Most people searching for Hack The Box alternatives have had the same evening: a fresh Easy box, a clean Nmap scan, and three hours later still no foothold. Hack The Box is excellent, but it assumes you already know how to learn from an unguided target, and its free tier and split subscriptions do not make the early months any easier.
Below are eight alternatives, free and paid, with what each is genuinely best at and what it costs in 2026. If you want to start right now, our free first-flag lab takes about ten minutes in your browser, no VPN or VM required.
TL;DR: The best Hack The Box alternatives in 2026 are HackerDNA (courses and labs in one subscription), TryHackMe (the most guided), PortSwigger Web Security Academy (free web labs), OffSec Proving Grounds (OSCP-style boxes), and free options Root Me, picoCTF, OverTheWire and VulnHub. Pick by skill level: guided platforms first, HTB-style unguided boxes once you have a methodology.
Why Look for Hack The Box Alternatives?
Hack The Box has one of the best communities and some of the most realistic machines anywhere. The frustrations are about fit, not quality:
- Steep learning curve: even Easy machines assume Linux, networking and a working enumeration habit. Starting Point helps, but the main pool is sink-or-swim.
- Limited free tier: 20 active machines and no retired library, which is where the walkthroughs live. VIP+ costs $25/month or $223/year (see our explainer on how Hack The Box works).
- Two separate subscriptions: guided learning lives in HTB Academy, billed apart from Labs, and Academy's monthly plans rise to $30-$125 on October 12, 2026. Our HTB Academy pricing breakdown has every number.
Is Hack The Box bad? Not at all. It is one of the best places to test skills you already have. Most beginners simply need more structure before its approach pays off.
Hack The Box Alternatives at a Glance
| Platform | Best for | Free option | Paid plan (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HackerDNA | Beginners to intermediate, learn + practice in one place | Free tier | $16.99/mo or $10.19/mo billed yearly |
| TryHackMe | Complete beginners who want maximum guidance | Free tier | Premium $126/yr (about $10.50/mo); monthly costs more |
| PortSwigger Web Security Academy | Web application security | Entirely free | - |
| OffSec Proving Grounds | OSCP-style practice machines | PG Play (limited) | PG Practice $19/mo or $199/yr |
| Root Me | Hundreds of challenges across every category | Free for individuals | - |
| picoCTF | Students and CTF newcomers | Entirely free | - |
| OverTheWire | Linux command-line fundamentals | Entirely free | - |
| VulnHub | Offline boot-to-root VMs | Entirely free | - |
The 8 Best Hack The Box Alternatives, Reviewed
1. HackerDNA: Courses and Labs in One Subscription
HackerDNA closes the gap HTB leaves open: learning a concept and then applying it. Courses and bite-size interactive lessons explain the technique, then hands-on labs let you use it against a real target, all in the browser with no VPN and no local VM. An AI coach inside every lab nudges you when you are stuck without handing over the answer, and it works the same on Free and Pro.
- Best for: beginners and intermediates who want structure and real practice in one place. The Hacking 101 course is the usual starting point.
- Price: free tier with no credit card; Pro is $16.99/month or $10.19/month billed yearly, less than HTB VIP+ while covering both learning and labs.
- Trade-off: a smaller community than HTB or TryHackMe, and no certifications of its own.
2. TryHackMe: The Most Guided Option
TryHackMe is the platform most often recommended to complete beginners. Its "rooms" walk you through each topic step by step, with questions that check your understanding, and the in-browser AttackBox means no setup.
- Best for: people with zero background who want to be told exactly what to do next.
- Price: free tier; Premium is $126/year (about $10.50/month), with monthly billing costing more. Details in our TryHackMe pricing guide.
- Trade-off: the heavy hand-holding can leave you stuck the first time a target gives you no instructions.
3. PortSwigger Web Security Academy: Free Web Hacking Labs
Made by the company behind Burp Suite, the Web Security Academy has more than 270 free interactive labs covering SQL injection, XSS, SSRF, access control, request smuggling and much more, each with a written explanation of the vulnerability.
- Best for: anyone heading into web pentesting or bug bounty.
- Price: free.
- Trade-off: web only, no Linux boxes, networks or Active Directory.
4. OffSec Proving Grounds: OSCP-Style Machines
Proving Grounds is OffSec's machine library and the closest thing to HTB on this list. PG Play is free, with 50+ community-built Linux machines and limited playtime. PG Practice adds 200+ machines designed by OffSec, including retired OSCP+ exam labs, with unlimited time.
- Best for: OSCP+ candidates who want exam-style boxes.
- Price: PG Play free; PG Practice $19/month or $199/year.
- Trade-off: as unguided as HTB, so it is not an easier on-ramp.
5. Root Me: Hundreds of Free Challenges
Root Me is a long-running, French-born platform (available in English) with hundreds of challenges across web, cryptography, forensics, networking, reverse engineering and more, plus virtual environments you attack like CTF boxes. Our Root-Me guide for beginners covers where to start and the firewall rule that trips up new players.
- Best for: learners who enjoy grinding through many small, focused challenges.
- Price: free for individuals.
- Trade-off: little built-in teaching; you research each topic yourself.
6. picoCTF: Free CTF Practice for Students
picoCTF is Carnegie Mellon's free Capture The Flag program, built for students and beginners. Since May 2026 its learning platform is part of CMU's CyLab Security Academy, while the annual competition and the picoGym practice challenges continue. Our picoCTF guide covers how to get started.
- Best for: high school and university students, and anyone new to CTFs.
- Price: free.
- Trade-off: puzzle-style challenges; forensics and crypto puzzles map only loosely to real penetration testing.
7. OverTheWire: Classic Wargames for Linux Skills
OverTheWire teaches the command line the hard way: you SSH into a server, find the password for the next level, and repeat. Bandit is the best-known free introduction to Linux for security, and our OverTheWire wargames guide explains which game to play in which order.
- Best for: building Linux fluency before you touch a vulnerable machine.
- Price: free, no account needed.
- Trade-off: narrow scope and a spartan interface with no progress tracking.
8. VulnHub: Free Offline Boot-to-Root VMs
VulnHub hosts hundreds of downloadable vulnerable virtual machines you run in VirtualBox or VMware on your own computer. OffSec acquired it in 2020; it now works mostly as an archive, and many of its machines also appear in PG Play. Our VulnHub beginner guide covers the VirtualBox setup and the five machines to root first.
- Best for: practicing offline and learning to build your own lab.
- Price: free.
- Trade-off: few new machines, and you handle the setup and networking yourself.
Free Hack The Box Alternatives
The best free alternatives to Hack The Box are PortSwigger Web Security Academy (web), Root Me (all categories), picoCTF (beginner CTF), OverTheWire (Linux) and VulnHub (offline VMs), plus the free tiers of HackerDNA, TryHackMe and OffSec PG Play. A zero-budget path that works: OverTheWire Bandit for the command line, picoCTF or Root Me for breadth, then PortSwigger for web. If you want gentler web practice before PortSwigger, the 11 Basic missions on HackThisSite are free and run in the browser: our HackThisSite guide explains what each one teaches.
How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Level
Complete Beginner
- Start with: HackerDNA or TryHackMe, whichever style you prefer: learn-then-practice or step-by-step rooms
- Free supplement: OverTheWire Bandit for Linux basics
Comfortable With Linux and Networking
- Next: HackerDNA labs, picoCTF and Root Me for breadth
- Web focus: PortSwigger Web Security Academy
Intermediate and Above
- Go unguided: Hack The Box and OffSec Proving Grounds
- Certification track: HTB Academy for CPTS, PG Practice for OSCP+
Use more than one: most people who get good use two or three platforms: one structured, one free for volume, and one unguided to test themselves. For a wider round-up, see our guide to the best cybersecurity labs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hack The Box free?
Partly. The free tier gives you 20 active machines and 80+ active challenges. Retired machines and unlimited Pwnbox need VIP+ at $25/month or $223/year, and HTB Academy's courses are a separate subscription.
What is the best alternative to Hack The Box for beginners?
A guided platform: HackerDNA if you want courses and hands-on labs in one subscription, TryHackMe if you want maximum step-by-step guidance. Both lead naturally to HTB once unguided boxes feel manageable.
What sites are similar to Hack The Box?
OffSec Proving Grounds and VulnHub are the closest in format (vulnerable machines, user and root flags). TryHackMe and HackerDNA add more guidance; Root Me and picoCTF focus on shorter challenges.
Does Hack The Box offer a student discount?
Yes, on HTB Academy: the Student plan is $8/month, rising to $10/month on October 12, 2026, with an academic email. It does not cover HTB Labs.
Legal and Ethical Reminder
Practice only on authorized systems. Every platform in this guide gives you legal, sandboxed targets. Never use these techniques against systems you do not own or have written permission to test. Unauthorized access is a criminal offense regardless of intent.
Last verified: September 2026. Prices checked against each platform's pricing or help pages; they change often, so confirm before you buy.
Finding the Best Hack The Box Alternative for You
The best Hack The Box alternative depends on where you are. Beginners get the most from a guided platform; people on a zero budget can go a long way with OverTheWire, picoCTF, Root Me and PortSwigger; OSCP+ candidates should look at Proving Grounds. HTB itself stays the place to test yourself once you have a methodology.
If you want learning and practice in one place, start with the free Nmap lab on HackerDNA, then work through Hacking 101. It runs in your browser and the free tier needs no credit card.
