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Compare certifications
Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
ISACA · professional
CCOACertified Cybersecurity Operations Analyst
ISACA certification for SOC analysts with hybrid exam of multiple choice and performance-based questions. Focus on incident detection, response, and threat analysis. New since 2024.
Official pageCompTIA · associate
CySA+CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst+
SOC analyst skills: triage, log analysis, vulnerability management basics.
Official pageComparing
ISACACCOA
CompTIACySA+
› Cost
Exam fee
CCOA$575
CySA+$404
Exam fee
$575
$404
Annual maintenance fee
CCOA$45/yr
CySA+$50/yr
Annual maintenance fee
$45/yr
$50/yr
3-year cost of ownership
CCOA$710
CySA+$554
3-year cost of ownership
$710
$554
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
CCOA450/800 (scaled)
CySA+750/900 (~83%)
Pass mark
450/800 (scaled)
750/900 (~83%)
Retake policy
CCOA$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
CySA+$404 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$575 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
$404 fee · 0d wait
Study time
CCOA60–120 hrs
CySA+60–120 hrs
Study time
60–120 hrs
60–120 hrs
Validity
CCOA3 yrs
CySA+3 yrs
Validity
3 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
CCOA20 CPEs
CySA+20 CPEs
CPE / yr
20 CPEs
20 CPEs
Delivery
CCOAtest center
CySA+test center
Delivery
test center
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
CCOA$95K – $145K
CySA+$75K – $110K
Range
$95K – $145K
$75K – $110K
Median
CCOA$115,000
CySA+$92,000
Median
$115,000
$92,000
Premium %
CCOA—
CySA+—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
CCOASOC analyst tier 2 / threat hunter, US, 2-5 years.
CySA+SOC analyst tier 2 / threat hunter, US, 2–5 years.
Role context
SOC analyst tier 2 / threat hunter, US, 2-5 years.
SOC analyst tier 2 / threat hunter, US, 2–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
CCOA7.0
CySA+7.0
Schema quality
7.0
7.0
Practice evidence
CCOA4.0
CySA+5.0
Practice evidence
4.0
5.0
Maintenance
CCOA6.0
CySA+7.0
Maintenance
6.0
7.0
Market recognition
CCOA4.0
CySA+8.0
Market recognition
4.0
8.0
Average
CCOA5.3
CySA+6.8
Average
5.3
6.8
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
CCOAGlobal
CySA+Global · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
CCOA—
CySA+✓
ISO 17024 accredited
—
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
CCOA—
CySA+✓
DoD 8140 baseline
—
✓
Holders worldwide
CCOA—
CySA+50,000
Holders worldwide
—
50,000
Current version
CCOALaunched 2024 (2024-04)
CySA+CS0-003 (2023-06)
Current version
Launched 2024 (2024-04)
CS0-003 (2023-06)
› Domain coverage
A10Security Operations
CCOA● core
CySA+● core
A10Security Operations
● core
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
CCOA● core
CySA+● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
● core
● core
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
CCOA·
CySA+○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
·
○ touched
A7Incident Response & Forensics
CCOA·
CySA+○ touched
A7Incident Response & Forensics
·
○ touched
A8Threat Intelligence
CCOA·
CySA+● core
A8Threat Intelligence
·
● core
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.