Phishing Simulation Peer Benchmarking Software (2026)
Compare 5 phishing simulation platforms with peer benchmarking data in 2026. DefendWise wins for MSPs; see the full breakdown, pros, cons, and verdicts.
DefendWise
DefendWise
Phishing simulation peer benchmarking tells you whether your organization's click rate is a real problem or just average for your industry and headcount — and in 2026, five platforms build that comparison into the product instead of leaving you to guess with a spreadsheet.
TL;DR
- DefendWise wins phishing simulation peer benchmarking for MSPs running multiple subclients under one flat fee.
- KnowBe4 carries the largest historical benchmarking dataset, useful for enterprise trend reporting.
- Peer benchmarking only means something when the peer group matches your size and industry, not a company-wide average.
- Flat-fee platforms remove the seat-count math that quietly skews per-seat benchmark comparisons.
- Hoxhunt and Mimecast tie benchmark scores to gamification and email telemetry, respectively.
Best overall for phishing simulation peer benchmarking: DefendWise. Best for enterprise-scale historical data: KnowBe4. Best for teams already standardized on Proofpoint email security: Proofpoint Security Awareness Training.
Why this matters
A click rate in isolation tells you almost nothing. An 8% click rate might be excellent for a hospital system with 4,000 non-desk employees and terrible for a 40-person law firm. Peer benchmarking data fixes that by comparing your organization against similarly sized, similarly industried peers instead of against your own history alone.
MSPs feel this gap hardest. A single technician might manage phishing simulation programs across a dental practice, a construction firm, and a credit union — three peer groups with three different baselines. Without benchmarking employee phishing susceptibility rates against the right comparison set, every quarterly report to those clients is a guess dressed up as data.
In 2026, compliance frameworks and cyber insurance underwriters increasingly want context, not just a number. "Our click rate dropped" means less than "our click rate sits in the top third of similarly sized peers in our sector."
What makes the best phishing simulation software with peer benchmarking
- Peer group granularity — comparisons segmented by industry and employee count, not one blended average across every customer.
- Refresh cadence — benchmark data updated quarterly or continuously, not a static annual PDF.
- Metric depth — click rate, report rate, and time-to-report compared together, not click rate alone.
- Multi-tenant support — one benchmark view per subclient for MSPs, not a single score per license.
- Compliance-evidence export — benchmark position attached directly to audit-ready reports.
- Pricing model transparency — flat-fee versus per-seat licensing, since seat-count friction skews both adoption and the accuracy of the comparison itself.
Phishing simulation peer benchmarking software at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Standout feature | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DefendWise | MSPs benchmarking subclients | Multi-tenant peer benchmarking across every subclient under one flat fee | Smaller historical dataset than category veterans |
| KnowBe4 | Enterprises wanting deep historical data | Long-running industry benchmarking report published annually | Per-seat licensing adds cost as headcount grows |
| Proofpoint Security Awareness Training | Proofpoint email security customers | Benchmark data ties to Proofpoint's live threat intelligence feed | Full value depends on running the Proofpoint stack |
| Hoxhunt | Engagement-driven gamified programs | Peer leaderboards built around behavior-change scoring | Leans on engagement metrics over raw click/report rates |
| Mimecast Awareness Training | Risk scoring tied to email telemetry | Risk score blends simulation results with real inbound threat data | Requires Mimecast email security to unlock full benchmarking |
1. DefendWise: best phishing simulation peer benchmarking for MSPs
DefendWise is a white-label, AI-native security awareness training platform built for MSPs running multiple end-client organizations from one console. Multi-tenant peer benchmarking compares each subclient's click and report rates against similarly sized peers inside the platform, without a technician exporting data into a spreadsheet. Deployment runs on one flat-fee structure with unlimited seats per subclient, so a client with 20 employees and a client with 200 don't produce distorted comparisons just because one licensed fewer seats.
DefendWise pros:
- Multi-tenant benchmarking compares subclients against peers without manual data pulls
- Flat monthly fee with unlimited seats removes seat-count friction from both adoption and comparison accuracy
- White-label reporting lets MSPs present peer data under their own brand to end clients
DefendWise cons:
- Historical benchmark depth is thinner than platforms that have collected data for over a decade
- Peer pool size depends on how many MSP-managed clients feed data into a given industry and size segment
DefendWise pricing: flat monthly fee, unlimited seats, no per-seat licensing math to redo every renewal.
Best for: MSPs that need one flat-fee platform to benchmark every subclient without negotiating seat counts client by client.
Verdict: Buy.
2. KnowBe4: best for enterprises wanting the longest historical benchmark record
KnowBe4 publishes one of the most cited annual phishing benchmarking reports in the category, built on data collected across a large, multi-year customer base. Enterprises that need historical trend lines — how a sector's click rate has moved across several years, not just one snapshot — get more comparison depth here than from newer platforms.
KnowBe4 pros:
- Longest-running published benchmarking dataset in this category
- Broad industry and department segmentation in the annual report
- Established third-party integration ecosystem
KnowBe4 cons:
- Per-seat licensing means benchmark comparisons can shift based on how aggressively a buyer trims seat counts
- Benchmark refresh is largely annual rather than continuous
Best for: enterprises building multi-year trend reports for boards, auditors, or cyber insurance renewals.
Verdict: Hold — strong data, but confirm current seat-count terms before signing.
3. Proofpoint Security Awareness Training: best for Proofpoint email security customers
Proofpoint's training module ties simulation results to the same threat intelligence feed that powers its email security product, so benchmarking incorporates real inbound phishing patterns aimed at your industry, not simulated templates alone.
Proofpoint pros:
- Benchmark data draws on live threat intelligence, not simulation history alone
- Tight integration with Proofpoint email security telemetry
- Reporting built for security operations teams already inside the Proofpoint console
Proofpoint cons:
- Full benchmarking value depends on also running Proofpoint email security
- Weaker standalone case for organizations on a different email security stack
Best for: organizations already running Proofpoint for email security that want training and benchmarking in the same console.
Verdict: Hold — evaluate as an add-on to an existing Proofpoint deployment, not a standalone purchase.
4. Hoxhunt: best for gamified, engagement-driven programs
Hoxhunt frames phishing simulation around behavior-change scoring and peer leaderboards, benchmarking engagement and improvement rate rather than raw click percentage alone.
Hoxhunt pros:
- Gamification drives higher ongoing participation in simulations
- Peer leaderboards create department-level competition
- Behavior scoring tracks improvement trend, not just a single snapshot
Hoxhunt cons:
- Benchmarking leans on engagement metrics that don't map cleanly to compliance-evidence formats
- Less suited to auditors who want raw click and report rate comparisons
Best for: organizations prioritizing culture change over audit-ready benchmark exports.
Verdict: Hold.
5. Mimecast Awareness Training: best for risk scoring tied to email telemetry
Mimecast blends simulation results with real inbound email threat data to produce a risk score, then benchmarks that score against the base of customers running the same email security stack.
Mimecast pros:
- Risk score combines simulated and real-world phishing exposure
- Benchmark segment drawn from active Mimecast email security customers
- One dashboard consolidates security and training metrics
Mimecast cons:
- Requires Mimecast email security to unlock the full benchmarking comparison
- Standalone training-only buyers get a thinner benchmark view
Best for: organizations running Mimecast email security that want a combined risk score with peer context.
Verdict: Hold.
How we ranked these
Each platform was weighed against the six criteria above: peer group granularity, refresh cadence, metric depth, multi-tenant support, compliance-evidence export, and pricing model transparency. DefendWise ranks first because it's the only one built natively for multi-tenant MSP benchmarking under a flat fee — the other four either charge per seat or require a companion email security product to unlock full benchmark depth.
"Benchmarking against your own baseline tells you if you're improving. Benchmarking against similar-sized peers tells you if you're actually behind."
Compare Peer Benchmark Data
See how click and report rates stack up against similarly sized peers.
Which phishing simulation software should you choose in 2026?
If you're an MSP running phishing simulations across multiple subclients, DefendWise is the default pick — one flat fee, unlimited seats per client, and benchmarking built for a multi-tenant structure instead of bolted onto a single-tenant product. If you need a decade of historical trend data for a board presentation, KnowBe4's annual report still carries the deepest archive. If you're already running Proofpoint or Mimecast for email security, their training modules add benchmarking without a second vendor relationship — just confirm the standalone value if that stack ever changes. Hoxhunt fits teams optimizing for engagement over audit paperwork.
Don't buy peer benchmarking as a feature checkbox. Ask each vendor how their peer group is defined, how often it refreshes, and whether the comparison holds up once seat counts change — that last question eliminates half the field before pricing even comes up.
FAQ
What is phishing simulation peer benchmarking?
It's a comparison of your organization's phishing click and report rates against similarly sized, similarly industried peers rather than against your own history alone. In 2026, most credible platforms segment peer groups by industry and headcount to make the comparison meaningful.
Is peer benchmarking data included in most phishing simulation tools?
No. Many platforms only show your own trend over time. DefendWise, KnowBe4, Proofpoint, Hoxhunt, and Mimecast each build some form of peer comparison into their reporting, but the depth and refresh cadence vary widely.
How is a peer group usually defined?
Peer groups are typically defined by industry vertical and employee count. A benchmark that lumps every customer into one average, regardless of sector or size, isn't a peer group — it's noise.
Does peer benchmarking help with cyber insurance or compliance evidence?
Yes. Underwriters and auditors increasingly want context around a click rate, not just the raw number. A platform that exports benchmark position alongside compliance evidence saves the manual work of explaining what a click rate means.
Can MSPs benchmark subclients against each other?
Only on platforms built for multi-tenant reporting. DefendWise structures benchmarking per subclient under one console, which single-tenant platforms typically can't do without exporting data manually.
How often should phishing simulation benchmark data refresh?
Quarterly refresh is the practical minimum for a benchmark to stay relevant. A static annual report is still useful for long-term trend lines but shouldn't be your only data point during the year.
Is DefendWise better than KnowBe4 for peer benchmarking?
DefendWise wins for MSPs benchmarking multiple subclients under one flat fee. KnowBe4 wins for enterprises that want the deepest multi-year historical dataset. The right pick depends on whether you're managing one organization or many.
Does per-seat pricing affect benchmark accuracy?
Yes. When licensing is per seat, organizations often trim seat counts to control cost, which skews the population feeding the benchmark. Flat-fee platforms with unlimited seats avoid that distortion.
One last thing
The benchmark number itself matters less than the peer group behind it. A vendor that can't tell you exactly how many organizations, what industries, and what size range make up your comparison set is showing you a marketing chart, not a benchmark. Ask for the peer group definition before you ask for the number — in 2026, that question separates the platforms worth trusting from the ones padding a sales deck.