Best Free Phishing Simulation Tools, Ranked for 2026
Gophish, Microsoft Attack Simulation Training, and King Phisher top the best free phishing simulation tools for 2026 — see verdicts and when to upgrade.
DefendWise
DefendWise
Six free phishing simulation tools get compared here for small security teams that need to run employee testing without paying per-seat license fees in 2026 — Gophish, Microsoft Attack Simulation Training, King Phisher, CanIPhish, KnowBe4's free test, and the Social-Engineer Toolkit, each rated Buy, Consider, or Skip.
TL;DR
- Gophish wins for teams that can self-host — free and open source, but you build every report by hand. Buy for DIY setups.
- Microsoft Attack Simulation Training is the best free phishing simulation tool if you already hold an E5 or Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 license.
- King Phisher and the Social-Engineer Toolkit suit red-team testing, not ongoing employee training programs — Consider only with Python skills on staff.
- KnowBe4's free phishing test gives one baseline click rate, then stops — Skip it for anything recurring.
- Free tools plateau once you need compliance evidence across multiple clients; DefendWise starts at $399/month flat, unlimited seats, in 2026.
Why this matters
A small security team — two or three people, maybe covering one company or a handful of MSP clients — doesn't need enterprise phishing simulation software in year one. It needs something that runs a campaign, tracks who clicked, and costs nothing while the program is still proving its value.
That's exactly where free tools earn their keep, and exactly where they stop being free once a client asks for an audit trail. Before you pick a tool, read how the market splits between DIY infrastructure and platforms built for phishing simulation software for small businesses — the gap between the two categories is where most small teams get burned in 2026.
How this list was ranked
Each tool here was evaluated on four things: actual license cost (not "free trial" dressed up as free), deployment effort, reporting depth, and whether the output holds up as compliance evidence for cyber insurance or client audits. Tools that require a credit card to start a "free" campaign got marked down. Tools that are genuinely no-cost — even if that means more manual labor — kept their ranking. This isn't a lab test; it's an assessment based on how each tool is documented and licensed as of 2026.
The ranked list
1. Gophish — the DIY standard
Gophish ships as a single open-source binary you compile or download and run on your own server. There's no license fee, no seat cap, and no vendor lock-in — you own the campaign data from the first click.
The tradeoff is real: template building, landing page design, and report generation are all manual. If nobody on your team wants to own a Linux box and write HTML templates every quarter, the free part gets expensive in hours. Verdict: Buy if you have someone who can manage a server and doesn't mind building reports from scratch.
2. Microsoft Attack Simulation Training — the one you might already own
Bundled inside Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 (included with Microsoft 365 E5), this runs simulated phishing, spear-phishing, and credential-harvest campaigns directly against your existing tenant. No extra software, no separate login.
The catch: it's not free if you're not already paying for the license tier that includes it. Teams that outgrow the built-in reporting and need cross-client dashboards often move on to phishing simulation software for startups next. Verdict: Buy if you already hold E5 or Defender for Office 365 Plan 2; Skip if you're on Business Basic or Standard, since it's not included there.
3. King Phisher — the red-teamer's kit
King Phisher is a Python-based open-source framework built for penetration testers, not compliance officers. It has a real-time campaign dashboard and supports credential-harvesting pages, which makes it powerful for adversary simulation.
It was not built for recurring employee training programs, and there's no built-in mapping to compliance frameworks. Verdict: Consider only if you have Python and Linux skills in-house and you're testing defenses, not training staff.
4. CanIPhish free tier — the quick test
CanIPhish offers a limited no-cost tier for running a small proof-of-concept campaign with a capped template library. It's a fast way to show a skeptical stakeholder what a phishing simulation looks like before committing budget.
The free tier is built to convert — expect a sales conversation once you try to scale beyond a single test group. Verdict: Consider for a one-off demo, not for an ongoing 2026 training calendar.
5. KnowBe4 free phishing test — the gut check
KnowBe4's free phishing security test runs a single campaign and hands back a baseline click-rate number for your organization. It's useful exactly once: to justify budget for a real program.
There's no recurring campaign scheduling, no compliance evidence trail, and no seat management — it's a lead-generation tool wearing a security tool's clothes. Verdict: Skip for anything beyond that first baseline test.
6. Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET) — the pentest hammer
SET is an open-source framework for broader social engineering attacks, phishing included, run entirely from the command line. It's a serious tool if you're already conducting penetration tests.
It has no training curriculum, no learner-facing content, and a steep setup curve for anyone who isn't already comfortable in a terminal. Verdict: Skip unless penetration testing — not employee training — is the actual goal.
Comparison table
| Tool | Cost | Deployment | Compliance evidence | Best for | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gophish | $0, open source | Self-hosted, single binary | Manual export only | Teams with server admin skills | Buy |
| Microsoft Attack Simulation Training | Included in E5/Defender O365 P2 | Native to Microsoft 365 tenant | Basic reporting dashboard | Teams already on E5 | Buy |
| King Phisher | $0, open source | Self-hosted, Python | None built in | Red-team testing | Consider |
| CanIPhish free tier | $0 (capped) | Cloud-hosted | Limited | One-off proof of concept | Consider |
| KnowBe4 free test | $0, one-time | Cloud-hosted | None recurring | Single baseline test | Skip |
| Social-Engineer Toolkit | $0, open source | Self-hosted, CLI | None | Penetration testing | Skip |
Where to get each one
- Gophish and King Phisher: download from their public repositories and provision your own server — budget setup time before your first campaign date, not after.
- Microsoft Attack Simulation Training: turn it on inside the Microsoft 365 Defender portal if your license already includes it; there's no separate signup.
- CanIPhish and KnowBe4 free tiers: sign up directly on the vendor site and treat the trial as a demo, not a program — the free tier is designed to expire.
Why small teams outgrow free tools
Free phishing simulation tools solve the first problem — proving that testing works. They stop solving the second problem, which shows up fast: reporting for more than one client or department.
An MSP running Gophish across five small clients ends up building five sets of manual reports every quarter, matched to five different compliance requirements. That's admin hours, not security work. The moment you need clean, repeatable evidence for a cyber insurance renewal or a client QBR, read how to run a phishing simulation campaign for employees before you scale the free version any further — the manual reporting step is where most small teams quietly lose a full day per client, per quarter.
DefendWise exists for exactly that gap: a flat $399 a month, unlimited seats, white-labeled for MSPs managing multiple clients under one login — no per-seat math when a client adds twenty employees mid-quarter.
Compare flat-fee vs free tools
See how DefendWise handles unlimited seats and compliance evidence for $399/month.
FAQ
What are the best free phishing simulation tools in 2026?
Gophish and Microsoft Attack Simulation Training rank highest in 2026 for small teams — Gophish for self-hosted flexibility, Microsoft's tool for teams already on an E5 license. Both avoid per-seat fees entirely.
Is Gophish really free?
Yes, Gophish is open source with no license fee, though you pay in setup time and server hosting. Reporting and template building are manual, which adds hours as campaign volume grows.
Does Microsoft 365 include phishing simulation for free?
Microsoft Attack Simulation Training is included with Microsoft 365 E5 or Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, not with Business Basic or Standard plans. If you already hold that license tier, there's no extra cost.
Can I use a free phishing simulation tool for compliance evidence?
Most free tools give raw click data, not audit-ready compliance reports. You'll need to build the formatting yourself, which becomes a recurring admin task across multiple clients or departments.
What's the catch with KnowBe4's free phishing test?
KnowBe4's free test runs once and gives a baseline click rate — it's built to lead into a paid subscription, not to support an ongoing 2026 training calendar.
Is King Phisher legal to use on my own company?
Yes, running King Phisher against your own organization with authorization is standard practice, similar to any internal penetration test. It's built for red-team style testing, not recurring employee training.
How much does phishing simulation software cost after the free tier?
Paid platforms typically charge per seat, which scales badly for MSPs managing multiple small clients. DefendWise charges a flat $399 a month with unlimited seats instead of per-user pricing.
When should a small team switch off free phishing tools?
Switch once manual reporting takes more than an hour per client per quarter, or once a client asks for compliance documentation you can't produce quickly. That admin cost usually outweighs the license savings within two or three quarters.
One last thing
The part small teams underestimate isn't the simulator — it's the reporting layer. Free tools save money on running the campaign but cost hours every quarter rebuilding audit-ready reports for cyber insurance renewals or client reviews, and that labor cost rarely shows up until the second or third client asks for evidence in 2026.