Deciding between Security+ and CCNA as your first certification? Match the order to your career direction with a clear framework, costs and difficulty notes.
Picture two colleagues on the same helpdesk. One spends spare minutes reading incident write-ups and phishing analyses; the other keeps sketching the office network to work out why the Wi-Fi dies in one meeting room. Both have budget for exactly one exam this year. The first should book CompTIA Security+; the second should book the Cisco CCNA. That, compressed, is the whole answer — the right first exam is the one pointing at the job you actually want.
Short answer: get Security+ first if you are aiming at security roles (SOC analyst, security administrator) or want the broadest, most job-listing-friendly single credential for an IT beginner. Get CCNA first if you are aiming at network roles (network administrator or engineer) or you will work hands-on with routers and switches. If you are genuinely undecided, Security+ is the safer opener: it is the easier of the two, and security roles value it directly, while networking roles rarely list it as the gatekeeper the way network teams treat CCNA.
Everything below is about that ordering decision — direction, difficulty, cost and sequencing. If what you really want is the whole CompTIA-ladder-versus-Cisco-track comparison, that lives in CompTIA vs Cisco certification paths; and if your shortlist is Network+ rather than Security+ against the CCNA, see Network+ vs CCNA.
CompTIA Security+ (current exam SY0-701, live since November 2023) is a vendor-neutral security certification. Its five domains — general security concepts; threats, vulnerabilities and mitigations; security architecture; security operations; and security programme management and oversight — certify that you understand how organisations defend systems and respond when defences fail. CompTIA recommends Network+ knowledge and about two years in a security or systems administration role, but nothing is enforced.
Cisco's CCNA (exam 200-301, topics v1.1) is a networking certification. It certifies that you understand how networks are built and can configure and troubleshoot them, largely in Cisco terms: IP connectivity, switching, routing, network services, security fundamentals, and automation. Cisco enforces no prerequisites either, though it suggests a year or more of networking experience.
So "which first" is not really a difficulty question. It is a direction question wearing a difficulty costume. Neither exam is a stepping stone to the other; each is the recognised entry credential for a different career lane.
For SOC analyst, junior security analyst and security administrator roles, Security+ is the credential recruiters filter on. It is also widely used to meet baseline requirements in US Department of Defense-related workforce environments, which keeps it embedded in a large block of job adverts. Demand context helps here: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 29% employment growth for information security analysts between 2024 and 2034, with a median salary of $124,910 (May 2024) — a role family in which Security+ is the standard first credential, though your first certified job will sit well below a median that includes experienced analysts.
Take CCNA later only if your security work turns network-heavy — network security engineering rewards deep routing and switching knowledge in a way that alert triage does not.
For network administrator, NOC and network engineer roles, especially in organisations running Cisco kit, CCNA is the door-opener and Security+ is a nice-to-have. The BLS reports a median of $96,800 (May 2024) for network and computer systems administrators, and the Skillsoft IT Skills and Salary survey (fielded 2024, published 2025) found US CCNA holders reporting an average of $112,333 — averages shaped by experience and location, not a rate the certificate pays. A network engineer with CCNA who adds Security+ afterwards becomes more promotable; a network engineer with only Security+ does not exist as a job profile.
The consistent candidate experience is that CCNA takes meaningfully longer to prepare for than Security+. Security+ is heavier on comprehension and scenario judgement — recognising the right control, the right response, the right architecture trade-off. CCNA adds a skills layer: calculating subnets under time pressure, reading configurations, predicting what a switch will actually do. Neither CompTIA nor Cisco publishes pass rates or official study-hour figures, so ignore anyone quoting them; the honest comparison is format and depth, and on both counts CCNA is the taller hurdle.
That difficulty gap is an argument for either order, depending on temperament. Some candidates want the confidence and CV line of an earlier, likelier pass — Security+ first. Others prefer to attack the harder exam while motivation is fresh and save the more manageable one for busier seasons — CCNA first. Both are legitimate; just choose deliberately.
| Factor | CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) | Cisco CCNA (200-301 v1.1) |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Cybersecurity fundamentals, vendor-neutral | Networking, Cisco-centred |
| Difficulty | Moderate; comprehension and scenarios | Harder; adds configuration and subnetting skill |
| Format | Max 90 questions, 90 minutes; MCQ + performance-based; pass 750/900 | 120 minutes; MCQ, drag-and-drop, lab-style items; count and passing score unpublished |
| Prerequisites | None enforced; Network+ knowledge + ~2 years' admin experience recommended | None enforced; 1+ year networking experience suggested |
| Cost (US, 2026) | ~$439 direct from CompTIA after the June 2026 rise (varies by region; reseller vouchers cheaper) | $300 base fee (plus regional taxes/fees) |
| First-job fit | SOC analyst, security administrator, IT support with security duties | Network technician, network administrator, NOC analyst |
| Typical next step | CySA+ or deeper security specialisation | CCNP Enterprise or a security/network specialisation |
| Renewal | 3 years; CompTIA CE (50 CEUs tier) | 3 years; Cisco exams or 30 CE credits |
| Retake rules | No wait before a 2nd attempt; 14 days from the 3rd | 5 calendar days after a fail; full fee again |
Confirm current pricing on comptia.org and cisco.com before booking — both figures are 2026 US list prices that vary by country, and CompTIA's is as reported by its authorised resellers.
Often, yes — and the ordering logic above still holds, because the second certification is cheap to slot in once the first has landed you in the right kind of team. A network engineer adding Security+ positions for the network-security overlap, where Cisco's own professional track (CCNP Security) continues the path. A security analyst adding CCNA gains the packet-level understanding that separates alert-clickers from investigators. What rarely makes sense is grinding through both before applying for anything: one relevant certification plus six months of real experience beats two certifications and none.
One sequencing trap to avoid: do not treat Security+ as "CCNA preparation" or vice versa. The content overlap is thin — a security-fundamentals domain inside CCNA and some network terminology inside Security+ — so plan each exam's study on its own official objectives.
Since most people asking "which first" can only fund one exam per year, run the arithmetic properly.
Exam fees. Security+ lists at about $439 direct from CompTIA in the US following the June 2026 price increase (authorised resellers sell legitimate vouchers for less, and prices differ by country). The CCNA's US base fee is $300 before regional taxes and fees. Neither includes a free retake by default: CompTIA charges full price per attempt (immediate second attempt allowed, then a 14-day wait from the third), while Cisco charges the full fee again after a five-calendar-day wait. Budgeting for one possible retake on your chosen exam is more realistic than assuming a first-time pass on either.
Renewal costs. Both credentials expire after three years. Security+ renews through CompTIA's Continuing Education programme — its CEU requirement sits at the 50-CEU tier, with CE fees payable when you renew by uploading CEUs, or you can renew by passing a higher CompTIA exam. CCNA renews by re-passing an exam, passing any professional-level Cisco exam, or earning 30 Cisco CE credits. If you eventually hold both, you maintain both separately; the two providers' renewal programmes share nothing.
Time. The cheaper resource here is also the scarcer one. A Security+ campaign is typically the shorter of the two; a CCNA campaign for someone without hands-on networking is a multi-month project. If your next six months are already crowded with work or study commitments, that practical constraint can legitimately settle the ordering question on its own: take the exam you can actually finish this season, and schedule the other for a calmer one.
Timing traps. Delivery logistics are a tie — both exams run at Pearson VUE test centres or via OnVUE online proctoring from home — so let availability of study time, not test seats, drive your schedule.
Only marginally. CCNA's security-fundamentals section and Security+'s networking terminology overlap a little, but each exam's core skills — Cisco configuration for one, security scenario judgement for the other — must be studied on their own objectives. Plan them as two separate projects.
Yes; neither enforces prerequisites. But CompTIA's recommendation of roughly two years' administration experience for Security+, and Cisco's suggestion of a year or more of networking exposure for CCNA, are honest signals of the level the questions assume. Beginners pass both regularly — they just study longer and lean harder on labs and practice questions.
They compete at the same entry-security level, and both are recognised under US DoD workforce frameworks. That separate decision is covered in Security+ vs SSCP.
CompTIA lists SY0-701 as the current version; a successor is expected but was unannounced as of August 2026. Your certification remains valid for three years from your pass date whichever version you sit, so there is no advantage in waiting.
Do this tonight rather than deliberating for another month. The evidence you need is not in another comparison article; it is in the hiring market you personally intend to enter, and it takes an hour to gather. Open a job board and save ten adverts you would genuinely want in 12–18 months. Count which certification appears more often as required or preferred. If Security+ dominates, book SY0-701. If CCNA dominates, book 200-301. If they tie, take Security+ first for the reasons above, and pencil CCNA in for next year. Then close the tab and start studying — the ordering matters far less than finishing whichever exam you pick.
When you are a few weeks out, benchmark yourself under exam conditions: a timed run through Security+ SY0-701 practice questions or CCNA 200-301 practice questions will show which domains need another pass before you pay the exam fee. ExamPractice's free samples are open to everyone, with full question sets and a timed simulation mode for subscribers.
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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