Holding CompTIA A+ and unsure what comes next? Compare the networking, security and cloud routes and choose the certification that fits your goal.
Short answer: for most A+ holders the next certification is CompTIA Network+ (N10-009), because networking knowledge underpins every later specialism. Go straight to Security+ (SY0-701) if a security analyst role is your firm goal and your networking basics are already solid, or to a cloud fundamentals exam (AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or Microsoft Azure Fundamentals) if you want to work in cloud operations. The right choice depends on the job you want in two to three years, not on which exam looks easiest.
You have the A+ badge, you are probably working a support queue, and every forum thread gives you a different answer. This guide settles the question by working backwards from destination roles rather than forwards from exam catalogues. If you are still deciding whether IT support is even your entry route, that broader beginner roadmap lives in our guide to certifications that can help you get your first IT job — this article assumes A+ is already behind you.
Three career directions absorb the overwhelming majority of people who move up from help desk and desktop support: network administration, security operations, and cloud/system administration. Each has a natural next certification, and picking by destination avoids the most common mistake at this stage — collecting certificates that do not stack towards any particular job.
A useful decision test: read three or four live job advertisements for the role you want to hold in two years. The certifications those adverts name are your shortlist. Certification requirements in adverts are a far better signal than any generic ranking, because they reflect what hiring managers in your local market actually screen for.
One structural point worth knowing before you choose: CompTIA certifications renew on a three-year Continuing Education (CE) cycle, and earning a higher-level CompTIA certification automatically renews the lower ones beneath it. That stackable model quietly rewards staying inside the CompTIA ladder for your next step — pass Network+ or Security+ and your A+ renewal is handled at the same time.
Choose networking if you enjoy the connectivity side of support tickets — VPN faults, Wi-Fi coverage, switch ports, DNS oddities — and can see yourself as a network technician or network administrator. It also suits people who have not yet picked a specialism, because networking knowledge is assumed by both the security and cloud tracks.
Network+ is the current N10-009 version as of August 2026: a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, mixing multiple-choice and performance-based items, with a passing score of 720 on CompTIA's 100–900 scale. There are no enforced prerequisites, but CompTIA's recommended profile — A+ plus 9–12 months in a junior network support role — describes the typical reader of this article almost exactly. US retail pricing was listed at $399 by CompTIA's authorised resellers after the June 2026 price rise; it varies by country, so confirm on comptia.org before budgeting.
Security tools sit on networks. Cloud platforms are, at their core, networks you rent. If you skip networking fundamentals now, you tend to pay for it later when firewall rules, subnets and routing concepts turn up inside Security+ or a cloud associate exam without introduction. That is why Network+ first, then a specialism, remains the safest sequencing for anyone uncertain — and it is why CompTIA lists Network+ knowledge in the recommended experience for Security+.
Once Network+ is done, the next fork (Security+, Cisco CCNA, or cloud networking) is a separate decision with its own trade-offs, covered in what certification to take after CompTIA Network+. If deep networking is the destination itself, the full ladder to specialist level is mapped in our guide to the best certifications for network administrators.
Choose security if you already know you want SOC analyst, security administrator or junior cybersecurity work, and you are comfortable with core networking concepts even without the Network+ certificate. Nothing stops you: Security+ has no enforced prerequisites. CompTIA's recommended profile is Network+ plus two years in a security or systems administrator role, so treat a direct jump as a demanding one — you will be learning security and patching networking gaps at the same time.
As of August 2026, SY0-701 is the only live version: a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, multiple-choice plus performance-based, passing score 750 of 900, across five domains from General Security Concepts through to Security Program Management and Oversight. US retail was $439 per CompTIA's authorised resellers in June 2026, with regional variation. CompTIA lists SY0-701 as current; a successor is expected but unannounced, so there is no official reason to delay.
The demand picture for this route is unusually well documented. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median salary of $124,910 for information security analysts (May 2024 data) and projects 29% employment growth from 2024 to 2034 — figures that vary enormously with location, experience and role, and describe the occupation rather than the certificate. On the employer side, ISACA's State of Cybersecurity 2025 found 55% of cybersecurity teams understaffed and 65% carrying unfilled positions. Security+ is also widely used to meet US Department of Defense workforce requirements, which matters if government or defence contracting is on your radar.
Be honest with yourself about one thing: Security+ opens the door to junior security work; it does not by itself make you a cybersecurity professional. Expect to pair it with hands-on practice and, usually, some time in a support or administration role first.
Choose cloud if your organisation is migrating workloads and you want to follow them — or if the sysadmin-to-cloud-engineer trajectory appeals more than networks or security. The entry point here is deliberately lightweight: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner ($100 USD, standardised globally) or Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 ($99 USD, varies by country). Both are foundational exams that teach the vocabulary and service models of one platform; notably, Microsoft Fundamentals certifications never expire, and passing any AWS exam earns a 50% discount voucher towards a future AWS exam, valid for a year.
A fundamentals cert alone rarely gets anyone hired. Its job is to confirm the direction cheaply before you commit to the associate tier — AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate ($150 USD) or Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate AZ-104 ($165 USD in the US, renewable free each year through Microsoft's online assessment). Which platform to pick usually comes down to what your current or target employers run; the cross-provider comparison is the subject of our guide to the best cloud computing certifications.
CompTIA's own Cloud+ (CV0-004) exists as a vendor-neutral alternative aimed at people with two to three years of systems administration experience — for most fresh A+ holders, that recommendation puts it a step or two further down the road than the provider fundamentals exams.
| Factor | Network+ (N10-009) | Security+ (SY0-701) | Cloud fundamentals (CLF / AZ-900) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Undecided A+ holders; future network admins | Committed future security analysts | Following workloads into cloud ops |
| Prerequisites | None enforced; A+ + 9–12 months support work recommended | None enforced; Network+ knowledge + 2 years admin work recommended | None |
| Approx. cost (2026, US, hedge for region) | ~$399 | ~$439 | ~$100 (AWS) / ~$99 (AZ-900) |
| Exam style | Max 90 Qs, 90 min, incl. performance-based | Max 90 Qs, 90 min, incl. performance-based | Provider multiple-choice fundamentals exam (format: see provider page) |
| Renewal | 3 years, CE programme | 3 years, CE programme | AWS: 3 years; AZ-900: never expires |
| Typical next step | Security+, CCNA or cloud networking | CySA+ or hands-on SOC experience | Associate-level cloud cert (SAA / AZ-104) |
| Renews your A+? | Yes (CompTIA stackable CE) | Yes (CompTIA stackable CE) | No |
No column wins universally. The table exists to match a column to your circumstance, and the circumstance that matters most is the job advert you want to answer in two years.
Consider a help desk analyst eight months into their first role, A+ in hand, leaning towards security but not certain. A sensible plan: sit Network+ within the next four to six months while ticket work keeps networking concepts fresh; then reassess. If security still appeals, Security+ follows — with the networking foundation already banked and the A+ renewal clock reset twice over by the stackable CE model. If instead the employer's cloud migration has become the interesting work, the AWS or Azure fundamentals exam is a low-cost redirect that wastes nothing, because the networking knowledge transfers wholesale.
The pattern to copy is not the specific exams — it is deferring the specialisation decision until you have workplace evidence about what you actually enjoy, while banking the credential every path shares.
Book Network+ if you are undecided or heading for network roles — it is the choice you will not regret from any destination. Book Security+ if security is a settled goal and your networking basics genuinely hold up under self-testing. Book a cloud fundamentals exam if cloud operations is the pull and you want cheap confirmation before committing to an associate-level certification. And whichever you choose, anchor it to real job adverts in your market: the certification that appears in the adverts you want to answer is, for you, the right answer to this question.
Exam facts in this guide were checked against official certification-provider pages on . Fees, exam codes and policies change — confirm on the provider’s own site before you book.
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