ORNA AI Crisis Simulation vs SmashTheStack Wargaming Network: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
ORNA AI Crisis Simulation is a commercial cyber range training tool by ORNA Inc.. SmashTheStack Wargaming Network 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:
Security leaders running lean incident response teams will get the most from ORNA AI Crisis Simulation because AI-generated scenarios let you run realistic tabletop exercises without hiring expensive facilitators or spending months building custom playbooks. The platform covers NIST RS.MA incident management and GV.RR roles and responsibilities, which means your team walks out with both muscle memory and clear ownership chains rather than theoretical knowledge. Skip this if your organization needs drill-down technical controls testing; ORNA trains people and processes, not your actual tech stack.
SmashTheStack Wargaming Network
Penetration testers who need hands-on practice against realistic infrastructure will benefit most from SmashTheStack Wargaming Network, since it offers free access to deliberately vulnerable systems without the friction of lab setup or approval cycles. The platform hosts persistent wargaming challenges designed by the community, letting practitioners drill exploitation techniques against actual misconfigurations rather than sanitized tutorials. Skip this if your team needs instructor-led curriculum or compliance-aligned scenario design; SmashTheStack is self-directed and skill-level agnostic, so onboarding junior pentesters requires existing expertise in your group.
