TryHackMe Review 2026: What It Is, Cost & Is It Worth It?

What Is TryHackMe?

TryHackMe is an online cybersecurity training platform that teaches offensive and defensive security through short, gamified lessons called "rooms", each with a vulnerable machine you can attack from your browser. It was founded in the UK in 2018 (co-founder and CEO Ashu Savani) and reports 8+ million learners and 800+ organisations using it, with a catalog of 750+ rooms.

Each room covers one topic, from basic Linux commands to Active Directory attacks. You read a short explanation, answer questions, then launch a machine and find a flag: a text string that proves you completed the task. Points, badges, streaks and leaderboards keep you coming back.

In practice, TryHackMe feels more like a guided course than a hacking lab. Most tasks tell you what to run and what to look for. That is exactly why beginners love it, and why it can feel limiting once you want to work out an attack path on your own.

How TryHackMe Works

Signing up takes a couple of minutes. After that, you pick either a learning path or a single room.

Learning Paths

Paths are curated sequences of rooms that take you through a topic from start to finish. The ones most people start with:

• Pre Security - networking, Linux, Windows and web basics for total beginners
• Cyber Security 101 - a broad tour of offensive and defensive fundamentals
• Jr Penetration Tester - web, network and privilege escalation methodology
• SOC Level 1 - SIEM, phishing analysis, network traffic and log triage for blue teamers

Since the MAX plan launched in June 2026, TryHackMe splits paths into beginner paths (included in Premium) and advanced paths (MAX only).

Rooms: Walkthroughs and Challenges

A typical room has 5 to 15 tasks. Walkthrough rooms explain every step. Challenge rooms give you a target and an objective and let you figure out the rest, which is closer to CTF-style practice.

AttackBox or OpenVPN

• AttackBox - a Linux attack machine that runs in your browser, preloaded with the usual tools. Free users get 1 hour a day; Premium and MAX are unlimited.
• OpenVPN - download a config file and connect your own Kali VM to TryHackMe's lab network. More flexible and usually snappier, but you need a local setup.

In practice, the AttackBox is what makes TryHackMe so easy to start: no installation, no VM, no networking headaches. Its main drawback is lag on slow connections, which is the most common complaint you will see from learners.

King of the Hill and Community

King of the Hill is a multiplayer mode where you compete to take over a machine and hold it. There is also a large Discord and plenty of community write-ups. Most users, though, spend nearly all their time in learning paths.

Is TryHackMe Free?

Partly. A free TryHackMe account gives you the free rooms, limited access to learning paths and 1 hour of AttackBox per day. That is plenty to decide whether you like the format. It is not enough to finish a full path, because most path rooms and all certificates of completion need a paid plan.

A useful trick on the free tier: connect over OpenVPN from your own VM. The daily limit applies to the AttackBox, not to your own machine.

TryHackMe Pricing in 2026: Free vs Premium vs MAX

TryHackMe now has three individual plans. The big change in 2026: Premium no longer unlocks everything.

Prices depend on your region. Outside the US, Premium is 16.99 a month or 126 a year in local currency; US checkout currently shows $18.11 a month or $134.28 a year, excluding sales tax, as part of a pricing test. Annual billing works out to roughly 7 months of the monthly price for 12 months of access.

Students get an extra 20% off the annual plan after verification, which brings Premium to about $100-107 a year. For every discount, refund rule and seasonal sale, see our full TryHackMe pricing breakdown.

Is TryHackMe Safe and Legit?

Yes. TryHackMe is a legitimate UK company, used by millions of learners and, by its own count, more than 800 organisations for training. Everything you attack is a deliberately vulnerable machine inside TryHackMe's isolated lab network, so practicing there is legal and does not put anyone's real systems at risk.

One real precaution: when you connect over OpenVPN, your machine joins a network shared with other learners, and TryHackMe's own help center notes that other users can scan VPN addresses. Connect from a dedicated VM rather than your everyday laptop, or use the AttackBox, which keeps your own computer out of the lab entirely.

Is TryHackMe Available in Other Languages?

Not really. TryHackMe's rooms, learning paths and certification material are written in English. Non-native speakers usually get by with browser translation and community write-ups in their language, but you will need to read technical English to follow the guided tasks.

If you would rather learn in French or Brazilian Portuguese, HackerDNA's labs and courses are available in both, alongside English.

TryHackMe Certifications

TryHackMe now sells eight certifications, each a one-off purchase with a practical, in-browser exam that is not proctored:

• Pre Security (SEC0) - absolute basics (about EUR 59)
• Cyber Security 101 (SEC1) - broad fundamentals (about EUR 131)
• Junior Penetration Tester (PT1) - 48-hour exam across web, network and Active Directory scenarios ($349)
• Security Analyst Level 1 (SAL1) - SOC analyst exam with two simulated incidents (from $349)
• Web App Pentester Level 1 (WEB1) - about EUR 262
• AI Security (AI1) - about EUR 345
• Security Analyst Level 2 (SAL2) and Penetration Tester Level 2 (PT2) - about EUR 645 each

Every purchase includes two exam attempts within 12 months, and a pass is valid for 3 years. The voucher does not include a subscription: the training content still needs Premium or MAX. Subscribers on annual plans get 15-25% off (40% off one cert on MAX). Prices are listed on TryHackMe's certifications page, and our TryHackMe certifications guide covers whether each one is worth it.

These certs are affordable and hands-on, but still young. Recruiters know CompTIA and OffSec names better, so treat them as a solid first credential rather than your only one.

TryHackMe Pros and Cons

Pros

• Genuinely beginner-friendly - rooms assume no prior knowledge and explain each concept before asking you to use it.
• Browser-based AttackBox - start hacking from any computer without installing anything.
• Clear progression - paths tell you what to study next, so you never waste an evening deciding.
• Blue team coverage - SOC Level 1 and the SAL certs are among the most accessible defensive training anywhere.
• Cheap on annual billing - roughly $10.50-11.20 a month for Premium.

Cons

• Hand-holding - many learners finish dozens of rooms and then freeze in front of a machine with no instructions.
• Premium is no longer "everything" - advanced paths, cloud labs and the full room catalog now need MAX, which nearly doubles the price.
• Tight free tier - 1 hour of AttackBox a day and free rooms only.
• AttackBox lag - the in-browser VM can be sluggish on slower connections.
• English only - no native French or Portuguese version of the content.

Is TryHackMe Worth It?

For beginners, yes. If you have never opened a terminal, TryHackMe's Pre Security and Cyber Security 101 paths are one of the smoothest on-ramps in the field, and Premium on annual billing costs less than a streaming bundle. It is worth it less the more experience you already have.

Complete Beginners

Start free. If you finish a few rooms and want more, Premium covers every beginner path, which is all you need for your first months.

Career Changers

SOC Level 1 and Jr Penetration Tester line up well with entry-level job descriptions. The catch is that employers test problem-solving, not room counts. A common pattern that works: 3 to 6 months of TryHackMe for fundamentals, then unguided labs where nobody tells you the next command.

Experienced Pentesters

Premium will feel too basic. MAX adds advanced paths and cloud content, but at around $19-31 a month you should compare it with platforms built around unguided machines, such as Hack The Box.

TryHackMe vs Hack The Box and Other Platforms

For the full head-to-head, read our TryHackMe vs Hack The Box comparison. Looking wider? Our guide to Hack The Box alternatives covers more beginner-friendly options.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

The same skills lead to authorized roles: penetration tester, SOC analyst, bug bounty hunter. Every one of them depends on staying inside your scope, so build that habit from your first room.