TryHackMe is an online cybersecurity training platform that teaches identifying vulnerabilities and investigating cyber attack skills through interactive lessons, challenges, and simulated hacking environments.
Students can work through guided exercises in their browser, applying what they learn without needing to build their own lab environment. For educators teaching computing, IT, or cybersecurity, TryHackMe offers a practical way to introduce technical concepts and give students experience with the tools and techniques used by security professionals.
Its education platform also provides assignment management and progress tracking, making it easier to incorporate hands-on cybersecurity activities into a course.
This is all you need to know about TryHackMe in your class.
What is TryHackMe?
TryHackMe is a browser-based platform for learning cybersecurity through practical exercises. It covers both offensive security, which involves testing systems to identify weaknesses, and defensive security, which focuses on detecting threats and protecting networks.
The platform offers more than 1,000 training labs and learning pathways, covering subjects such as networking, Linux, web application security, penetration testing, and security operations. Content ranges from introductory lessons for beginners to more advanced challenges designed for learners developing professional skills.
TryHackMe gives students opportunities to work directly with security tools and simulated systems. They might investigate a vulnerable website, analyze suspicious activity or practice identifying weaknesses in a network.
This makes the platform ideal for further education, university computing courses, and vocational cybersecurity training. It can also support school computing lessons in which students are ready to explore network security and ethical hacking.
TryHackMe is not limited to education. Individuals can use it to develop their own skills, while businesses can use the platform to train staff. Its dedicated education offering adds tools for assigning activities, monitoring progress, and managing student access.
How does TryHackMe work?
Getting started is straightforward. Students create an account, choose a learning pathway or individual room, and follow the instructions provided. A room is a self-contained learning activity covering a particular subject, with explanations, questions, and practical exercises.
A teacher introducing network security, for example, could select a suitable beginner activity and ask students to complete it alongside a lesson on how networks communicate. Students work through the material at their own pace, answering questions and applying their knowledge as they go.
Many exercises use virtual machines and simulated environments that can be accessed through a browser. TryHackMe also provides its AttackBox, a browser-based machine equipped with cybersecurity tools, so students can practice without installing and configuring everything on their own computers.
The platform provides structured learning pathways, too. These group related activities into a sequence, helping learners build their knowledge progressively rather than jumping between unrelated challenges. Current options include Cyber Security 101, Pre Security, Jr Penetration Tester, and SOC Level 1, which focuses on security operations.
For educators, the dedicated classroom platform adds a management layer. Teachers can assign rooms, modules, and learning pathways to individuals or groups, set deadlines, and monitor completion. Reports provide information about student progress and performance, helping teachers identify learners who may need additional support.
This gives educators a choice between using individual activities to reinforce a lesson and building a more structured program around a particular cybersecurity skill.
What are the best TryHackMe features?
TryHackMe's biggest strength is its practical approach to learning. Its interactive rooms let students apply concepts immediately, whether they're learning about network protocols, investigating vulnerabilities, or practicing defensive security techniques. The platform also uses points, badges, and progress indicators to give learners a sense of achievement as they complete activities.
Structured learning pathways help teachers organize content around specific learning objectives. Beginners can start with foundational material before progressing to more demanding exercises, while students with existing knowledge can explore specialist subjects. This is useful when a class contains learners with different levels of technical experience.
Browser-based labs reduce the technical work involved in setting up practical activities. Students can access supported exercises without teachers having to build and maintain their own collection of vulnerable machines. The isolated training environments also help keep practice separate from a school's live network.
The education dashboard is useful for classroom delivery. Teachers can assign activities, set deadlines, organize learners into groups, and review progress. Automated marking on supported labs reduces the need to check every answer manually, leaving more time for teaching and discussion.
Custom learning content gives institutions greater flexibility. Education licenses include options for creating or adapting learning pathways and labs, including uploading virtual machines. This can help departments tailor activities to their own curriculum, equipment, and students' experience levels.
Finally, real-world security scenarios help connect technical knowledge to practical problems. TryHackMe regularly updates its content to cover emerging threats and vulnerabilities, giving educators material that can support discussions about current cybersecurity issues.
How much does TryHackMe cost?
TryHackMe offers a free individual account, alongside paid Premium and MAX subscriptions. The free tier provides access to selected rooms, limited learning-path content, and up to one hour of AttackBox use per day.
Premium, from $18.11 per month, unlocks full access to beginner learning pathways, certificates of completion, and unlimited AttackBox usage, while MAX, from $30.73 per month, adds advanced pathways and broader access to the platform's content.
For schools, colleges, and universities, TryHackMe offers a separate education license with classroom management and reporting features. Its education pricing starts at $30 per user per month, using tokens that represent one student for one month. This allows institutions to scale usage around their cohorts rather than committing to a fixed number of seats for the entire year.
TryHackMe Tips
- Start with the right learning pathway
Choose content that matches students' existing knowledge and the lesson's objectives. Avoid assigning advanced penetration-testing challenges before students understand the underlying concepts. - Use rooms to reinforce classroom teaching
Introduce a concept in class before asking students to practice it on TryHackMe. A lesson on network protocols, for example, can be followed by a relevant activity that asks students to apply their understanding. - Set clear objectives for each activity
Tell students what they should learn or demonstrate before they begin. They might need to identify a vulnerability, explain how an attack works, or describe a defensive measure. Clear objectives provide the activity with a purpose and a basis for follow-up questions and assessment. - Make use of assignments and progress reports
Educators using the education platform can assign activities to individuals or groups, set deadlines, and review completion reports. Check progress during the exercise rather than waiting until the deadline, so students who are struggling can receive help before they fall behind. - Follow up with discussion
Ask students to explain what they discovered, why a vulnerability matters, and how a system could be protected against the attack they explored. This encourages them to think beyond finding the correct answer and develop a deeper understanding of cybersecurity principles.
