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Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
OffSec · professional
OSCPOffensive Security Certified Professional
Hands-on penetration testing — exploitation, privilege escalation, AD attacks.
Official pageHack The Box · professional
HTB CPTSHack the Box Certified Penetration Testing Specialist
Hack the Box Certified Penetration Testing Specialist
Official pageComparing
OffSecOSCP
Hack The BoxHTB CPTS
› Cost
Exam fee
OSCP$1,649
HTB CPTS$215
Exam fee
$1,649
$215
Annual maintenance fee
OSCP—
HTB CPTS—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
OSCP$1,649
HTB CPTS$215
3-year cost of ownership
$1,649
$215
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
OSCP70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
HTB CPTS—
Pass mark
70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
—
Retake policy
OSCP$249 fee · 0d wait
HTB CPTS—
Retake policy
$249 fee · 0d wait
—
Study time
OSCP300–600 hrs
HTB CPTS300–500 hrs
Study time
300–600 hrs
300–500 hrs
Validity
OSCP3 yrs
HTB CPTS—
Validity
3 yrs
—
CPE / yr
OSCP30 CPEs
HTB CPTS—
CPE / yr
30 CPEs
—
Delivery
OSCPpractical lab
HTB CPTS—
Delivery
practical lab
—
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
OSCP$110K – $170K
HTB CPTS—
Range
$110K – $170K
—
Median
OSCP$135,000
HTB CPTS—
Median
$135,000
—
Premium %
OSCP—
HTB CPTS—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
OSCPPenetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
HTB CPTS—
Role context
Penetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
—
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
OSCP8.5
HTB CPTS7.5
Schema quality
8.5
7.5
Practice evidence
OSCP9.5
HTB CPTS9.0
Practice evidence
9.5
9.0
Maintenance
OSCP7.0
HTB CPTS8.0
Maintenance
7.0
8.0
Market recognition
OSCP9.5
HTB CPTS6.0
Market recognition
9.5
6.0
Average
OSCP8.6
HTB CPTS7.6
Average
8.6
7.6
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
OSCPGlobal · US · EU · UK
HTB CPTSGlobal
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK
Global
ISO 17024 accredited
OSCP—
HTB CPTS—
ISO 17024 accredited
—
—
DoD 8140 baseline
OSCP—
HTB CPTS—
DoD 8140 baseline
—
—
Holders worldwide
OSCP30,000
HTB CPTS—
Holders worldwide
30,000
—
Current version
OSCPPEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
HTB CPTS—
Current version
PEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
—
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
OSCP⚠ gap
HTB CPTS·
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
⚠ gap
·
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
OSCP⚠ gap
HTB CPTS·
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
⚠ gap
·
A2Network Security
OSCP● core
HTB CPTS● core
A2Network Security
● core
● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
OSCP○ touched
HTB CPTS·
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
○ touched
·
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
OSCP○ touched
HTB CPTS·
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
○ touched
·
A4Application Security
OSCP● core
HTB CPTS·
A4Application Security
● core
·
A6Identity & Access Management
OSCP● core
HTB CPTS● core
A6Identity & Access Management
● core
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
OSCP● core
HTB CPTS● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
● core
● core
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
OSCP⚠ gap
HTB CPTS·
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
⚠ gap
·
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
OSCP⚠ gap
HTB CPTS·
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
⚠ gap
·
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