Intro
As an offensive security professional, or as someone aspiring to break into the field, the training opportunities in the offensive security domain have expanded over the last few years. This is very good news for anyone looking to hone their skills and learn new things, however it can become quite a maze with the many training offerings out there.
In my previous role at a major security services provider in EU, I was the main responsible for mapping out the relevant trainings and creating training paths for the offensive team. The main challenge was to find the right balance between relevant and up to date training content, and a recognized certification in the industry to put on our resumes.
That’s why I decided to create a summary of practical courses, certifications and in-person instructed training offerings out there in 2025 and share it with the community. The following list contains training options based on my own research and recommendations by peers. Although it does not include every option out there, I think that the trainings in this list are among the best options.
Since this list has grown larger than I initially expected I have decided to split this post into multiple parts. This first part will contain an overview of general offensive security content, whereas the following parts will include more specific topics. Below you can find a summary of the blog posts:
Disclaimer: The opinions stated in this article are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or other affiliations I have/had. Next to that, courses are not listed in a specific order (this is no ranking by any means). Just because a course is listed in my post does not mean I have actively taken or bought the course, although I have participated in many of these and plan on taking more from this list.
TL;DR
If you are only interested in a summary, I have included a table at the end of every chapter with the necessary information.
General Pentesting
The general pentesting trainings cover the entry into the offensive security field. The trainings listed in this section will help you get a foot in the door if you’re looking to get a job as an aspiring pentester or to strengthen your position when you landed your first job as one. The list contains relevant, not you CEH, training material and certification exams. Although not every certification has the same recognition or value, they do contain more or less the same topics.
Hack The Box (HTB)
Hack The Box Labs
HTB Labs offers a catalog of vulnerable machines and challenges you can hack/break into to learn real-world penetration testing skills. The labs range from entry-level to insane level difficulty boxes. It is an excellent training ground for practical skills and can be a help for pursuing multiple certifications.
Cost
The Active and Seasonal machines are free.
VIP+ costs €21/month or €190/year (excl. VAT). This gives access to the whole content library and personal machine instances.
Hack The Box Academy
I wanted to separately highlight the HTB academy, as the platform gives access to multiple job role paths as well as learning modules from entry-level to expert topics to explore for a fair price. Additionally, they offer multiple certifications. Some of them are highlighted throughout this blog series. The advantage is that once you have completed your modules, you retain access to them even after your subscription expires.
Cost
The HTB academy comes in different tiers:
- Silver Annual €410 (excl. VAT), including 1 exam voucher + 1 free retake
- Gold Annual €1.055 (excl. VAT), including 1 exam voucher + 1 free retake
HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (HTB CPTS)
The CPTS is a relatively new alternative to the OSCP. Teaching the pentest basics and giving the learner enough time to solve realistic pentest challenges during an exam. The course forces you to complete every module to ensure that you’ll learn everything the course has to offer.
Cost
To access the CPTS course only the silver subscription is required. This costs €410 (excl. VAT) for 1 year, including 1 exam voucher + 1 free retake.
INE Security
INE Security Junior Penetration Tester (eJPT)
INE’s entry-level pentester certification. This course covers the knowledge and skills required to fulfill a role as an entry-level penetration tester. It serves as a prequel to the eCCPT.
Cost
$249 (excl. VAT) for 3 months course (fundamentals) access + 1 exam attempt + 1 free retake.
INE Security Certified Professional Penetration Tester (eCPPT)
The Professional Penetration tester training path focusses on practical, hands-on training. This learning path lays the foundation for becoming a proficient penetration tester in today’s digital landscape. The eCCPT continues where the eJPT left off and is INE’s equivalent to the OSCP. It is considered to be more guided than the course material for the OSCP and therefore easier to learn. Although it is not as recognized as the OSCP.
Cost
$599 (excl. VAT) for 3 months of premium pass* access + 1 exam attempt + 1 free retake. Afterwards, its $749 (excl. VAT) for the Premium pass annually. The premium pass gives access to INE’s entire content library.
OffSec
Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP/OSCP+)
The OSCP is “The” certification that proves you are a skilled penetration tester, by testing you in a 24 hours exam requiring you to solve 3 box challenges and an AD environment. The OSCP certificate is one of the most recognized entry-level cyber security certifications out there. Although it may be the most recognized certification out there, the course material is not considered to cover all the required knowledge for the exam. It is highly recommended to use other study material to train for the OSCP.
Cost
The course is available in different pricing:
- Standalone course: including 1 exam attempt, including 90 days lab access ($1.749) (excl. VAT)
- Learn One annual subscription: including fundamental courses, KLCP and OSWP ($2.749) (excl. VAT)
- Learn Unlimited annual subscription: including access to all of OffSec courses and unlimited exam attempts ($6.099) (excl. VAT)
Kali Linux Certified Professional (KLCP)
As OffSec are the creators of the Kali Linux OS, they created this course to teach you the ins and outs of the Kali Linux Operating system. The exam is a 90 min multiple choice assignment.
Cost
The course itself is free; however, if you want to do the exam you have to subscribe to one of OffSec’s subscriptions:
- Learn One annual subscription: including fundamental courses, KLCP and OSWP ($2.749) (excl. VAT)
- Learn Unlimited annual subscription: including access to all of OffSec courses and unlimited exam attempts ($6.099) (excl. VAT)
TCM Security
Practical Network Penetration Tester (PNPT)
With the PNPT, TCM Security offers another alternative to the widely known OSCP from OffSec. The PNPT focuses on network pentesting covering topics such as AD, privilege escalations, etc. and is an entry level penetration testing certificate.
Cost
$499 (excl. VAT) for 12 months of on-demand access + 1 exam attempts + 1 free retake.
TryHackMe
TryHackMe Learn Modules
Although their training module catalog is not as extensive as that of their competitors, TryHackMe offers training resources at a much lower price.
Cost
Free €126 /year or €16,99/month (excl. VAT)
TryHackMe PT1
The first-ever penetration testing certification from TryHackMe. A beginner friendly pentest certification that focuses on Web, Network and AD pentest knowledge.
Cost
€297 (excl. VAT) for 3 months course access + 1 exam attempt + 1 free retake.
Overview
| Training Name | Certification Name | Vendor | Training Format | Certification | Level | Cost (excl. VAT) | Info | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hack The Box Labs | X | Hack The Box | Labs | No | Various | Free or €190 (VIP+) | VIP+: Annual Subscription | Subscription Link |
| Hack The Box Academy | X | Hack The Box | On-Demand course, Labs | No | Various | Silver plan: €410, Gold plan: €1.055 | Annual Subscription | Academy Link |
| Penetration Tester Job-Role Path | HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (HTB CPTS) | Hack The Box | On-Demand course, Labs | Non-proctered exam, 7days, hands-on lab + report | Entry-level | €410 | Annual subscription, 1 exam attempt + retake, 100% course completion required | Course Link |
| Junior Penetration Tester | eLearn Junior Penetration Tester | INE Security | On-Demand course, videos | Non-proctored exam, 48 hours, hands-on lab + multiple choice | Entry-level | $249 | 3 Month access 1 exam attempt + retake | Course Link |
| Penetration Testing Professional | INE Security’s Certified Professional Penetration Tester (eCCPT) | INE Security | On-Demand course, videos, labs | Non-proctored exam, 7 days (+7 days), Hands-on lab + report | Entry-level / Intermediate | $599 | 3 Month access 1 exam attempt + retake | Course Link |
| PEN-200: Penetration Testing with Kali Linux | OffSec Certified Professional (OSCP/OSCP+) | OffSec | On-Demand course, Labs | Proctored, 24 hours (+24 hours), hands-on lab + report | Entry-level | $1.749 | 3 Month lab access 1 exam attempt | Course Link |
| PEN-103: Kali Linux Revealed | Kali Linux Certified Professional (KLCP) | OffSec | On-Demand course | Proctored exam, 90 minutes, multiple choice | Entry-level | Free | Exam only available via annual subscription | Course Link |
| Practical Network Penetration Tester | Practical Network Penetration Tester (PNPT) | TCM Security | On-Demand course, Labs (local) | Non-proctored exam, 5 days (+2 days), hands-on lab + report | Entry-Level | $499 | Annual Subscription | Course Link |
| TryHackMe Rooms | X | TryHackMe | On-Demand course, Labs | No | Various | Free; €126 | Annual Subscription | Labs Link |
| The Jr Penetration Tester | The Jr Penetration Tester (PT1) | TryHackMe | On-Demand course, Labs | Non-proctored exam, 2 days, hands-on lab + report | Entry-Level | $297 | Annual Subscription | Course Link |
Footnote
The trainings listed here are based on publicly available information as of October 2025, and prices or details may change over time.
If you know of other pentesting trainings that deserve a mention, feel free to reach out. I’d love to include them in future updates or upcoming parts of the series.
Additional Resources
- Security Certification Roadmap - Paul Jerimy: https://pauljerimy.com/security-certification-roadmap/
- Synack Pathways: https://www.synack.com/red-team/pathways/
- Unlocking the power of Red Teaming: An overview of trainings and certifications - Steffen Rogge: https://blog.nviso.eu/2023/07/31/unlocking-the-power-of-red-teaming-an-overview-of-trainings-and-certifications/