ACI Learning Skill Labs vs Purple Academy by Picus: 2026 Comparison
ACI Learning Skill Labs is a commercial cyber range training tool by ACI Learning. Purple Academy by Picus is a free cyber range training tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best cyber range training fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Academic programs and corporate training teams need ACI Learning Skill Labs because it actually lets students break things hands-on instead of watching videos, which is the only way network and security fundamentals stick. The CollegePro sets align with real course calendars across years 1-2, and auto-grading cuts instructor overhead on repetitive validation work. This is built for schools and training departments, not for security operations teams looking to upskill existing staff on incident response or threat hunting; if your goal is certifications and foundational competency, this works; if you need role-specific depth for security engineers already in the field, look elsewhere.
Security teams building internal red team capability or onboarding junior analysts will find Purple Academy's free tier valuable because you get structured attack scenarios and hands-on labs without budget friction. The platform covers Red, Blue, and Purple Team tracks with lab environments that let defenders practice detection and response against realistic attack paths, which beats reading documentation. Skip this if your team needs certification-tied compliance training or wants vendor-specific deep dives; Purple Academy is strongest for foundational threat emulation skills.
