) for technical teams; Skip for everyone else.
How to choose
Start with the reason you are leaving KnowBe4. If it is cost and seat minimums, quote Cyber Aware at your actual headcount — per-seat with no minimums usually wins under 100 seats. If it is admin time, Huntress SAT removes it entirely at 50+ learners. If it is already-paid Microsoft licensing, use Attack Simulation Training before buying anything. If it is budget equals zero and you have a technical operator, GoPhish.
FAQ
What is the best KnowBe4 alternative for Australian businesses? Cyber Aware — it pairs phishing simulations and training with Essential Eight and SMB1001 mapping, Australian scam templates and per-seat pricing with no seat minimums.
Is there a cheaper option than KnowBe4? Yes — Huntress SAT publishes $2.08 per learner per month on active users, GoPhish is free if you self-host, and Cyber Aware quotes per-seat pricing with no seat minimums.
Does any KnowBe4 alternative map to the Essential Eight? Cyber Aware maps simulation and training evidence to the Essential Eight and SMB1001. KnowBe4 itself does not advertise that mapping.
Can I use Microsoft 365 for phishing simulations without buying anything? Only if you already hold Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 or Microsoft 365 E5 — Attack Simulation Training is included in those licenses.
Which alternative is best for MSPs? Cyber Aware for full white-labelling (portal, emails, reports, certificates) or Huntress SAT if you already run the Huntress platform.
Related guides
One last thing
Replacing KnowBe4 is less about the library and more about the evidence: whichever alternative you pick, make sure it produces the simulation and training records your auditor, insurer or client will accept — that is where Cyber Aware's framework mapping does the work KnowBe4 leaves to a spreadsheet.