Which of these is hardest?

Nobody can answer that with evidence, and this page will not pretend to. No certification vendor publishes a candidate pass rate, so there is no measured difficulty to compare. CompTIA publishes work-experience recommendations for Network+ and Security+; Cisco lists no formal CCNA prerequisite and instead names basic training-entry skills. Which one is hardest for you depends on which scope overlaps with what you already do.

I have A+ and about a year on a help desk. What does CompTIA itself suggest?

CompTIA states that Network+ expects A+ plus 9–12 months in a junior network role, and that Security+ expects Network+ plus about two years of security or systems-administration experience. Read literally, that puts Network+ next and Security+ one step beyond it. That is CompTIA describing its own product ladder, not a rule about you, and plenty of people sit Security+ first.

Does one of these get me hired faster?

We cannot tell you that and neither can anyone else honestly. There is no public dataset linking a specific certification to a hiring outcome for a specific person, and any site claiming otherwise is guessing. What is checkable is where each credential is formally accepted — the DoD 8140 counts on this page are one such fact, and they favour Security+ heavily if federal or defense work is anywhere in your plans.

Is CCNA worth it if my employer does not use Cisco?

The networking concepts transfer; the configuration syntax is Cisco’s. If you never touch Cisco equipment, you are paying for depth in one vendor’s implementation to learn ideas Network+ covers vendor-neutrally. If your workplace runs Cisco, or the roles you are targeting list it, that same specificity is the point.

Three-way decision

Network+, Security+, or CCNA?

Choose Network+ for a vendor-neutral networking foundation, Security+ for a broader security baseline after networking and systems practice, or CCNA for Cisco-oriented configuration and troubleshooting. None is a formal registration gate for another. The vendors publish different kinds of preparation guidance, so the useful question is which work and foundation match you now.

What each one is about

The actual difference

CompTIA Network+

How networks are put together and why they break — addressing, routing and switching concepts, wireless, and troubleshooting, without tying you to one vendor’s equipment.

CompTIA Security+

The vocabulary and controls of security work — threats, architecture, operations, risk, governance, identity and cryptography — again vendor-neutral.

Cisco CCNA

Networking fundamentals applied through Cisco equipment and command-line configuration — including routing, switching, network access, services, security fundamentals, and automation. Vendor-specific where Network+ is vendor-neutral.

Network+ and CCNA overlap on networking fundamentals. The checkable difference is vendor-neutral breadth versus Cisco-specific configuration depth; there is no vendor pass-rate evidence that turns that difference into a defensible difficulty ranking.

Learnerside starting point

Choose from the foundation you have now

Brand new to IT: Start with A+ fundamentals and hands-on practice, then build networking literacy with Network+ material before committing to CCNA or Security+. That is Learnerside’s practical sequence, not a vendor admission rule.
A+ plus help-desk experience: Choose Network+ if you need broad, vendor-neutral networking; choose CCNA if the roles or equipment you are targeting specifically call for Cisco configuration.
Networking foundation already in place: Choose Security+ when your next gap is security concepts and operations. Choose CCNA when it is practical routing, switching, and Cisco administration.

What the vendors state

Formal prerequisites versus preparation guidance

Certification	Formal exam prerequisite	Requirement source	Vendor preparation guidance	Guidance source · checked
CompTIA Network+	None; A+ is recommended, not required.	CompTIA	A+ plus 9–12 months of hands-on experience in a junior network role.	CompTIA · 2026-06-14
CompTIA Security+	None; Network+ is recommended, not required.	CompTIA	Network+ plus about 2 years of security or systems-administration experience.	CompTIA · 2026-06-14
Cisco CCNA	None — Cisco lists no prerequisite for the 200-301 CCNA exam.	Cisco	Cisco’s official training expects basic computer literacy, PC operating-system navigation, basic internet usage, and basic IP-address knowledge. These are training-entry skills, not an exam prerequisite.	Cisco · 2026-08-24

Read that table literally and CompTIA has described a ladder: A+, then Network+, then Security+ once you have a couple of years behind you. That is CompTIA positioning its own products, not a rule about you — people sit Security+ first regularly. But if you have A+ and about a year of help-desk work, you are exactly where CompTIA says Network+ belongs, and one step short of where it says Security+ does. Cisco does not place CCNA on that CompTIA ladder: it lists no formal exam prerequisite and publishes separate basic entry skills for its official training.

For an employee or small team

Choose the work first, then decide whether the cohort stays together

Do not assign one credential to a department just because everyone reports to the same manager. Start with the work each person must perform, check the foundation they can already demonstrate, and split the group when those answers differ.

Work requirement	Likely starting point	Check before funding
Troubleshoot networks across vendors or build a shared networking vocabulary	Network+	Can each learner explain IP addressing, device roles, and a basic fault-isolation path?
Configure and operate Cisco-oriented routing, switching, access, and services	CCNA	Can each learner use the basic computer, internet, and IP knowledge Cisco names for its training?
Apply security controls and support security or systems operations	Security+	Are networking and systems foundations already usable, or should some learners build those first?
The team has different roles, platforms, or starting skills	Split the cohort or use a shared foundation first	Which people need the credential, which need only selected skills, and which can already demonstrate them?

A readiness check can be small: ask each learner to explain a subnet, trace a DNS or DHCP failure, and describe what they would verify before changing a network. Use the answers to choose a common foundation or separate tracks. Then compare delivery format, staff coverage, and total cost; a credential choice does not establish that paid training or one class for everyone is the right purchase.

Ask about Network+ training for a team →Ask about CCNA training for a team →Ask about Security+ training for a team →Calculate the complete training cost →Prepare an employer approval brief →

The exams

What you are actually sitting

Certification	Exam	Length	Questions	Format	Fee
CompTIA Network+	N10-009	90 minutes	Up to 90	Multiple choice and performance-based	$399 · 2026-06-13
CompTIA Security+	SY0-701	90 minutes	Up to 90	Multiple choice and performance-based	$439 · 2026-06-13
Cisco CCNA	200-301	120 minutes	Not published	Not published	$300 / $400 conflict · 2026-08-24

Two of those cells say “Not published”. Cisco does not publish a question count or item format for the 200-301 exam, so this page does not give you one. Anywhere you see a specific number for those, someone has either counted their own attempt or made it up. Cisco’s current exam page and certification page also disagree on the fee ($300 versus $400), so confirm the checkout amount rather than budgeting from either page alone.

The one that separates them

Where each is formally accepted

The US Department of Defense publishes which credentials qualify a person for which cyber work roles under DoD 8140. It is a public table, so it can be counted rather thanguessed. Across the 327 qualification options in matrix V2.1 (effective 2025-09-19):

Certification	Cyber work roles it can qualify you for
CompTIA Security+	20
CompTIA Network+	5
Cisco CCNA	1

If federal, defense, or contractor work is anywhere in your plans, that gap is the single most decision-relevant fact on this page. If it is not, the number is close to irrelevant — it says nothing about private-sector demand, which is not published anywhere comparable. How the DoD 8140 matrix works →

The honest limits

What this page cannot tell you

Which is hardest. None of the three vendors published a pass rate on their exam pages when we read them (2026-06-13), so there is nothing to compare. Difficulty depends on the overlap with work you already do.
Which pays more. Pay data exists at the occupation level, not the certification level. Anyone attaching a salary to a specific credential is inferring it.
Which gets you hired. There is no public dataset linking one certification to one person’s hiring outcome, and the DoD counts above are about formal eligibility, not employer preference.

Where to go from here

Each credential page carries the same vendor statement with its check date, the full exam facts, the real cost including renewal, and the free official study route.

CompTIA Network+ →CompTIA Security+ →Cisco CCNA →Buying training for an employee or team? Plan the training decision →

Common questions

Which of these is hardest?: Nobody can answer that with evidence, and this page will not pretend to. No certification vendor publishes a candidate pass rate, so there is no measured difficulty to compare. CompTIA publishes work-experience recommendations for Network+ and Security+; Cisco lists no formal CCNA prerequisite and instead names basic training-entry skills. Which one is hardest for you depends on which scope overlaps with what you already do.
I have A+ and about a year on a help desk. What does CompTIA itself suggest?: CompTIA states that Network+ expects A+ plus 9–12 months in a junior network role, and that Security+ expects Network+ plus about two years of security or systems-administration experience. Read literally, that puts Network+ next and Security+ one step beyond it. That is CompTIA describing its own product ladder, not a rule about you, and plenty of people sit Security+ first.
Does one of these get me hired faster?: We cannot tell you that and neither can anyone else honestly. There is no public dataset linking a specific certification to a hiring outcome for a specific person, and any site claiming otherwise is guessing. What is checkable is where each credential is formally accepted — the DoD 8140 counts on this page are one such fact, and they favour Security+ heavily if federal or defense work is anywhere in your plans.
Is CCNA worth it if my employer does not use Cisco?: The networking concepts transfer; the configuration syntax is Cisco’s. If you never touch Cisco equipment, you are paying for depth in one vendor’s implementation to learn ideas Network+ covers vendor-neutrally. If your workplace runs Cisco, or the roles you are targeting list it, that same specificity is the point.