Comparison
2LRN4 vs CyberHeroes: a story with game elements or a multi-year programme?
CyberHeroes was launched in 2026 by Hero Center, known for HackShield, together with Northwave. The programme uses storytelling, game elements and daily missions to change behaviour, while 2LRN4 works with a multi-year course programme with testing and evidence per employee. The facts are side by side below, with the source for each.
CyberHeroes was developed by Hero Center and Northwave Cyber Security and is offered as a service within Northwave's portfolio. It consists of five interactive scenario chapters with four levels, including challenges, videos and puzzles, daily missions and team discussions on the themes. Through HackShield, children can take part at home as Junior Cyber Agents.
2LRN4 is a European security awareness platform that combines phishing simulation, e-learning and NIS2 governance reporting in one platform. Built for organizations that need evidence, cadence and manageability.
Comparison on key capabilities
| Capability | CyberHeroes | 2LRN4 |
|---|---|---|
| Who delivers it | Hero Center and Northwave together, as a service within Northwave's portfolio. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes, 16-10-2026 | Cyber Inc's own platform, available directly or through a partner delivering under its own name. |
| Structure of the programme | Five interactive scenario chapters with four levels, plus daily missions and team discussions. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes, 16-10-2026 | More than 60 courses and 200 modules, spread over twelve courses a year for five years without repetition. |
| Topics | Social engineering, account security, reporting incidents, handling information, and installing apps and updates. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes, 16-10-2026 | The same topics, plus privacy and GDPR, AI literacy for the EU AI Act and topics per sector and role. |
| Languages | No number on the page. Content, branding and language can be customised. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes, 16-10-2026 | 27 languages, available as standard. |
| Phishing simulation | Not established. On the page phishing appears only as a scenario topic, not as a simulation with your own campaigns. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes, 16-10-2026 | Unlimited campaigns from Flexible, with custom templates in Freedom. Available as an add-on with First. |
| Your own LMS | Not established. The page mentions neither SCORM nor an integration with your own learning environment. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes, 16-10-2026 | SCORM in three variants and LTI 1.3 with LTI Advantage, returning results to your gradebook. |
| Reporting | Periodic reports with key figures on participation, completion and improvement. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes, 16-10-2026 | Reporting per employee, department and organisation that you request and export yourself, built around Articles 20 and 21 of the Dutch implementation of NIS2. |
| Pricing information | Packages put together in a conversation, without amounts on the website. Source: northwave-cybersecurity.com/services/cyberheroes en 2lrn4.com/nl/pricing, 16-10-2026 | Tiered prices per licence and term are published on the website. |
Quality of the training
A feature comparison says little about what employees actually learn. That is why we assess learning quality separately, on seven criteria with a fixed way of measuring each one.
| Criterion | How we assess it | 2LRN4 | CyberHeroes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instructional design | Goal, scenario, decision, feedback and testing; independent review | Every course consists of short modules with a scenario and ends with a test. 1,363 of the 1,390 courses in the platform have at least one test. Source: Count in the platform, 16 Oct 2026 | Not established |
| Level of interaction | Share of meaningful choices and scenario exercises | Modules are interactive SCORM packages with decision points; the share of meaningful choices per module has not been measured. Source: 4,069 SCORM modules in the platform, 16 Oct 2026; share of choices not established | Not established |
| Presentation and currency | Date of last revision and currency of the scenarios | Twelve courses a year in a multi-year programme, with new topics each year instead of repetition. Source: Course library on 2lrn4.com, 16 Oct 2026 | Not established |
| Practical relevance | Fit with role, risk and current threats | Dutch practical context, covering NIS2 topics and courses per role and risk. Source: Course library and sector pages, 16 Oct 2026 | Not established |
| Accessibility | Subtitles, operability, language level and WCAG | Videos have burned-in subtitles, the learning environment partially meets WCAG 2.2 AA and the open points are listed in our accessibility statement. 27 languages. Source: Accessibility statement on 2lrn4.com and language table in the platform, 16 Oct 2026 | Not established |
| Testing and knowledge retention | Feedback on the test and retesting after 30 and 90 days | A test per course with immediate feedback; retesting after 30 and 90 days is not measured yet. Source: Platform, 16 Oct 2026 | Not established |
| Repetition and behaviour change | Indicators with a baseline and a control group | Phishing simulation and reporting show click and report behaviour per department. Effect on behaviour with a baseline and control group has not been established. Source: Platform, 16 Oct 2026 | Not established |
For CyberHeroes we will only publish a judgement after both platforms have been tested with the same cases and the same reviewers. Until then it says "Not established", because an empty cell beats a claim we cannot support. Checked on 2026-10-16.
If you want to take employees through a single storyline with game elements, value team discussions and daily missions, and like that children can join in at home through HackShield.
If you need new topics year after year, have to train in more languages, want to export evidence per employee yourself for NIS2, or want to deliver the courses in your own learning environment.
Frequently asked questions
No. HackShield is Hero Center's game for children. CyberHeroes is the programme for employees that Hero Center developed together with Northwave. According to their page, children can join in at home through HackShield.
Yes, the courses use scenarios, decision points and a test with immediate feedback, and there are game formats inside the modules. The single storyline across all topics and the daily missions that CyberHeroes uses are not part of our programme.
We will only say that once we have measured it, with the same cases and the same reviewers for both platforms. Until then the rubric above says “Not established”.
On their page phishing appears only as a scenario topic, not as a simulation you set up yourself. We have the simulation in the platform, with unlimited campaigns from Flexible and click and report behaviour per department in the reporting.
Want to make the comparison yourself?
In a demo we show how 2LRN4 works for your organization type, sector and compliance goals. We discuss how phishing, training and reporting come together and address the points most relevant to you.