CompTIA Network+ vs Security+ Difficulty: Which Cert to Take First
Compare CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) and Security+ (SY0-701) difficulty, salary, pass rates, and study time. Pick the right cert for your career path.
Page Summary
A comparison of CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) and Security+ (SY0-701) to decide which to take first, concluding most readers find Security+ slightly harder due to its broader conceptual domains (risk, cryptography, governance) and higher 750/900 passing score, while Network+ has deeper technical networking depth. It compares specifications, domain coverage, cost, salary, DoD 8140 and federal demand, study time, and day-to-day usefulness, then gives a recommended order of attempt and what to pursue after Security+.
Contributions
Every accepted correction to this page is recorded with the exact change, so readers can see how the page improved over time.
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4 flagged issues verified as part of a pervasive unverified 'cert research team' / reader-survey framing running through most of the article: a claimed proprietary 'readers tracked over the past two years' dataset was softened; unverified-precision pass-rate percentages (74%/62%) tied to that unverified dataset were softened to qualitative statements; an unverified 'interviews with 11 hiring managers' survey with suspiciously clean fractional breakdowns had no verifiable methodology and was softened to general framing; the voucher-cost table ($369/$404) was checked against current 2026 CompTIA pricing and found stale (now ~$399/~$439) and was updated with a note to verify current pricing.
BeforeOur cert research team has tracked outcomes from readers studying both credentials over the past two years. [...] Readers who took Network+ before Security+ pass Security+ at roughly 74 percent on the first attempt. Readers who attempted Security+ without Network+ pass at roughly 62 percent on the first attempt. [...] In our interviews with 11 hiring managers: 9 of 11 treat Security+ and Network+ equivalently for resume screening; 7 of 11 consider Security+ a must-have for any security-adjacent role; 4 of 11 consider Network+ a must-have for network-specific roles; 10 of 11 would prefer a candidate with both over a candidate with only one; 8 of 11 consider demonstrated hands-on experience more important than cert count. [...] Voucher cost (USD): Network+ $369, Security+ $404.
After[unverified proprietary-dataset framing removed.] Candidates who take Network+ before attempting Security+ tend to report a notably easier time passing Security+ on the first attempt than candidates who attempt Security+ without any networking background first. [...] In general, hiring managers tend to treat Security+ and Network+ similarly for initial resume screening, with Security+ more often viewed as a must-have for security-adjacent roles and Network+ more often viewed as a must-have for network-specific roles. Most hiring managers would prefer a candidate holding both, and many weigh hands-on experience more heavily than cert count alone. [...] Voucher cost (USD, verify current pricing at comptia.org): Network+ ~$399, Security+ ~$439 (updated from stale 2024-2025 figures to current 2026 CompTIA list pricing).
Why: Removed an unverified proprietary 'cert research team' reader-tracking dataset framing, softened unverified-precision pass-rate percentages (74%/62%) tied to that unverified dataset, softened an unverified 'interviews with 11 hiring managers' survey with suspiciously clean fractional breakdowns to general framing, and updated stale 2024-2025 voucher pricing ($369/$404) to current 2026 CompTIA rates (~$399/~$439) with a note to verify current pricing, recalculating the dependent total-cost table entries accordingly.
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