TryHackMe vs Hack The Box for Blue Team and SOC (2026)

TryHackMe and Hack The Box are the two names everyone mentions when you ask where to learn security. Both cover offence and defence. Both have free plans. Both now have a SOC analyst certification. And Hack The Box bought LetsDefend in 2025, which changed what its defensive catalog looks like.

If you're aiming for a SOC analyst job, you don't care about most of the comparison you'll find elsewhere. This one is blue team only: what each platform offers a defender in 2026, what it costs, and which one fits you.

Last checked: October 2026. Prices change, check their site before you buy.

What's the short answer?

In our view:

• Complete beginner, wants a guided path: TryHackMe's SOC Level 1 path is the more natural starting point.
• Wants a structured course that leads to a hands-on exam with a written report: Hack The Box Academy's SOC Analyst job-role path and the CDSA.
• Likes working through evidence with less guidance: Hack The Box Sherlocks.
• Already has fundamentals and wants a cert on the same platform you learned on: whichever one you've been using. SAL1 on TryHackMe, CDSA on HTB.

The rest of this post is the detail behind that.

How much do TryHackMe and Hack The Box cost in 2026?

Here's what each lists publicly, as of October 2026. Prices change, check their site before you buy.

TryHackMe (pricing page, prices shown to a US visitor and may vary by region):

• Free: limited access to learning paths, free content only, and a 1-hour daily limit on the in-browser attack machine.
• Premium: full access to beginner learning paths, a certificate of completion per path, unlimited in-browser machine time, and 15% off certifications.
• MAX: advanced paths, advanced cloud content, and 40% off one certification.

Hack The Box Labs (HTB Labs subscriptions):

If you've seen older comparisons (ours included) quoting an HTB "VIP" plan, note that the current Labs subscription page lists VIP+ and PRO.

Hack The Box Academy changes its prices on 12 October 2026 (HTB announcement):

The thing to notice: HTB has two separate products. Labs is where the machines and challenges are. Academy is the course platform, where the SOC Analyst path and CDSA live. Price them separately depending on which one you actually need.

What does TryHackMe offer a SOC analyst?

The headline is the SOC Level 1 path (outline). TryHackMe lists it as:

• 14 modules
• 65 hands-on labs
• an estimated 65 hours 29 minutes
• difficulty: Easy

That's a substantial, guided on-ramp. Labs run in the browser, so there's nothing to set up, and the path is ordered for you, so you don't have to plan your own curriculum. TryHackMe describes itself as having 1,000+ interactive labs across offensive and defensive topics, so there's plenty to wander into once the path is done.

At the end of the road sits SAL1 (Security Analyst Level 1), TryHackMe's certification: multiple-choice questions plus a practical section in TryHackMe's SOC simulator (SAL1 page). Premium gets you 15% off certifications and MAX gets 40% off one.

What TryHackMe does well for defenders: a clear, beginner-rated path with a big time estimate you can plan around, in-browser labs with no setup, and a certification that tests in a SOC simulator. If you've never opened a SIEM, that structure is worth a lot.

For what to do once you've finished, see what to do after TryHackMe SOC Level 1.

What does Hack The Box offer a SOC analyst?

Hack The Box is best known for offensive labs, penetration testing machines in particular. Its defensive side has three parts worth knowing.

1. Academy's SOC Analyst job-role path and the CDSA. HTB Academy has 350+ modules. The CDSA (Certified Defensive Security Analyst) is aimed at entry-level SOC analysts. To start the exam you must complete 100% of the "SOC Analyst" job-role path. The exam is hands-on (security analysis, SOC operations and incident handling) and requires a commercial-grade report (CDSA page). That report requirement is the distinctive part: you come out with a professional write-up, which is the kind of thing a SOC lead actually reads.

2. Sherlocks. Sherlocks are HTB's defensive investigation challenges: you get evidence and a set of questions to answer about what happened. If you like working from raw evidence and figuring out the story yourself, this is the format.

3. The LetsDefend courses. HTB announced it had acquired LetsDefend on 16 September 2025 (HTB blog), and says 191 defensive courses from LetsDefend are now integrated into HTB Academy (HTB Academy pricing post). LetsDefend's own site still sells its plans separately. The practical upshot: if you're picking HTB for defensive work in 2026, the Academy catalog is bigger on the blue side than it was a year ago. Our LetsDefend review covers that platform on its own.

What Hack The Box does well for defenders: a path that leads straight into a hands-on exam with a real report, an investigation format (Sherlocks) built on evidence rather than walkthroughs, and a defensive catalog that has grown with the LetsDefend courses.

TryHackMe SOC Level 1 vs HTB SOC Analyst path: how do they compare?

The honest framing, in our view: TryHackMe focuses on guiding you step by step through a defined path. Hack The Box focuses on a deeper course-to-exam route and evidence-first challenges. Neither approach is "better"; they suit different learners.

Which should you choose? A verdict by reader type

You're brand new and want to know if SOC work is for you. Start with TryHackMe's free plan, then Premium for the SOC Level 1 path if you like it. The Easy rating and fixed time estimate make it easy to plan.

You've done the basics and want a hands-on credential. If you want the cert to involve a written report, CDSA. If you want a mix of multiple choice and a simulator, SAL1. Our BTL1 review compares both against BTL1, CCDL1 and Security+.

You learn best by digging through evidence. HTB Sherlocks. Pair them with something structured if you're still learning what the artifacts mean.

You also care about offensive skills. Both cover offence; HTB is the one best known for it.

You're on a tight budget. Use the free plans on both first. TryHackMe's free plan has a 1-hour daily limit on the in-browser attack machine; HTB's free Labs plan includes 20 active machines and 80+ active challenges. Then pay for one platform at a time, during the months you're actually studying.

You want both. Plenty of people do: a guided path on one, investigation challenges on the other. Just don't pay for both while only using one.

What neither of these platforms is built around

Both platforms teach through discrete labs and challenges: you finish one, you start the next. That's a sensible way to learn tools and techniques. What's different in a real SOC is that the same incident keeps coming back across your shift, and you connect pieces from different data sources over hours. If you want practice at that "one long story" style of investigation, that's the gap EpicDetect's Adventures are built for, and a free place to try it is below.

For a wider list of free practice options, see free SOC analyst labs and exercises.

FAQ

Is TryHackMe or Hack The Box better for SOC analysts?

It depends on how you learn. In our view, TryHackMe's SOC Level 1 path is the easier starting point for complete beginners, and Hack The Box's SOC Analyst path plus CDSA suits people who want a hands-on exam with a written report.

How much does TryHackMe cost compared to Hack The Box?

As of October 2026, TryHackMe Premium is $18.11/month or $11.19/month billed annually (US prices). HTB Labs VIP+ is $25/month or $223/year, and HTB Academy Silver Monthly is $30/month from 12 October 2026. Prices change, check their site before you buy.

HTB Academy vs TryHackMe: which has more defensive content?

TryHackMe lists 1,000+ labs across offence and defence. HTB Academy lists 350+ modules and says it added 191 defensive courses from LetsDefend. They count differently, so compare the specific SOC paths rather than the totals.

Does Hack The Box own LetsDefend?

Yes. HTB announced the acquisition on 16 September 2025. LetsDefend's site still sells its own plans.

Is SAL1 or CDSA easier?

We won't rank difficulty we can't measure. Structurally, SAL1 combines multiple-choice questions with a practical section in a SOC simulator. CDSA requires you to finish the SOC Analyst job-role path first, then sit a hands-on exam and submit a commercial-grade report.

Sources

• TryHackMe pricing
• TryHackMe SOC Level 1 path
• TryHackMe SAL1
• HTB Labs subscriptions
• HTB Academy new pricing
• HTB CDSA
• HTB acquires LetsDefend

How EpicDetect Can Help

If you want to see what a continuous investigation feels like, try Adventures Season Zero. It's five free episodes of one SOC incident that keeps unfolding, roughly 3-4 hours in total, in the browser with nothing to install.

To be straight about what we don't do: EpicDetect has no offensive content, no SIEM-style alert queue simulator, no memory or disk forensics labs and no proctored certification. If you need those, TryHackMe or Hack The Box is the better fit. What we do offer is fundamentals on the Atlas and, on Premium ($25/month or $180/year), Security+ prep in the same subscription.

Start free. No card needed.