How to get started with Hack The Box | A thorough comparison of free and paid plans, Labs and Academy

are aspiring to become security engineers and want to improve their skills through CTFs
may have become interested in Hack the Box (HTB) because of this desire.

However, when you actually look at the official website, you'll see a variety of services (Labs, Academy, CTF, Business, etc.), and to be honest, you might be wondering, Which one should I pay for?

In this article, I will explain everything for beginners,
based on my experience of and seriously learning about it with a paid plan.

One option is to try it for free, but I decided to sign up for a paid plan right from the start
because I felt that if I was serious about it, I would get better results if I invested in the environment from the start.

Let's take a look at how to make the best choices to grow efficiently with Hack The Box.

A hands-on training environment for security engineers, CTF players, and learners alike. Create an account now and try hacking a virtual lab yourself. *If you want to learn seriously, we recommend Labs' VIP plan or higher. The free plan has limitations on the number of machines, features, and explanations, making it insufficient for efficient growth. With VIP or higher, you can also use past machines, write-ups, and guide features, making learning much easier.
  

What is Hack The Box?

Hack The Box (HTB) an online platform that provides hands-on training in cybersecurity techniques .

Engineers and students from all over the world participate in this program, where they will acquire security skills by actually attacking a virtual machine (VM) that is a target of attack.

HTB has three main pillars of services:

Labs = Training Platform

Labs a training environment where .

• Connect to a vulnerable virtual machine and obtain flags while actually attacking and infiltrating
• A wide range of options from "Starting Point" for beginners to "Pro Labs" for advanced users
• Machines are divided into categories such as Web, Pwn, Forensics, and Crypto.
• Paid VIP plan allows access to multiple environments, including older machines
• There is also a separate plan available that is more practical than ProLabs.

Academy = Learning platform

a learning platform where you can learn systematically through lectures and exercises .

• Learn security technologies step by step in a tutorial format
• Each module consists of an explanation, practical exercises, and quizzes.
• Wide range of topics including Linux, Privilege Escalation, Web Exploitation, etc.
• You can learn some things for free, but if you want to get serious about it, you'll need a monthly subscription.

Hack The Box's have
separate billing systems For example, paying for the Labs VIP plan does not mean you'll have access to all of the Academy materials, so be sure to pay for the one that best suits your needs

HTB CTF = Events and Tournaments

an event-style CTF (Capture the Flag) tournament hosted by Hack the Box .
There are individual and team events, where you can test your skills in a highly advanced environment that is just like the real thing.

• Held during limited-time events (usually for a few days)
• Many of the challenges involve working together as a team.
• Difficulty level: intermediate to advanced
• Top performers will be featured on the leaderboard and receive badges

Next, let's take a closer look at the features and differences of each service offered by Hack The Box.

Plan List and Pricing | Which one should you pay for? → We recommend Labs!

Hack The Box offers a variety of plans to suit different learning styles, but in this article we will mainly introduce the "Labs" plan, which is primarily focused on exercises

To help you answer the question, "Which one should I pay for?", we have summarized the contents and differences of each plan in an easy-to-understand manner.

Labs Plans and Pricing

The free plan is for trial use. It is not suitable for beginners.

Hack The Box's free plan is perfect for getting a feel for the service, but it's not suitable for serious learning . Beginners, in particular, often find themselves stuck in situations where they don't know how to proceed or can't check the correct answer.

• Basically, only the active machine can be used (there is no write-up while it is active).
• Pwnbox (a virtual environment in your browser) can only be used for 2 hours in its lifetime
• Official write-ups and guided modes are not supported
• When I get stuck, I can't look at the answer and learn.
• Lab Access (problem environment) also has 8 shared servers, so response is slow

As a result, beginners are more likely to find themselves in a state where they don't know what they don't know, and are more likely to give up halfway through.

Pwnbox works fine as long as your local OS is Linux (we recommend Kali Linux), but it will be easier if you can do everything within HackTheBox at first.

The VIP plan ($14 per month) is a standard plan that beginners can use with confidence.

By subscribing to the VIP plan, all of Hack The Box's features will be unlocked, creating an environment where even beginners can easily continue learning.

• Access to over 400 machines (including retired machines)
• All challenges and Sherlocks are unlocked (Write-up is also available except for active ones, so it's easy to try them out)
• Guided Mode guides beginners through the operation process step by step
• You can refer to the official write-ups and video explanations
• Pwnbox is also available for up to 24 hours per month.
• Support is prioritized over free support

The flow of "I don't understand → I research → I understand → I try" becomes smoother, which makes learning much more efficient. is the de facto starting point for beginners to learn with confidence

The VIP+ plan ($20/month) is for those who want a more comfortable and efficient training environment.

The VIP plan is sufficient for learning and practice, but VIP+ is ideal for those who want to use Hack The Box every day or who want to learn in a more stress-free environment

In addition to all the features of VIP, VIP+ also provides access to "Personal Machine Instances," which improves the response of the attacking server and makes it more comfortable.

In addition, Pwnbox (a Linux environment on the cloud) available for unlimited use , so you can practice immediately, as many times as you like, and from anywhere without having to set up a local environment.

• All VIP features are available (including number of machines, write-up, Guided Mode, etc.)
• Pwnbox an unlimited time (completed on the cloud)
• Personal Machine Instances (your own instance) for a more comfortable experience.

If you've used it this far, you might be better off setting up a local Linux machine instead of Pwnbox, but if it's available without any restrictions, you might only use it when you're out and about.

A hands-on training environment for security engineers, CTF players, and learners alike. Create an account now and try hacking a virtual lab yourself. *If you want to learn seriously, we recommend Labs' VIP plan or higher. The free plan has limitations on the number of machines, features, and explanations, making it insufficient for efficient growth. With VIP or higher, you can also use past machines, write-ups, and guide features, making learning much easier.
  

Academy Plans and Pricing

Academy is not the main service I want to introduce this time, so I will briefly introduce it in a table.
Basically, modules (learning materials) are unlocked with credits .
The more credits you receive each month, the more advanced the learning materials you can tackle.

There are no major differences in functionality other than the number of modules, so it's a good idea to choose a plan that suits the volume of material you want to study

How to register for HackTheBox VIP or higher

You cannot register for VIP or higher level on HackTheBox right away, so you must first register for the free plan.
the HackTheBox account page and register an account! (It's free up to this point.)

\ You can also move from here! /

Once your account is registered, it will look like this.
There will be an "Update" button, so press it.

On the screen you are redirected to by clicking Update, you will be asked to choose between VIP and VIP+. Select your preferred plan and complete the payment to use VIP/VIP+! (The annual plan is more economical as it comes with a discount, but I think the one-month plan is a good choice for a trial.)

If you're serious about it, we recommend Labs VIP or above!

Hack The Box offers several services, but Labs is undoubtedly the best choice for those who want to learn through hands-on experience and grow through CTFs and security exercises

The free plan is only for getting a feel for the game, and the content you can learn is limited. There are only a few machines, limited practice content, and no explanations, so beginners tend to end up "not being able to do anything."

On the other hand, at VIP level and above, the number of accessible machines and challenges expands dramatically, and write-ups and guided modes are also available, allowing you to progress independently and quickly learn more if you get stuck . This makes a big difference in learning efficiency.

On the other hand, while Academy is a good service for systematic learning, it is structured as "read → review questions → exercises," and is more of a classroom-based progression . Compared to practical, free-flowing experiences like security work or CTFs, it is somewhat restrictive and may not be satisfying for those who want to improve in the shortest possible time.

That's why, if you want to learn with a focus on practice, Labs and the VIP or higher plan are the most balanced and efficient.
I feel that this is not something you should "switch to after doing it for a while," but something that "should be chosen by those who are serious about it from the beginning."

A hands-on training environment for security engineers, CTF players, and learners alike. Create an account now and try hacking a virtual lab yourself. *If you want to learn seriously, we recommend Labs' VIP plan or higher. The free plan has limitations on the number of machines, features, and explanations, making it insufficient for efficient growth. With VIP or higher, you can also use past machines, write-ups, and guide features, making learning much easier.