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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.
GIAC / SANS · professional
GCFAGIAC Certified Forensic Analyst
Advanced host forensics, memory analysis, timeline reconstruction.
Official pageGIAC / SANS · professional
GCIHGIAC Certified Incident Handler
Incident handling methodology and lifecycle.
Official pageComparing
GIAC / SANSGCFA
GIAC / SANSGCIH
› Cost
Exam fee
GCFA$979
GCIH$979
Exam fee
$979
$979
Annual maintenance fee
GCFA—
GCIH—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
GCFA$979
GCIH$979
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$979
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GCFA71% (scaled per attempt)
GCIH73% (scaled per attempt)
Pass mark
71% (scaled per attempt)
73% (scaled per attempt)
Retake policy
GCFA$999 fee · 30d wait
GCIH$999 fee · 30d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$999 fee · 30d wait
Study time
GCFA150–250 hrs
GCIH80–150 hrs
Study time
150–250 hrs
80–150 hrs
Validity
GCFA4 yrs
GCIH4 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
4 yrs
CPE / yr
GCFA9 CPEs
GCIH9 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
9 CPEs
Delivery
GCFAonline proctored
GCIHonline proctored
Delivery
online proctored
online proctored
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GCFA$110K – $160K
GCIH$100K – $150K
Range
$110K – $160K
$100K – $150K
Median
GCFA$130,000
GCIH$120,000
Median
$130,000
$120,000
Premium %
GCFA—
GCIH—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GCFADFIR analyst / forensic examiner, US, 5+ years.
GCIHIncident responder / blue team analyst, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
DFIR analyst / forensic examiner, US, 5+ years.
Incident responder / blue team analyst, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GCFA9.0
GCIH8.5
Schema quality
9.0
8.5
Practice evidence
GCFA6.5
GCIH5.5
Practice evidence
6.5
5.5
Maintenance
GCFA8.5
GCIH7.0
Maintenance
8.5
7.0
Market recognition
GCFA8.5
GCIH8.5
Market recognition
8.5
8.5
Average
GCFA8.1
GCIH7.4
Average
8.1
7.4
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GCFAGlobal · US · EU · UK
GCIHGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GCFA✓
GCIH✓
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
GCFA✓
GCIH✓
DoD 8140 baseline
✓
✓
Holders worldwide
GCFA15,000
GCIH25,000
Holders worldwide
15,000
25,000
Current version
GCFA2024 FOR508 refresh (2024-08)
GCIH2024 SEC504 refresh (2024-04)
Current version
2024 FOR508 refresh (2024-08)
2024 SEC504 refresh (2024-04)
› Domain coverage
A10Security Operations
GCFA·
GCIH● core
A10Security Operations
·
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
GCFA·
GCIH○ touched
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
·
○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GCFA● core
GCIH○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
● core
○ touched
A7Incident Response & Forensics
GCFA● core
GCIH● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
● core
● core
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