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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 · professional
GWAPTGIAC Web Application Penetration Tester
GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester
Official pageOffSec · expert
OSWEOffensive Security Web Expert
Advanced web application exploitation — whitebox review, vulnerability chain construction.
Official pageComparing
GIACGWAPT
OffSecOSWE
› Cost
Exam fee
GWAPT$979
OSWE$1,699
Exam fee
$979
$1,699
Annual maintenance fee
GWAPT—
OSWE—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
GWAPT$979
OSWE$1,699
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$1,699
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GWAPT71% (scaled per attempt)
OSWELab points-based (varies — typically 60+/100 with report)
Pass mark
71% (scaled per attempt)
Lab points-based (varies — typically 60+/100 with report)
Retake policy
GWAPT$999 fee · 30d wait
OSWE$249 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$249 fee · 0d wait
Study time
GWAPT120–220 hrs
OSWE300–500 hrs
Study time
120–220 hrs
300–500 hrs
Validity
GWAPT4 yrs
OSWE3 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
GWAPT9 CPEs
OSWE30 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
30 CPEs
Delivery
GWAPTmixed
OSWEpractical lab
Delivery
mixed
practical lab
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GWAPT$115K – $175K
OSWE$130K – $195K
Range
$115K – $175K
$130K – $195K
Median
GWAPT$140,000
OSWE$155,000
Median
$140,000
$155,000
Premium %
GWAPT—
OSWE—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GWAPTWeb application pentester, US, 3-5 years.
OSWESenior web/app pentester, US, 4-7 years.
Role context
Web application pentester, US, 3-5 years.
Senior web/app pentester, US, 4-7 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GWAPT8.5
OSWE8.5
Schema quality
8.5
8.5
Practice evidence
GWAPT6.5
OSWE9.5
Practice evidence
6.5
9.5
Maintenance
GWAPT7.0
OSWE7.0
Maintenance
7.0
7.0
Market recognition
GWAPT7.0
OSWE7.5
Market recognition
7.0
7.5
Average
GWAPT7.3
OSWE8.1
Average
7.3
8.1
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GWAPTGlobal
OSWEGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GWAPT—
OSWE—
ISO 17024 accredited
—
—
DoD 8140 baseline
GWAPT—
OSWE—
DoD 8140 baseline
—
—
Holders worldwide
GWAPT8,000
OSWE3,000
Holders worldwide
8,000
3,000
Current version
GWAPT2024 SEC542 refresh (2024-04)
OSWEWEB-300 (2024) (2024-01)
Current version
2024 SEC542 refresh (2024-04)
WEB-300 (2024) (2024-01)
› Domain coverage
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
GWAPT·
OSWE○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
GWAPT● core
OSWE● core
A4Application Security
● core
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
GWAPT● core
OSWE● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
● core
● core
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