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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 · associate
GISFGIAC Information Security Fundamentals
GIAC Information Security Fundamentals
Official pageCompTIA · entry
Security+CompTIA Security+
Broad entry-level knowledge across threats, ops, IAM, network, and crypto basics.
Official pageComparing
GIACGISF
CompTIASecurity+
› Cost
Exam fee
GISF$979
Security+$392
Exam fee
$979
$392
Annual maintenance fee
GISF—
Security+$50/yr
Annual maintenance fee
—
$50/yr
3-year cost of ownership
GISF$979
Security+$542
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$542
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GISF67% (scaled per attempt)
Security+750/900 (~83%)
Pass mark
67% (scaled per attempt)
750/900 (~83%)
Retake policy
GISF$999 fee · 30d wait
Security+$404 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$404 fee · 0d wait
Study time
GISF40–80 hrs
Security+40–100 hrs
Study time
40–80 hrs
40–100 hrs
Validity
GISF4 yrs
Security+3 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
GISF9 CPEs
Security+17 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
17 CPEs
Delivery
GISFmixed
Security+test center
Delivery
mixed
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GISF$65K – $100K
Security+$65K – $95K
Range
$65K – $100K
$65K – $95K
Median
GISF$80,000
Security+$78,000
Median
$80,000
$78,000
Premium %
GISF—
Security+—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GISFEntry-level cybersecurity analyst, US, 0-2 years.
Security+Entry security analyst / junior IT generalist, US, 0–3 years.
Role context
Entry-level cybersecurity analyst, US, 0-2 years.
Entry security analyst / junior IT generalist, US, 0–3 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GISF6.5
Security+7.5
Schema quality
6.5
7.5
Practice evidence
GISF3.5
Security+4.0
Practice evidence
3.5
4.0
Maintenance
GISF7.0
Security+7.5
Maintenance
7.0
7.5
Market recognition
GISF5.0
Security+9.5
Market recognition
5.0
9.5
Average
GISF5.5
Security+7.1
Average
5.5
7.1
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GISFGlobal
Security+Global · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GISF—
Security+✓
ISO 17024 accredited
—
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
GISF—
Security+✓
DoD 8140 baseline
—
✓
Holders worldwide
GISF—
Security+700,000
Holders worldwide
—
700,000
Current version
GISF2024 SEC301 refresh (2024-04)
Security+SY0-701 (2023-11)
Current version
2024 SEC301 refresh (2024-04)
SY0-701 (2023-11)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
GISF● core
Security+○ touched
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
● core
○ touched
A10Security Operations
GISF·
Security+● core
A10Security Operations
·
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
GISF·
Security+○ touched
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
·
○ touched
A14OT/ICS Security
GISF·
Security+⚠ gap
A14OT/ICS Security
·
⚠ gap
A15Cryptography
GISF·
Security+● core
A15Cryptography
·
● core
A2Network Security
GISF·
Security+● core
A2Network Security
·
● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GISF·
Security+⚠ gap
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
·
⚠ gap
A4Application Security
GISF·
Security+○ touched
A4Application Security
·
○ touched
A5Cloud Security
GISF·
Security+○ touched
A5Cloud Security
·
○ touched
A6Identity & Access Management
GISF·
Security+● core
A6Identity & Access Management
·
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
GISF·
Security+⚠ gap
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
·
⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
GISF·
Security+⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
·
⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
GISF·
Security+⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
·
⚠ gap
D2Post-Quantum Cryptography
GISF·
Security+⚠ gap
D2Post-Quantum Cryptography
·
⚠ gap
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.