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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
GPENGIAC Penetration Tester
Penetration testing methodology + documentation.
Official pageOffSec · professional
OSCPOffensive Security Certified Professional
Hands-on penetration testing — exploitation, privilege escalation, AD attacks.
Official pageComparing
GIAC / SANSGPEN
OffSecOSCP
› Cost
Exam fee
GPEN$979
OSCP$1,649
Exam fee
$979
$1,649
Annual maintenance fee
GPEN—
OSCP—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
GPEN$979
OSCP$1,649
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$1,649
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GPEN75% (scaled per attempt)
OSCP70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Pass mark
75% (scaled per attempt)
70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Retake policy
GPEN$999 fee · 30d wait
OSCP$249 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$249 fee · 0d wait
Study time
GPEN100–200 hrs
OSCP300–600 hrs
Study time
100–200 hrs
300–600 hrs
Validity
GPEN4 yrs
OSCP3 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
GPEN9 CPEs
OSCP30 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
30 CPEs
Delivery
GPENonline proctored
OSCPpractical lab
Delivery
online proctored
practical lab
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GPEN$115K – $175K
OSCP$110K – $170K
Range
$115K – $175K
$110K – $170K
Median
GPEN$140,000
OSCP$135,000
Median
$140,000
$135,000
Premium %
GPEN—
OSCP—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GPENPenetration tester, US, 3-5 years.
OSCPPenetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
Penetration tester, US, 3-5 years.
Penetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GPEN8.5
OSCP8.5
Schema quality
8.5
8.5
Practice evidence
GPEN6.5
OSCP9.5
Practice evidence
6.5
9.5
Maintenance
GPEN7.0
OSCP7.0
Maintenance
7.0
7.0
Market recognition
GPEN6.5
OSCP9.5
Market recognition
6.5
9.5
Average
GPEN7.1
OSCP8.6
Average
7.1
8.6
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GPENGlobal · US · EU · UK
OSCPGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GPEN✓
OSCP—
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
—
DoD 8140 baseline
GPEN—
OSCP—
DoD 8140 baseline
—
—
Holders worldwide
GPEN10,000
OSCP30,000
Holders worldwide
10,000
30,000
Current version
GPEN2024 SEC560 refresh (2024-04)
OSCPPEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
Current version
2024 SEC560 refresh (2024-04)
PEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
GPEN·
OSCP⚠ gap
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
·
⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
GPEN·
OSCP⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
·
⚠ gap
A2Network Security
GPEN● core
OSCP● core
A2Network Security
● core
● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GPEN·
OSCP○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
·
○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
GPEN·
OSCP○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
GPEN○ touched
OSCP● core
A4Application Security
○ touched
● core
A6Identity & Access Management
GPEN○ touched
OSCP● core
A6Identity & Access Management
○ touched
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
GPEN● core
OSCP● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
● core
● core
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
GPEN·
OSCP⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
·
⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
GPEN·
OSCP⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
·
⚠ gap
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.