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Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
OffSec · professional
OSCPOffensive Security Certified Professional
Hands-on penetration testing — exploitation, privilege escalation, AD attacks.
Official pageComparing
GIACGCPN
OffSecOSCP
› Cost
Exam fee
GCPN$979
OSCP$1,649
Exam fee
$979
$1,649
Annual maintenance fee
GCPN—
OSCP—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
GCPN$979
OSCP$1,649
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$1,649
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GCPN69% (scaled per attempt)
OSCP70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Pass mark
69% (scaled per attempt)
70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Retake policy
GCPN$999 fee · 30d wait
OSCP$249 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$249 fee · 0d wait
Study time
GCPN150–280 hrs
OSCP300–600 hrs
Study time
150–280 hrs
300–600 hrs
Validity
GCPN4 yrs
OSCP3 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
GCPN9 CPEs
OSCP30 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
30 CPEs
Delivery
GCPNmixed
OSCPpractical lab
Delivery
mixed
practical lab
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GCPN$130K – $195K
OSCP$110K – $170K
Range
$130K – $195K
$110K – $170K
Median
GCPN$155,000
OSCP$135,000
Median
$155,000
$135,000
Premium %
GCPN—
OSCP—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GCPNCloud penetration tester, US, 4-6 years. Niche specialty with strong demand.
OSCPPenetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
Cloud penetration tester, US, 4-6 years. Niche specialty with strong demand.
Penetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GCPN8.0
OSCP8.5
Schema quality
8.0
8.5
Practice evidence
GCPN6.5
OSCP9.5
Practice evidence
6.5
9.5
Maintenance
GCPN7.5
OSCP7.0
Maintenance
7.5
7.0
Market recognition
GCPN5.5
OSCP9.5
Market recognition
5.5
9.5
Average
GCPN6.9
OSCP8.6
Average
6.9
8.6
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GCPNGlobal
OSCPGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GCPN—
OSCP—
ISO 17024 accredited
—
—
DoD 8140 baseline
GCPN—
OSCP—
DoD 8140 baseline
—
—
Holders worldwide
GCPN—
OSCP30,000
Holders worldwide
—
30,000
Current version
GCPN2024 SEC588 refresh (2024-06)
OSCPPEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
Current version
2024 SEC588 refresh (2024-06)
PEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
GCPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
·
⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
GCPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
·
⚠ gap
A2Network Security
GCPN·
OSCP● core
A2Network Security
·
● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GCPN·
OSCP○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
·
○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
GCPN·
OSCP○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
GCPN·
OSCP● core
A4Application Security
·
● core
A5Cloud Security
GCPN● core
OSCP·
A5Cloud Security
● core
·
A6Identity & Access Management
GCPN·
OSCP● core
A6Identity & Access Management
·
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
GCPN● core
OSCP● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
● core
● core
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
GCPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
·
⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
GCPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
·
⚠ gap
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