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Cytactic vs TryHackMe
TryHackMe scores higher overall on our weights, 6.3 of 10 to 6.0. Cytactic leads on realism (7 to 6) and cross-team (7 to 5); TryHackMe leads on evidence (7 to 6), effort to run (8 to 7), hands-on depth (8 to 2), breadth and free access (9 to 3) and pricing (3 to 1).
Editorial assessment · Assessed from vendor sites, product pages and published pricing, September 2026
Editorial verdict
Cytactic for executives, legal, communications and responders in the same exercise; TryHackMe for hands-on labs or range work for analysts and responders.
11-1How do they score?
| Criterion | Cytactic | TryHackMe |
|---|---|---|
| Realism (25%) | 7Higher | 6 |
| Cross-team (25%) | 7Higher | 5 |
| Evidence (20%) | 6 | 7Higher |
| Effort to run (15%) | 7 | 8Higher |
| Hands-on depth (5%) | 2 | 8Higher |
| Breadth and free access (5%) | 3 | 9Higher |
| Pricing (5%) | 1 | 3Higher |
| Weighted total | 6.0 | 6.3 |
11-2How do pricing and formats compare?
| Question | Cytactic | TryHackMe |
|---|---|---|
| What it sells | Cyber incident response management hub with a simulation generator: five ready-made crisis simulations and an AI engine that builds new ones from the organisation's profile. | Browser-based labs with a free tier and 8M+ users, plus AI-generated tabletop exercises and SOC simulators for business teams. |
| Formats | Tabletop and crisis simulation | Tabletop and crisis simulation, Hands-on labs |
| Audiences | Incident response team | Incident response team, SOC analysts |
| How it is delivered | Simulation Mode inside the Cytactic platform | Browser-based labs and simulators |
| Free access | No free tier | Free individual tier |
| Published price | Not published | Individual plans published; business pricing through sales |
| Pricing notes | Not published, contact sales. Access is through a demo. | Business pricing not published, contact sales. Individual plans are priced publicly. |
Choose Cytactic if
- You need executives, legal, communications and responders in the same exercise: Cytactic scores 7 to 5 here.Generated exercises include stakeholder discussions, with crisis communication and legal disclosure agents in the platform; an exercise format for executives or the board is not described.
- You need an exercise that reacts to the decisions your team makes: Cytactic scores 7 to 6 here.Exercises run in a Simulation Mode where attacker emails, ransom notes, breaking news and system data appear automatically, built from the organisation's profile; a scenario that branches on each decision is not described.
Choose TryHackMe if
- You need hands-on labs or range work for analysts and responders: TryHackMe scores 8 to 2 here.800+ labs, a SOC Simulator, a Threat Hunting Simulator and Live Breach Exercises.
- You need a large content library, wide audience coverage or a free way in: TryHackMe scores 9 to 3 here.8M+ users and a free individual tier; the largest open community in this set.
11-3Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Cytactic or TryHackMe?
On our weights, TryHackMe scores higher (6.3 to 6.0 of 10). Cytactic leads on 2 of seven criteria and TryHackMe on 5. The better choice depends on your gap: see the criterion table above.
Which is cheaper, Cytactic or TryHackMe?
Cytactic: Not published. TryHackMe: Individual plans published; business pricing through sales. Prices in different currencies or units are not directly comparable.
Can you use Cytactic and TryHackMe together?
They overlap on tabletop and crisis simulation, so most teams choose one of them for that format. TryHackMe also sells hands-on labs, which Cytactic does not.
Sources: cytactic.com, cytactic.com/platform, cytactic.com/blog/the-next-generation-of-cyber-tabletops-is-here-powered-by-ai, tryhackme.com/business, tryhackme.com/business/solutions/tabletop-exercises, tryhackme.com/pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026