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