What OffSec does

OffSec monetizes through a hybrid self-serve and enterprise model: individuals buy annual subscriptions, memberships, and exam attempts directly, while enterprises license seats at a premium and consume cyber ranges and live training for teams. The company serves both individual practitioners pursuing industry-recognized credentials and large enterprise security teams, with named customers including Amazon, Cisco, Accenture, IBM, Microsoft, Citi, and Salesforce. OffSec was acquired by Leeds Equity Partners in October 2024 in a private equity transaction, following earlier growth investment from Spectrum Equity and Ten Eleven Ventures in 2018. The business model combines recurring subscription revenue, exam and certification fees, enterprise contract revenue, and community-driven funnel conversion from free open-source tools into paid training pathways.

Name

OffSec

Legal name

OffSec Services, LLC

Website

https://offsec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

OffSec is a cybersecurity training company providing hands-on penetration testing certifications, cyber ranges, and learning subscriptions. It serves individual practitioners and enterprises (including Amazon, Cisco, Microsoft, IBM) with the OSCP credential and related offensive security education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Training & Certification Platform

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Computer Training (611420), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Cybersecurity Learning Platforms (EDAFANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications (EDAAANAA), Cybersecurity Technical Skills (Security Engineering, SOC, Pen Testing) (EDABAFAF), Secure Software & DevOps Awareness (Secure Coding Basics) (EDABAGAN), Cybersecurity Training & Awareness Programs (BPAEANAF)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity training
• Penetration testing
• Offensive security
• Security certifications
• Cyber range training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Annual subscriptions (Learn One / Learn Enterprise / Learn Fundamentals / Annual Membership): Recurring annual subscriptions for individuals ($2,749 Learn One, $799 Learn Fundamentals, $299 Annual Membership) and enterprises ($6,299 Learn Enterprise per learner/year). Auto-renews unless cancelled.
2. One-time course + certification bundles (CyberCore, Course + Cert Bundle, OSCP+ Standalone Exam, AI-300): Single-payment product offerings at $899 (CyberCore), $1,749 (Course + Cert Bundle, 90 days of lab access), and $1,699 (OSCP+ Standalone Exam). Includes exam attempts and lab access as defined per bundle.
3. Proving Grounds (freemium practice labs): Free PG Play tier (50+ community machines from VulnHub) and paid PG Practice tier ($19/month or $199/year) with 200+ dedicated OffSec-designed lab environments.
4. Professional penetration testing services: Selective, hands-on offensive security consulting (advanced network pentesting, application security assessment, advanced attack simulation) delivered by OffSec's in-house team; minimum 2-week engagements, averaging 4 weeks and limited to about 10 clients per year.
5. Enterprise Live Training: Custom-priced onsite, instructor-led week-long training engagements for enterprise teams, mapped to certification tracks or organizational priorities.
6. Certification recertification and continuing education: OSCP+ and OSAI+ designations expire every 3 years and require recertification via CPE program, recertification exam, or qualifying exam, generating recurring maintenance revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

OffSec sells a hands-on cybersecurity training and certification platform called the OffSec Learning Library, comprising 14 certifications, 125+ learning paths, 750+ labs, and 7,500+ hours of content, delivered through subscriptions (Learn Fundamentals, Learn One, Learn Enterprise, Annual Membership) and course/cert bundles. Around the platform sit dedicated enterprise Cyber Ranges (Offensive, Defensive, Versus), the Proving Grounds lab environment, instructor-led Live Training, and selective professional Penetration Testing Services conducted by OffSec's in-house offensive security team.

Product overview

OffSec sells a unified cybersecurity training platform — branded as the OffSec Learning Library — that bundles 14 certifications, 125+ learning paths, 750+ labs, and 7,500+ hours of content, delivered through three subscription tiers: Learn Fundamentals ($799/year) for newcomers, Learn One ($2,749/year) for individuals taking one 200/300-level course with exams, and Learn Enterprise ($6,299/year) for organizations needing unlimited library access, Proving Grounds, Cyber Ranges, and Talent Finder. Around the platform sit complementary products: CyberCore ($899) and the Course + Cert Bundle ($1,749) as one-time purchase options, OffSec Proving Grounds (free PG Play and $19/month or $199/year PG Practice) for hands-on lab practice, the Annual Membership Program ($299/year) for ongoing CPE content, and an OSCP+ Standalone Exam ($1,699) for renewals. The catalog of performance-based certification courses — OSAI (AI-300), OSCP/OSCP+ (PEN-200), OSEP (PEN-300), OSWA (WEB-200), OSWE (WEB-300), OSED (EXP-301), OSEE (EXP-401), OSDA (SOC-200), OSTH (TH-200), OSIR (IR-200), OSCC-SEC (SEC-100), OSCC-SJD (SJD-100), KLCP (PEN-103), and OSWP (PEN-210) — feeds into the OSCE³ master certification. Enterprise customers additionally access dedicated Offensive, Defensive, and Versus Cyber Ranges, instructor-led Live Training, and OffSec's boutique Penetration Testing Services. The portfolio is underpinned by OffSec's open-source community projects Kali Linux, Kali NetHunter, Metasploit Unleashed, Exploit Database, and Google Hacking Database.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kali Linux: A cross-platform, open-source toolkit for penetration testing and security auditing, created and maintained by OffSec as a free community project.
• Kali NetHunter
• Kali NetHunter Pro
• Metasploit Unleashed
• Exploit Database
• Google Hacking Database
• OffSec Proving Grounds
• OffSec Cyber Ranges

Products and services

• Learn Fundamentals Introductory annual subscription at $799/year providing one year of access to all fundamental content to prepare individual learners for OffSec's advanced 200- and 300-level courses.
• Learn One Annual individual subscription at $2,749/year providing one year of access to one 200- or 300-level course, the associated hands-on labs, and two exam attempts; works for teams of 2-9 learners.
• Learn Enterprise Enterprise subscription at $6,299 per learner/year (2+ seats) providing unlimited access to the full OffSec Learning Library, Proving Grounds, Cyber Ranges, and Talent Finder, with six exam attempts per seat, reassignable licenses, and volume discounts for organizational teams.
• CyberCore Entry-level course bundle at $899 (one-time) providing one year of access to one 100-level CyberCore course, associated labs, and two exam attempts, leading to OSCC-SEC or OSCC-SJD certification.
• Course + Cert Bundle One-time purchase at $1,749 providing 90 days of access to one 200- or 300-level course, hands-on labs, and a single exam attempt; available for PEN-200, PEN-300, WEB-200, WEB-300, EXP-301, SOC-200, and AI-300.
• OffSec Proving Grounds (PG Play & PG Practice) Hands-on practice lab environment with 200+ machines and 250+ hours of content; PG Play is a free Linux-only tier with 50+ community VulnHub machines, and PG Practice is a paid subscription ($19/month or $199/year) with no time limit, Windows + macOS labs, and retired OSCP exam machines.
• Annual Membership Program (AMP) Always-on $299/year subscription that unlocks a fresh rotation of CPE-eligible labs and content from OffSec's training catalog every quarter to keep certifications active.
• OSCP+ Standalone Exam Standalone OSCP+ exam attempt at $1,699 (one-time) for candidates already prepared; used to maintain the OSCP+ designation every three years.
• Enterprise Cyber Ranges (Offensive, Defensive, Versus) Dedicated, instantly provisionable private cyber range instances tailored to an organization's environment, with admin panel, learner progress reports, and three formats: Offensive (800+ machines, 100+ attack vectors, 42 attack categories), Defensive (220+ defensive labs, 12 defend categories), and Versus live-fire red-vs-blue team tournaments with pre-built network simulations.
• AI-300 OSAI (Advanced AI Red Teaming) Level-300 hands-on course (65 hours of content) culminating in the 24-hour OSAI/OSAI+ proctored exam covering attacks on AI agents, LLMs, multi-agent workflows, RAG pipelines, embeddings, and AI supply chains; OSAI+ designation expires after 3 years.
• PEN-200: Penetration Testing with Kali Linux (OSCP / OSCP+) Foundational 200-level penetration testing course (321 hours of content) with 20+ modules covering enumeration, exploitation, Active Directory, and AWS attacks, leading to the OSCP lifetime and OSCP+ (3-year) certifications.
• PEN-300: Evasion Techniques and Breaching Defenses (OSEP) Advanced 300-level course (671 hours of content) on EDR/AV evasion, client-side attacks, custom payload development, and Active Directory exploitation, leading to the 48-hour OSEP exam.
• WEB-200: Web Attacks with Kali Linux (OSWA) 200-level web application security course (231 hours) covering XSS, CSRF, SQLi, SSRF, XXE, CORS, and SSTI exploitation with Burp Suite and Kali Linux, leading to the OSWA certification.
• WEB-300: Advanced Web Attacks and Exploitation (OSWE) Advanced 300-level web course (105 hours) on white-box source-code analysis, deserialization, SSRF, session hijacking, and exploitation chains, culminating in the 48-hour OSWE exam.
• EXP-301: Windows User Mode Exploit Development (OSED) Intermediate exploit development course (932 hours) on reverse engineering, shellcode writing, and bypassing DEP/ASLR, leading to the OSED certification.
• SOC-200: Security Operations and Defensive Analysis (OSDA) Defensive 200-level course (374 hours) on SOC operations, SIEM-driven detection (ELK, Splunk), incident response, and vulnerability management, leading to the OSDA exam.
• OSCE³ Certification Master-level offensive security certification automatically awarded to candidates who hold the OSWE, OSED, and OSEP credentials, signifying elite exploit development, web, and evasion expertise.
• Instructor-Led Live Training Custom-priced week-long onsite, instructor-led training engagements for enterprise teams, mapped to OffSec certification tracks including offensive foundations, web/application security, advanced exploitation, cloud, AI/LLM security, and purple team readiness.
• Penetration Testing Services Boutique penetration testing offering limited to roughly 10 clients per year with a two-week minimum engagement (averaging four weeks), including advanced attack simulation, application security assessment, and cloud penetration testing, delivered by OffSec's in-house offensive security team.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% faster Mean Time to Remediate (MTTR) on average
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability11 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• KlarnaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKlarna offers buy-now-pay-later financing for OffSec enrollment in the United States, allowing learners to split payments into 3-4 interest-free installments or finance over longer terms (APR 0-35.99%). Available to new and existing OffSec learners via the pricing page.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe powers OffSec's checkout and subscription billing (offsec.com is 'Powered by Stripe'), supporting payment methods including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, Diners Club, and UnionPay International.
• DiscordcoreTechnology or IntegrationOffSec uses Discord (discord.com/invite/offsec) as its primary community platform for weekly office hours, community events, and learner support. Discord is a foundational channel for OffSec's community-led growth motion.
• MITRE (ATT&CK and D3FEND)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffSec maps its learning paths and training to MITRE ATT&CK (offensive tactics and techniques) and MITRE D3FEND (defensive countermeasures), aligning content to adversary behaviors.
• NICE / NIST Workforce FrameworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOffSec's training library maps to the tasks, knowledge, and skill statements of the NICE/NIST Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity, supporting role-based development for SOC analysts, security engineers, incident responders, and penetration testers.
• Fortinet (2024 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report)minorOthersOffSec cites Fortinet's 2024 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report to substantiate employer demand for certifications (91% prefer certified candidates; 89% would pay for an employee's certification; 72% report difficulty finding technology-focused candidates).
• IBM (Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024)minorOthersOffSec cites IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report to quantify the cost of cybersecurity skills gaps: $5.74M average cost for orgs with skill shortages; 22.7% increase in fines over $50,000; 292 days to identify/contain breaches involving stolen credentials.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SANS Institute: SANS is the closest direct competitor to OffSec, offering hands-on cybersecurity training (SEC401, SEC504, etc.), GIAC certifications, and the SANS Cyber Ranges. SANS and OffSec compete head-to-head for enterprise cybersecurity training budgets and individual certification value.
• Hack The Box: Hack The Box offers hands-on cybersecurity labs, CTF-style challenges, and a learning paths/certification-like credential system at significantly lower price points than OffSec, targeting the same pool of aspiring offensive security professionals.
• INE (formerly eLearnSecurity): INE sells hands-on cybersecurity and IT training, including eJPT, eCPPT, and other practical certifications. INE competes with OffSec in penetration testing and enterprise training at lower price points and with a similar hands-on lab model.
• EC-Council: EC-Council offers the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential and a portfolio of cybersecurity certifications. CEH is the most cited competitor to OSCP among employers and competes with OffSec across individual and enterprise channels.
• Cybrary: Cybrary is a cybersecurity workforce development platform offering hands-on labs, learning paths, and team subscriptions. It competes with OffSec Learn Enterprise on price-sensitive enterprise deals and individual learner subscriptions.
• RangeForce: RangeForce provides enterprise cybersecurity simulation and training (similar to OffSec Cyber Ranges) for blue-team and SOC readiness. RangeForce competes with OffSec's Defensive Cyber Range and Versus offerings in enterprise procurement.

Emerging players

• TryHackMe: TryHackMe is an emerging hands-on cybersecurity learning platform focused on beginner-to-intermediate learners. It overlaps with OffSec's Learn Fundamentals tier and Proving Grounds Play free tier, addressing a similar persona at lower price points.

Broad incumbents

• Pluralsight: Pluralsight is a broad tech training platform (now privately held by Vista Equity Partners) offering cybersecurity learning paths alongside cloud, dev, and IT. It competes with OffSec at the low end of enterprise L&D cybersecurity spend.
• Coursera: Coursera partners with universities and companies (Google, IBM, Microsoft) to offer cybersecurity specializations and certificates. Coursera is a broader incumbent competing for entry-level and career-changer cybersecurity learners and their employers.
• CompTIA: CompTIA offers foundational and intermediate cybersecurity certifications (Security+, CySA+, PenTest+) that compete with OffSec's lower-tier (CyberCore/OSCC) and intermediate certs in employer-recognition stakes, particularly in government and defense hiring.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/offsectraining
• Facebookfacebook.com/offsec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/offsec-training

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OffSec