The 15 Best Phishing Simulation Tools for 2026 (Tested and Compared)
Most “best phishing tools” lists are just logos and marketing copy. This one isn’t. Over the last three months our security team ran live phishing simulation campaigns through the platforms below, sent thousands of test lures to opt-in inboxes, and scored each tool on the things that actually decide whether a phishing simulation program works: template quality, reporting depth, the teachable moment after someone clicks, and how quickly a security team can launch a campaign without a week of setup.
If you only remember one thing: a phishing tool is only as good as the behaviour change it produces. A beautiful dashboard that nobody acts on is worse than a plain-text phishing test that ends in a two-minute lesson. Below are the 15 phishing simulation tools we’d actually recommend in 2026, who each one is for, and where the free and open-source options fit.
What is a phishing simulation tool?
A phishing simulation tool sends realistic but harmless phishing emails to your own employees to measure who clicks, who reports, and who hands over credentials on a fake landing page. Unlike a real phishing attack, every lure is controlled by you: the tool tracks each interaction, delivers an on-the-spot teachable moment to anyone who fails, and rolls the results into security awareness training. The best phishing simulation tools close the loop — simulate, measure, teach, repeat — so human risk actually drops campaign over campaign.
What to look for in a phishing simulation tool
- Template realism. Can you clone a real phishing email, spoof a trusted brand, and localise the lure? Stale, obviously-fake templates train employees to spot the tool, not the threat.
- AI-generated simulations. Attackers now use generative AI to write flawless lures at scale. The strongest 2026 platforms use AI to generate and personalise phishing campaigns so your simulations keep pace with what employees really face — including deepfake voice and QR-code (quishing) variants.
- The teachable moment. What happens the instant someone clicks? A good tool shows an immediate, specific micro-lesson rather than a generic “you failed” page.
- Reporting and analytics. Click rate is table stakes. You want repeat-offender tracking, report rate (the metric that matters most), department and role breakdowns, and trend lines over time.
- Integration. Native Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace deployment, a one-click report-phish button in Outlook, SSO, and an API for your security team.
- Program depth. Does the phishing simulation tool connect to a full security awareness training library, or is it just a mail cannon?
The best phishing simulation tools for 2026
1. PhishGrid
PhishGrid is an AI-powered phishing simulation and security awareness training platform built for teams that want a full human-risk program without enterprise overhead. You can build a phishing campaign from a cloned template in minutes, let the AI generate context-aware lures (including QR-code and attachment variants), and deliver an instant teachable moment to anyone who clicks. Reporting focuses on report rate and repeat clickers rather than vanity click counts, and native Microsoft 365 deployment plus a one-click report-phish button keep the security team in control. Best for SMBs and mid-market security teams that want AI-generated phishing simulations tied directly to training.
2. Gophish (open source)
Gophish is the best-known open-source phishing tool and the default starting point for anyone who wants to run a phishing simulation for free. It’s a single Go binary, runs anywhere, and gives you template editing, landing pages, and clean campaign analytics. What you don’t get: a training library, managed templates, deliverability help, or the teachable moment. Best for security teams and pentesters comfortable self-hosting who want full control and zero licence cost.
3. Proofpoint Security Awareness (ThreatSim)
Proofpoint’s phishing simulation module, built on the ThreatSim engine, ties simulations to the same threat intelligence that powers its email security. Its “teachable moment” concept is genuinely well executed and its template library is enormous. It’s enterprise-priced and heavier to administer than most. Best for large organisations already invested in the Proofpoint ecosystem.
4. KnowBe4
KnowBe4 remains the largest security awareness training and phishing simulation platform by market share, with the deepest template library and content catalogue. Automated Security Awareness Program (ASAP) planning and Smart Groups make large rollouts manageable. Some teams find the content volume overwhelming and the UI dated. Best for enterprises that want the widest content library.
5. Hoxhunt
Hoxhunt takes a gamified, individualised approach: each employee gets adaptive phishing simulations tuned to their skill, with rewards for reporting. It reliably drives some of the highest report rates in the industry. Pricing and the training model suit mid-to-large organisations. Best for teams that care most about sustained engagement.
6. usecure (uPhish)
usecure’s uPhish pairs simple phishing simulation with automated, gap-based security awareness training. Its human-risk scoring and MSP-friendly multi-tenant model make it popular with resellers. Best for SMBs and managed service providers who want an affordable, automated program.
7. Wizer
Wizer built its reputation on short, genuinely watchable training videos and now offers phishing simulation alongside. It’s one of the most affordable options and has a usable free tier. Best for small teams who want approachable content without a big budget.
8. Ironscales
Ironscales is primarily an AI email security product, with phishing simulation and training bundled in. If you already use it to stop real phishing attacks, the simulation module is a natural add-on that shares the same detection intelligence. Best for teams that want simulation and inbox protection from one vendor.
9. Cofense (PhishMe)
Cofense PhishMe is the simulation half of a platform whose real strength is crowd-sourced phishing detection: the Cofense Reporter button feeds a global network that flags real attacks. Simulations are solid and reporting-centric. Best for organisations that want to build a strong report-phish culture.
10. Sophos Phish Threat
Sophos Phish Threat is a straightforward phishing simulation tool tightly integrated with Sophos Central. If you run Sophos endpoint or email, it’s inexpensive and easy to turn on. Best for existing Sophos customers.
11. Infosec IQ
Infosec IQ (by Infosec Institute) offers a large training catalogue, a “PhishSim” engine with thousands of templates, and role-based learning paths. Best for compliance-driven organisations that need documented training completion.
12. Microsoft Attack Simulation Training
Built into Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Plan 2), Attack Simulation Training lets you run phishing tests against your Microsoft 365 users with no extra vendor. Template variety is narrower than dedicated tools, but the price (included in E5) is unbeatable. Best for Microsoft-heavy shops already on the right licence.
13. PhishTool
PhishTool is different from the rest of this list: it’s a phishing analysis and triage tool for investigating real reported emails, not a simulation platform. We include it because “phishing tools” searches often mean incident response, and PhishTool is excellent at dissecting headers and payloads. Best for SOC analysts triaging live phishing.
14. King Phisher (open source)
King Phisher is a free, open-source phishing campaign toolkit aimed at red teams, with fine-grained control over server-side content and campaign logic. It’s more technical than Gophish and less actively maintained, but powerful for realistic engagements. Best for red teamers who want scriptable control.
15. SET — the Social-Engineer Toolkit (open source)
SET is a classic open-source penetration-testing framework for social engineering, including credential-harvesting phishing attacks. It’s a pentest tool, not a training platform — use it in authorised engagements only. Best for security professionals running sanctioned social engineering tests.
Free and open-source phishing tools: are they worth it?
Free and open-source phishing tools like Gophish, King Phisher, and SET are absolutely worth it — for the right team. If you have the security engineering time to self-host, manage deliverability, and build your own training follow-up, they cost nothing and give you total control. Do free phishing simulations work? Yes, at measuring click rates. Where they fall short is everything after the click: there’s no built-in security awareness training, no teachable moment, no managed templates that keep pace with AI-generated attacks, and no reporting culture tooling. For most organisations the staff time to run an open-source tool properly costs more than a paid phishing simulation tool. Rule of thumb: open source to test technical defences, a managed platform to change employee behaviour.
AI-generated phishing simulations
The biggest shift in 2026 is that attackers write phishing emails with generative AI — perfect grammar, correct branding, and personalised context scraped from LinkedIn. Static template libraries can’t keep up. Modern phishing simulation tools answer this by using AI to generate and personalise their own lures, so a simulated phishing campaign mirrors the sophistication of a real one, including deepfake voice pretexts and QR-code phishing. When you evaluate a tool, ask specifically how it uses AI to build campaigns, not just whether “AI” appears on the pricing page.
Are phishing simulations legal?
Yes — phishing simulations are legal when you test your own employees on company systems, and they’re a recognised part of frameworks like ISO 27001, SOC 2, and PCI DSS. The important caveats: inform employees in policy (even if individual campaigns are unannounced), never collect real credentials, avoid lures that cause genuine distress (fake bonus or layoff emails have backfired badly and publicly), and respect local privacy law such as GDPR when processing results. Simulating attacks against a company you don’t own, without written authorisation, is not legal — that’s a real attack.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most used phishing tools?
Among simulation and training platforms, KnowBe4, Proofpoint, and PhishGrid are among the most widely used; Gophish is the most used open-source phishing tool. For analysing real phishing, PhishTool and the Social-Engineer Toolkit are common in SOC and red-team work.
What are the best phishing simulation tools?
For most teams in 2026 the best phishing simulation tools are PhishGrid (AI-driven, SMB-friendly), Hoxhunt (highest engagement), Proofpoint and KnowBe4 (enterprise depth), and Gophish (best free option). The “best” one is whichever your security team will actually run every month.
What are the 4 P’s of phishing?
The 4 P’s of phishing are Pretext (the believable story), Pressure (urgency that rushes the victim), Payload (the malicious link, attachment, or credential form), and Personalisation (details that make the lure feel targeted). Good phishing simulation templates deliberately exercise all four so employees learn to recognise the pattern, not a single fake email.
What do 90% of cyberattacks start with?
Roughly nine in ten cyberattacks begin with phishing. That single statistic is why phishing simulation paired with security awareness training remains the highest-leverage control most organisations can deploy against social engineering.
Last tested: 2026. We re-run these campaigns and update scores each quarter.