› Certifications · compare
Compare certifications
Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
Cisco · professional
Cisco COPCisco Certified CyberOps Professional
Cisco Certified CyberOps Professional
Official pageCisco · professional
CCNP SecCisco Certified Network Professional - Security
Cisco Certified Network Professional - Security
Official pageComparing
CiscoCisco COP
CiscoCCNP Sec
› Cost
Exam fee
Cisco COP$300
CCNP Sec$300
Exam fee
$300
$300
Annual maintenance fee
Cisco COP—
CCNP Sec—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
Cisco COP$300
CCNP Sec$300
3-year cost of ownership
$300
$300
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
Cisco COPVariable (~825/1000 scaled)
CCNP SecVariable (~825/1000 scaled)
Pass mark
Variable (~825/1000 scaled)
Variable (~825/1000 scaled)
Retake policy
Cisco COP$300 fee · 5d wait
CCNP Sec$300 fee · 5d wait
Retake policy
$300 fee · 5d wait
$300 fee · 5d wait
Study time
Cisco COP120–240 hrs
CCNP Sec200–400 hrs
Study time
120–240 hrs
200–400 hrs
Validity
Cisco COP3 yrs
CCNP Sec3 yrs
Validity
3 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
Cisco COP30 CPEs
CCNP Sec30 CPEs
CPE / yr
30 CPEs
30 CPEs
Delivery
Cisco COPtest center
CCNP Sectest center
Delivery
test center
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
Cisco COP$110K – $165K
CCNP Sec$110K – $165K
Range
$110K – $165K
$110K – $165K
Median
Cisco COP$135,000
CCNP Sec$130,000
Median
$135,000
$130,000
Premium %
Cisco COP—
CCNP Sec—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
Cisco COPSOC engineer / SecureX-certified analyst, US, 4-6 years.
CCNP SecNetwork security engineer (Cisco-stack), US, 4-6 years.
Role context
SOC engineer / SecureX-certified analyst, US, 4-6 years.
Network security engineer (Cisco-stack), US, 4-6 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
Cisco COP7.0
CCNP Sec8.5
Schema quality
7.0
8.5
Practice evidence
Cisco COP6.0
CCNP Sec7.0
Practice evidence
6.0
7.0
Maintenance
Cisco COP8.0
CCNP Sec8.5
Maintenance
8.0
8.5
Market recognition
Cisco COP6.0
CCNP Sec8.5
Market recognition
6.0
8.5
Average
Cisco COP6.8
CCNP Sec8.1
Average
6.8
8.1
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
Cisco COPGlobal
CCNP SecGlobal
Recognition
Global
Global
ISO 17024 accredited
Cisco COP—
CCNP Sec—
ISO 17024 accredited
—
—
DoD 8140 baseline
Cisco COP—
CCNP Sec—
DoD 8140 baseline
—
—
Holders worldwide
Cisco COP—
CCNP Sec—
Holders worldwide
—
—
Current version
Cisco COPCBRCOR + CBRFIR (2023) (2023-09)
CCNP SecSCOR + concentration exam (2024-02)
Current version
CBRCOR + CBRFIR (2023) (2023-09)
SCOR + concentration exam (2024-02)
› Domain coverage
A10Security Operations
Cisco COP● core
CCNP Sec·
A10Security Operations
● core
·
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
Cisco COP● core
CCNP Sec·
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
● core
·
A2Network Security
Cisco COP·
CCNP Sec● core
A2Network Security
·
● core
A6Identity & Access Management
Cisco COP·
CCNP Sec● core
A6Identity & Access Management
·
● core
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.