LetsDefend vs Hack The Box (2026): After the Acquisition

If you searched "LetsDefend vs Hack The Box", you may have found that the question changed in the last year. LetsDefend is now part of Hack The Box. So the real choice is not "which company", it is which product and which plan: a LetsDefend subscription, or Hack The Box Labs, Academy and the CDSA certification.

This guide explains the acquisition in plain terms, lays out the prices as of October 2026, and tells you which option fits which kind of learner. We also run a training site, EpicDetect, and we'll introduce it near the end as an independent alternative. We'll be clear about what it does not do.

Last checked: October 2026. Prices change, so check each provider's site before you buy.

Is LetsDefend part of Hack The Box?

Yes. Hack The Box announced that it had acquired LetsDefend on 16 September 2025 (HTB announcement). LetsDefend has been owned by Hack The Box since September 2025.

Two things are true at the same time, as of October 2026:

• HTB says 191 defensive courses from LetsDefend are now integrated into HTB Academy (HTB Academy pricing post).
• LetsDefend's own site still sells its own plans (LetsDefend pricing).

So today you can buy LetsDefend directly, or reach that defensive course material through HTB Academy. We won't guess what happens next. If that changes, we'll update this page.

What does each one actually offer?

LetsDefend is built around a simulated SOC environment: alerts arrive and you investigate them. Around that sit courses, challenges and quizzes, plus career paths for SOC Analyst, Incident Responder and Detection Engineering, with certificates of completion on paid plans. The roles it lists include SOC Analyst, Incident Responder, Detection Engineer, DFIR, SIEM Engineer and Threat Hunter.

Hack The Box is several products under one roof:

• HTB Labs, its machines and challenges. HTB is best known for offensive (penetration testing) labs.
• HTB Academy, the structured course side, with 350+ modules. HTB says it added 191 defensive courses from LetsDefend.
• HTB CDSA (Certified Defensive Security Analyst), a certification aimed at entry-level SOC analysts.
• Sherlocks, HTB's defensive investigation challenges: you get evidence and answer questions about it.

Credit where it is due: HTB lets you practise attacking and defending under one account, and CDSA gives defenders a hands-on exam to aim at. In our view, LetsDefend's alert-driven format is the closest thing on this list to sitting in front of a SOC queue.

How much does LetsDefend cost in 2026?

As of October 2026, from the LetsDefend pricing page:

• Basic: free. Free courses, challenges, quizzes, hands-on labs 1 hour/month, and limited SOC Analyst alerts.
• VIP: $24.99/month, or $16.99/month billed annually. 140 lab hours/month.
• VIP+: $39.99/month, or $29.99/month billed annually. Unlimited lab hours, Incident Responder alerts and courses, and connecting to endpoint machines.

There is a 50% student discount with a .edu email. You can cancel any time; the subscription ends at the end of the billing cycle. Prices change, check their site before you buy.

How much does Hack The Box cost in 2026?

HTB prices Labs and Academy separately.

HTB Labs, as of October 2026 (HTB Labs subscriptions):

• Free plan: 20 active machines, 80+ active challenges.
• VIP+: $25/month or $223/year.
• HTB PRO: $49/month or $490/year (adds simulated corporate networks).

HTB Academy changed its prices on 12 October 2026, according to HTB's post of 3 September 2026 (new Academy pricing).

The new prices apply from 12 October 2026, so the right-hand column is what you pay today. Prices change, check their site before you buy.

What is HTB CDSA, and does it replace LetsDefend's certificates?

From the CDSA page: CDSA is aimed at entry-level SOC analysts. To start the exam you must complete 100% of the "SOC Analyst" job-role path in HTB Academy. The exam is hands-on, covering security analysis, SOC operations and incident handling, and it requires a commercial-grade report.

LetsDefend's career paths come with certificates of completion on paid plans. These are different things: a completion certificate shows you finished a path; CDSA is an exam you sit and pass. In our view, if a certification on your CV is the goal, CDSA is the more direct target of the two. If daily practice is the goal, the certificate question matters less.

LetsDefend vs Hack The Box: side by side

All prices as of October 2026, from the sources linked above. Prices change.

Which should you pick?

These are our opinions, based on the formats and prices above.

You're a career changer starting from zero. Either works, but think about structure. HTB Academy's SOC Analyst path is an ordered route that leads to a cert (CDSA). LetsDefend's free Basic plan lets you try the alert format at no cost. For most beginners we'd start with whichever free tier lets you try the format first, then pay only once you know you'll use it.

You want a defensive certification. In our view, HTB is the clearer route: complete the SOC Analyst path in Academy, then sit CDSA. Budget for the new Academy prices from 12 October 2026. Our CDSA review goes deeper.

You want alert-queue reps. LetsDefend. Its core format is alerts arriving in a simulated SOC that you investigate, which is the closest match to a Tier 1 shift. VIP gives you 140 lab hours/month; VIP+ adds unlimited lab hours, Incident Responder alerts and endpoint connections.

You want offensive content too. Hack The Box. Its Labs are what it is best known for, and you can add Sherlocks and Academy defensive modules alongside. If you want to understand attacks before you defend against them, we think that combination in one account is a strong choice.

Weighing LetsDefend against other platforms as well? See LetsDefend vs TryHackMe and our full LetsDefend review and alternatives.

Is there an independent alternative to LetsDefend and HTB?

Disclosure: EpicDetect is ours. It is not affiliated with LetsDefend or Hack The Box. It runs in the browser, nothing to install, and the free plan needs no card and has no time limit. Here is what you actually get.

Cases. Standalone investigations set at one fictional finance firm, Straylight. Five are live and all free, for example ED-101 Open Enrollment Benefits Notice (email analysis), ED-104 VPN Auth Spray Against Treasury Staff (log/SIEM analysis) and ED-105 Macro Click on ws-fin-01 (endpoint investigation), each 10-15 minutes. You read a briefing, work the evidence in a console that matches the case (email, threat intel, SIEM/log search or endpoint), pin the evidence that supports your call, and finish with a verdict and the IOCs, like a real ticket. They work on phones too.

Adventures. Story-driven SOC shifts. Season Zero is free: five episodes, roughly 3-4 hours in all, where you are a new analyst in your first week and the investigation continues across episodes. Episode 1, "First Day", has Tess sit with you on your first reported email; the next one is yours alone. Season One adds five more episodes on Premium.

The Atlas. A skill map of nine zones, from foundations through SOC, detection, threat intel and hunting, laid out in tiers you climb in order. You pick a route at sign-up (SOC Analyst or Security+, for example) and the map shows your next step. 60 modules and 9 tracks are live as of October 2026; the first tier of each zone is free. Many lessons include typed-answer questions you cannot skip.

Exam prep. Free: a 20-question Security+ practice test (no account needed, scored against the pass line, shows your weakest domain) and a Security+ daily drill (10 questions a day, every answer explained, free with an account). Premium adds the Security+ track (8 modules, 46 lessons, in exam order), Network+ and A+ tracks, and timed exam simulators for Security+, Network+, A+ Core 1 and Core 2, scored by domain. The Security+ simulator draws 90 questions at random from an 872-question bank, weighted by domain. Nine Security+ flashcard decks with spaced review are included too.

Premium is $25/month or $180/year ($15/month billed annually), with a 7-day free trial.

What EpicDetect does not have, plainly: no SIEM-style alert queue or simulated SOC monitoring environment, which is LetsDefend's core format. No proctored certification like CDSA. No offensive content, no memory or disk forensics labs, no malware reverse-engineering labs, no cloud labs. If alert-queue reps or a hands-on cert are what you need, LetsDefend or HTB is the better fit, and we'd tell you to go there. For a direct comparison, see EpicDetect vs LetsDefend.

FAQ

Is LetsDefend owned by Hack The Box?

Yes. Hack The Box announced the acquisition on 16 September 2025, and LetsDefend has been owned by HTB since September 2025. HTB says 191 defensive courses from LetsDefend are integrated into HTB Academy.

Can I still buy a LetsDefend subscription?

As of October 2026, yes. LetsDefend's own site still sells its Basic (free), VIP and VIP+ plans.

Did HTB Academy prices go up?

Yes, from 12 October 2026. Student went from $8 to $10/month, Silver Monthly from $18 to $30/month, and Silver Annual from $490 to $550/year, per HTB's post of 3 September 2026.

Is HTB CDSA good for beginners?

HTB aims CDSA at entry-level SOC analysts. You must complete 100% of the SOC Analyst job-role path before you can start the exam, which is hands-on and requires a commercial-grade report.

Which is better for a SOC analyst job, LetsDefend or Hack The Box?

It depends on what you are missing. In our view, LetsDefend suits you if you want repeated alert-investigation practice; HTB suits you if you want the CDSA cert or offensive labs alongside defensive work.

How EpicDetect Can Help

If you are still deciding between platforms, try the format before you pay anyone. Adventures Season Zero is free: five episodes of one continuous SOC investigation, starting on your first day as an analyst.

Want to see where you stand on fundamentals first? The Atlas shows the map and your next step, and the free 20-question Security+ practice test tells you your weakest domain in a few minutes.

Start free. No card needed.

Sources

• LetsDefend pricing: https://app.letsdefend.io/pricing
• Hack The Box acquires LetsDefend (16 Sept 2025): https://www.hackthebox.com/blog/hack-the-box-acquires-letsdefend
• HTB new Academy pricing (3 Sept 2026): https://www.hackthebox.com/blog/new-academy-pricing
• HTB Labs subscriptions: https://help.hackthebox.com/en/articles/7257535-htb-labs-subscriptions
• HTB CDSA: https://academy.hackthebox.com/preview/certifications/htb-certified-defensive-security-analyst