› Certifications · compare
Compare certifications
Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
CompTIA · entry
Security+CompTIA Security+
Broad entry-level knowledge across threats, ops, IAM, network, and crypto basics.
Official pageCompTIA · associate
CySA+CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst+
SOC analyst skills: triage, log analysis, vulnerability management basics.
Official pageComparing
CompTIASecurity+
CompTIACySA+
› Cost
Exam fee
Security+$392
CySA+$404
Exam fee
$392
$404
Annual maintenance fee
Security+$50/yr
CySA+$50/yr
Annual maintenance fee
$50/yr
$50/yr
3-year cost of ownership
Security+$542
CySA+$554
3-year cost of ownership
$542
$554
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
Security+750/900 (~83%)
CySA+750/900 (~83%)
Pass mark
750/900 (~83%)
750/900 (~83%)
Retake policy
Security+$404 fee · 0d wait
CySA+$404 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$404 fee · 0d wait
$404 fee · 0d wait
Study time
Security+40–100 hrs
CySA+60–120 hrs
Study time
40–100 hrs
60–120 hrs
Validity
Security+3 yrs
CySA+3 yrs
Validity
3 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
Security+17 CPEs
CySA+20 CPEs
CPE / yr
17 CPEs
20 CPEs
Delivery
Security+test center
CySA+test center
Delivery
test center
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
Security+$65K – $95K
CySA+$75K – $110K
Range
$65K – $95K
$75K – $110K
Median
Security+$78,000
CySA+$92,000
Median
$78,000
$92,000
Premium %
Security+—
CySA+—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
Security+Entry security analyst / junior IT generalist, US, 0–3 years.
CySA+SOC analyst tier 2 / threat hunter, US, 2–5 years.
Role context
Entry security analyst / junior IT generalist, US, 0–3 years.
SOC analyst tier 2 / threat hunter, US, 2–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
Security+7.5
CySA+7.0
Schema quality
7.5
7.0
Practice evidence
Security+4.0
CySA+5.0
Practice evidence
4.0
5.0
Maintenance
Security+7.5
CySA+7.0
Maintenance
7.5
7.0
Market recognition
Security+9.5
CySA+8.0
Market recognition
9.5
8.0
Average
Security+7.1
CySA+6.8
Average
7.1
6.8
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
Security+Global · US · EU · UK
CySA+Global · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
Security+✓
CySA+✓
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
Security+✓
CySA+✓
DoD 8140 baseline
✓
✓
Holders worldwide
Security+700,000
CySA+50,000
Holders worldwide
700,000
50,000
Current version
Security+SY0-701 (2023-11)
CySA+CS0-003 (2023-06)
Current version
SY0-701 (2023-11)
CS0-003 (2023-06)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
Security+○ touched
CySA+·
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
○ touched
·
A10Security Operations
Security+● core
CySA+● core
A10Security Operations
● core
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
Security+○ touched
CySA+● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
○ touched
● core
A14OT/ICS Security
Security+⚠ gap
CySA+·
A14OT/ICS Security
⚠ gap
·
A15Cryptography
Security+● core
CySA+·
A15Cryptography
● core
·
A2Network Security
Security+● core
CySA+·
A2Network Security
● core
·
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
Security+⚠ gap
CySA+·
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
⚠ gap
·
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
Security+·
CySA+○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
Security+○ touched
CySA+·
A4Application Security
○ touched
·
A5Cloud Security
Security+○ touched
CySA+·
A5Cloud Security
○ touched
·
A6Identity & Access Management
Security+● core
CySA+·
A6Identity & Access Management
● core
·
A7Incident Response & Forensics
Security+·
CySA+○ touched
A7Incident Response & Forensics
·
○ touched
A8Threat Intelligence
Security+·
CySA+● core
A8Threat Intelligence
·
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
Security+⚠ gap
CySA+·
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
⚠ gap
·
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
Security+⚠ gap
CySA+·
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
⚠ gap
·
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
Security+⚠ gap
CySA+·
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
⚠ gap
·
D2Post-Quantum Cryptography
Security+⚠ gap
CySA+·
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.