Overview

Brightside brings attack simulations, training and action reporting into one platform. Its AI can match attacks to employees’ roles and context, and relevant micro-learning can follow automatically when someone fails a simulation. That creates a practical loop between testing and education, rather than leaving teams to connect campaign results with separate course assignments.

The range of email, voice and hybrid exercises is a useful fit for organizations addressing more than phishing links alone. The trade-off is that video deepfake simulations are described as a managed service, not a self-serve campaign type.

Key features

Simulations and personalization

Brightside supports phishing, vishing, hybrid voice-and-email attacks and audio deepfake simulations. AI can generate spear-phishing scenarios and tailor attacks to employees’ roles and context, helping security teams make exercises more relevant than a program built only around generic templates. Video deepfake campaigns require the managed service.

Vishing campaigns can include live AI conversations, custom caller personas, multilingual voices and voice cloning. This gives teams a way to address phone-based deception alongside email attacks; organizations seeking only email simulations may not need that breadth.

Training and reporting

The course library combines chat-based, gamified training with interactive formats. Automatically assigning relevant micro-learning after a failed simulation gives employees a prompt tied to the behavior the exercise surfaced. Reporting tracks opens, clicks, credential submissions and reports, with custom reporting for teams that need to examine actions beyond a pass-or-fail result.

Deployment, reporting and privacy

Pre-built Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations support deployment and automated user provisioning. Custom HR connectors are available on demand, which may suit organizations whose employee records sit elsewhere. The Gmail Brightside Report Phishing add-on lets employees report suspicious messages; it accesses an email only when the employee chooses to report it.

Brightside describes its operations as GDPR-compliant and treats individual employee results as sensitive data. Security teams should account for that sensitivity when deciding how to use employee-level reporting.

Pricing

Brightside uses a freemium model. The Start plan costs 0.00 EUR per free and includes courses, but no simulations; it is a narrow entry point for organizations that want course access before paying for attack exercises.

Basic has custom pricing, billed from €0.5/ m. per seat, and includes courses and template simulations. It is the lower-cost paid starting point for teams that can work with templates rather than AI-generated scenarios. Pro has custom pricing, billed from €1.3/ m. per seat, and adds AI OSINT spear-phishing simulations and AI-powered vishing simulations to courses and template simulations. That tier is a better fit for teams that want tailored email and voice exercises.

The Vishing (standalone) plan is 1.00 EUR per month, billed from €1/ m. per seat. It includes voice-only and hybrid attack simulations, multilingual voices and custom voice cloning, a scenario builder, AI-assisted scenario creation, analytics and CSV export. This is a focused option for organizations prioritizing voice exercises, rather than a substitute for the broader course-and-simulation plans.

Organizations can request a free trial and contact the team for product details, pricing or a personalized demo. The trial length and renewal terms are not established here, so confirm them before committing.

Platforms

Brightside is web-based. Its Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations support deployment and automated user provisioning, while custom HR connectors are available on demand.

Who it's for

Brightside is aimed at security teams and CISOs. Its role-aware scenarios, automated follow-up and reporting suit organizations building a recurring awareness program, particularly those that want to prepare employees for both phishing and voice-based attacks. The company also presents the platform for finance, healthcare, hospitality and technology organizations.

It is less compelling for buyers who need only free training, since Start contains courses but no simulations, or for teams that specifically require self-service video deepfake campaigns.

Pros and cons

Pros: Role- and context-aware simulations can make exercises more relevant than generic templates.
Pros: Automatic micro-learning after a failed simulation links an employee’s result to follow-up training.
Pros: Vishing, hybrid attacks, audio deepfakes and voice-cloning capabilities address more than email-based threats.
Pros: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations support deployment and user provisioning.
Cons: The free Start plan offers courses only, so organizations need a paid plan for simulations.
Cons: Video deepfake simulations are a managed service, limiting self-service coverage of that attack type.
Cons: Basic and Pro have custom pricing, so their per-seat starting rates do not establish the full cost for a particular organization.

Alternatives

Compare other cybersecurity training platforms if course-led options matter more than Brightside’s combination of simulations and follow-up.

ScamDrill is worth considering for a mobile or API-accessible option with a free plan limited to one learner and one beginner email drill per month, plus a progress dashboard and real-time alerts.
Wizer may suit buyers who want a free annual awareness-training plan with basic user management, limited reporting and automatic learner reminders.
PhishSkill offers a free 30-day Starter period with five campaigns per month and email and WhatsApp simulations; consider it if those channels and a defined trial period are the priority.
CyberHoot is an alternative with a $125.00 per month Autopilot plan that includes white-label functionality, multi-tenancy, automation and interactive training.
Breach Secure Now is another paid, web-based option with a free trial.
CAPS by Cypherdote may fit smaller teams seeking explicit monthly pricing: its Standard plan is $59.00 per month for 10 users, with 150 simulation credits, 150 assessment credits and email support.
Hoxhunt is a paid alternative with custom quotes based on employee count and required capabilities, and supports desktop and mobile platforms.
Keepnet Labs is a paid alternative that supports API, self-hosted and web deployments.

Verdict

Brightside is a strong fit for security teams that want role-aware phishing and voice simulations tied to training and employee-action reporting. Its range of voice exercises and automated learning follow-up are the clearest reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if a free simulation tier or self-service video deepfake campaigns are essential; confirm the custom-priced plans and trial terms before selecting a paid tier.

	Brightside AI	Cofense PhishMe
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	€1/mo	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web	Web

Brightside AI vs Cofense PhishMe

Brightside AI

Cofense PhishMe