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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
GCIAGIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst
Packet and log analysis, detection engineering fundamentals.
Official pageGIAC / SANS · professional
GCIHGIAC Certified Incident Handler
Incident handling methodology and lifecycle.
Official pageComparing
GIAC / SANSGCIA
GIAC / SANSGCIH
› Cost
Exam fee
GCIA$979
GCIH$979
Exam fee
$979
$979
Annual maintenance fee
GCIA—
GCIH—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
GCIA$979
GCIH$979
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$979
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GCIA67% (scaled per attempt)
GCIH73% (scaled per attempt)
Pass mark
67% (scaled per attempt)
73% (scaled per attempt)
Retake policy
GCIA$999 fee · 30d wait
GCIH$999 fee · 30d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$999 fee · 30d wait
Study time
GCIA120–220 hrs
GCIH80–150 hrs
Study time
120–220 hrs
80–150 hrs
Validity
GCIA4 yrs
GCIH4 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
4 yrs
CPE / yr
GCIA9 CPEs
GCIH9 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
9 CPEs
Delivery
GCIAonline proctored
GCIHonline proctored
Delivery
online proctored
online proctored
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GCIA$105K – $160K
GCIH$100K – $150K
Range
$105K – $160K
$100K – $150K
Median
GCIA$130,000
GCIH$120,000
Median
$130,000
$120,000
Premium %
GCIA—
GCIH—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GCIANetwork intrusion analyst / SOC tier 2-3, US, 3-5 years.
GCIHIncident responder / blue team analyst, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
Network intrusion analyst / SOC tier 2-3, US, 3-5 years.
Incident responder / blue team analyst, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GCIA8.5
GCIH8.5
Schema quality
8.5
8.5
Practice evidence
GCIA6.0
GCIH5.5
Practice evidence
6.0
5.5
Maintenance
GCIA6.5
GCIH7.0
Maintenance
6.5
7.0
Market recognition
GCIA6.5
GCIH8.5
Market recognition
6.5
8.5
Average
GCIA6.9
GCIH7.4
Average
6.9
7.4
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GCIAGlobal · US · EU · UK
GCIHGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GCIA✓
GCIH✓
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
GCIA✓
GCIH✓
DoD 8140 baseline
✓
✓
Holders worldwide
GCIA10,000
GCIH25,000
Holders worldwide
10,000
25,000
Current version
GCIA2024 SEC503 refresh (2024-04)
GCIH2024 SEC504 refresh (2024-04)
Current version
2024 SEC503 refresh (2024-04)
2024 SEC504 refresh (2024-04)
› Domain coverage
A10Security Operations
GCIA● core
GCIH● core
A10Security Operations
● core
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
GCIA● core
GCIH○ touched
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
● core
○ touched
A2Network Security
GCIA● core
GCIH·
A2Network Security
● core
·
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GCIA·
GCIH○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
·
○ touched
A7Incident Response & Forensics
GCIA·
GCIH● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
·
● core
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