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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.
ISC2 · expert
CISSPCertified Information Systems Security Professional
Breadth across security engineering, architecture, operations, and governance at senior-IC / manager level. The default senior-generalist signal.
Official pageISC2 · professional
CCSPCertified Cloud Security Professional
Cloud security architecture: shared responsibility, identity, data protection, crypto, and cloud-native detection.
Official pageComparing
ISC2CISSP
ISC2CCSP
› Cost
Exam fee
CISSP$749
CCSP$599
Exam fee
$749
$599
Annual maintenance fee
CISSP$135/yr
CCSP$135/yr
Annual maintenance fee
$135/yr
$135/yr
3-year cost of ownership
CISSP$1,154
CCSP$1,004
3-year cost of ownership
$1,154
$1,004
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
CISSP700/1000 (CAT-derived)
CCSP700/1000 (scaled)
Pass mark
700/1000 (CAT-derived)
700/1000 (scaled)
Retake policy
CISSP$749 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
CCSP$599 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Retake policy
$749 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
$599 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Study time
CISSP150–300 hrs
CCSP100–180 hrs
Study time
150–300 hrs
100–180 hrs
Validity
CISSP3 yrs
CCSP3 yrs
Validity
3 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
CISSP40 CPEs
CCSP30 CPEs
CPE / yr
40 CPEs
30 CPEs
Delivery
CISSPtest center
CCSPtest center
Delivery
test center
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
CISSP$130K – $200K
CCSP$130K – $190K
Range
$130K – $200K
$130K – $190K
Median
CISSP$155,000
CCSP$155,000
Median
$155,000
$155,000
Premium %
CISSP+12%
CCSP—
Premium %
+12%
—
Role context
CISSPSenior security engineer / architect, US, 5+ years experience.
CCSPCloud security engineer / architect, US, 4+ years.
Role context
Senior security engineer / architect, US, 5+ years experience.
Cloud security engineer / architect, US, 4+ years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
CISSP9.0
CCSP8.5
Schema quality
9.0
8.5
Practice evidence
CISSP1.5
CCSP2.5
Practice evidence
1.5
2.5
Maintenance
CISSP8.0
CCSP8.5
Maintenance
8.0
8.5
Market recognition
CISSP9.5
CCSP8.5
Market recognition
9.5
8.5
Average
CISSP7.0
CCSP7.0
Average
7.0
7.0
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
CISSPGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
CCSPGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK · DACH
Global · US · EU · UK · DACH
ISO 17024 accredited
CISSP✓
CCSP✓
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
CISSP✓
CCSP—
DoD 8140 baseline
✓
—
Holders worldwide
CISSP190,000
CCSP30,000
Holders worldwide
190,000
30,000
Current version
CISSP2024 CBK refresh (2024-04)
CCSP2022 CBK refresh (2022-08)
Current version
2024 CBK refresh (2024-04)
2022 CBK refresh (2022-08)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
CISSP● core
CCSP·
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
● core
·
A10Security Operations
CISSP● core
CCSP○ touched
A10Security Operations
● core
○ touched
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
CISSP● core
CCSP○ touched
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
● core
○ touched
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
CISSP● core
CCSP● core
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
● core
● core
A13Supply Chain Security
CISSP○ touched
CCSP○ touched
A13Supply Chain Security
○ touched
○ touched
A14OT/ICS Security
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP⚠ gap
A14OT/ICS Security
⚠ gap
⚠ gap
A15Cryptography
CISSP● core
CCSP● core
A15Cryptography
● core
● core
A18Security Leadership
CISSP○ touched
CCSP·
A18Security Leadership
○ touched
·
A2Network Security
CISSP● core
CCSP·
A2Network Security
● core
·
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
⚠ gap
·
A23Recovery, Resilience & Cyber Recovery
CISSP·
CCSP● core
A23Recovery, Resilience & Cyber Recovery
·
● core
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
CISSP● core
CCSP● core
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
● core
● core
A3Zero Trust Architecture
CISSP● core
CCSP○ touched
A3Zero Trust Architecture
● core
○ touched
A4Application Security
CISSP● core
CCSP·
A4Application Security
● core
·
A5Cloud Security
CISSP○ touched
CCSP● core
A5Cloud Security
○ touched
● core
A6Identity & Access Management
CISSP● core
CCSP● core
A6Identity & Access Management
● core
● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
CISSP○ touched
CCSP·
A7Incident Response & Forensics
○ touched
·
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
CISSP○ touched
CCSP⚠ gap
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
○ touched
⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
⚠ gap
·
B2AI-Driven Security Automation
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
B2AI-Driven Security Automation
⚠ gap
·
B3AI for Vulnerability Management
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
B3AI for Vulnerability Management
⚠ gap
·
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
⚠ gap
⚠ gap
C11Agentic AI Security
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
C11Agentic AI Security
⚠ gap
·
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
⚠ gap
·
C5AI Red Teaming
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
C5AI Red Teaming
⚠ gap
·
C6AI Infrastructure Security
CISSP·
CCSP⚠ gap
C6AI Infrastructure Security
·
⚠ gap
D2Post-Quantum Cryptography
CISSP⚠ gap
CCSP·
D2Post-Quantum Cryptography
⚠ gap
·
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.