- You are still exploring whether cyber is a fit.
- You want an entry Cisco-aligned cyber credential first.
- You want a shorter, cheaper first exam: 50 minutes and $125, against 90 minutes and $439.
comparison
Cisco CCST Cybersecurity vs CompTIA Security+
CCST Cybersecurity is an entry-level Cisco credential with no stated prerequisites. Security+ is the broader, more expensive security-foundations exam: its official scope spans threats, architecture, operations, and governance, while CCST is a shorter Cisco-aligned entry exam. At $125 against $439, CCST is the lower-cost way to test whether security study suits you; choose Security+ when its broader vendor-neutral scope is the gap you need to close.
Choose between these for my backgroundNext source review 2026-09-07.
Certification details change. Always confirm final pricing, availability, and credential terms on the official provider page linked in the sources below before you pay for anything.
Decision comparison
Side-by-side comparison
The two credentials side by side, with the caveat that belongs to each fact. Which one is right depends on your situation.
Cited detail
| Evidence | Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity | CompTIA Security+ |
|---|---|---|
| Exam code | 100-160 | SY0-701 |
| Exam length | 50 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Credential level | Entry | Foundation |
| Published exam price | $125 (exam fee as of 2026-06-12) | $439 (exam fee as of 2026-06-13) |
- Exam pass rates
- Job placement rates
- Any job guarantee
- A salary figure attributed to this certification
- A salary prediction for you personally
- Return on investment or a payback period
Related Roles
These are role mappings for career-planning context. Salary and outlook data must stay tied to BLS occupations, not to certification outcomes.
The Relationship column compares a credential's published exam objectives with the work the occupation involves, and names which credential it is describing. A role Learnerside maps to only one of the two credentials shows that one; where both map to it, both are named, and Both means they read the same way for that role. Covers the core means the objectives reach that occupation's main work, Covers groundwork that they reach what it builds on rather than the work itself, and Partial overlap that they meet it only in places; a qualifier such as after a foundation records where Learnerside reads the objectives as assuming earlier study or experience, and Overlap not classified marks a pairing we hold but have not placed on this scale. This is Learnerside's reading of published objectives, not a measurement of hiring: we have not surveyed employers, and nothing here measures how much a credential is asked for or what it does for an application.
Every wage below is the occupation's national annual median wage - the midpoint of that occupation's wage distribution - as published by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025. It is not the OEWS mean, not an average, and not a starting wage. The outlook column is the BLS Employment Projections change for the same occupation over 2024-2034. Both describe the occupation, not an outcome of holding the credential.
| Role | Relationship | SOC | Annual median wage (BLS OEWS, May 2025) | BLS outlook (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity Analyst | Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity - Covers groundwork, before entry; CompTIA Security+ - Covers the core | 15-1212 | $129,180 annual median | 28.5% |
| Network Security Engineer | CompTIA Security+ - Covers groundwork | 15-1299 | $116,580 annual median | 8.2% |
| Help Desk Technician | Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity - Partial overlap | 15-1232 | $61,860 annual median | -3.7% |
| Junior Systems Administrator | CompTIA Security+ - Partial overlap | 15-1244 | $99,130 annual median | -4.2% |
Core source records
This table lists the page’s core content records and when they were checked. Claim-specific citations appear beside the relevant text and may not be repeated here.
Show all 34 sources
| ID | Supports | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-01 | Public official credential page for Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity. | Cisco Certified Support Technician Cybersecurity - Cisco | 2026-06-09T03:15:30+00:00 |
| CIT-02 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst. | Cybersecurity Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-03 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst. | Cybersecurity Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-04 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst. | Cybersecurity Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-05 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Help Desk Technician. | Help Desk Technician BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-06 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Help Desk Technician. | Help Desk Technician BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-07 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Help Desk Technician. | Help Desk Technician O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-08 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst. | Threat Intelligence Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-09 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst. | Threat Intelligence Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-10 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst. | Threat Intelligence Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-11 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst. | Incident Response Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-12 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst. | Incident Response Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-13 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst. | Incident Response Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-14 | Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst. | SOC Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-15 | Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst. | SOC Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-16 | Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst. | SOC Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-17 | Public official credential page for CompTIA Security+. | Security+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA | 2026-06-19T04:57:29+00:00 |
| CIT-18 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-19 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-20 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-21 | Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist. | IT Security Operations Specialist BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-22 | Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist. | IT Security Operations Specialist BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-23 | Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist. | IT Security Operations Specialist O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-24 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer. | Network Security Engineer BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-25 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer. | Network Security Engineer BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-26 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer. | Network Security Engineer O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-27 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester. | Penetration Tester BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-28 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester. | Penetration Tester BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-29 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester. | Penetration Tester O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-30 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer. | Security Engineer BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-31 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer. | Security Engineer BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-32 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer. | Security Engineer O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-33 | The exam fee shown for Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity, and the date beside it, were both read from this published price source on 2026-06-12. | Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity exam fee - published price source, read 2026-06-12 | 2026-06-12 |
| CIT-34 | The exam fee shown for CompTIA Security+, and the date beside it, were both read from this published price source on 2026-06-13. | CompTIA Security+ exam fee - published price source, read 2026-06-13 | 2026-06-13 |
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