CompTIA Security+ vs Network+: Which Cert Should You Get First?

Published: April 22, 2026 | Category: Certifications | By Qualora Career Advisors

CompTIA Security+ vs Network+: Which Cert Should You Get First? If you're breaking into IT in 2026, two CompTIA certifications keep showing up in job listings, Reddit threads, and bootcamp marketing emails: Network+ and Security+. Both are vendor-neutral, both are recognized by the Department of Defense, and both cost roughly the same. Yet they open very different doors, and the order you take them in actually matters more than most people admit.

This guide lays out what each exam actually covers in its current 2026 version, what jobs each cert unlocks, how much studying you're realistically looking at, and the decision matrix for which one belongs on your resume first. No hype, no affiliate pitches. Just what the certs do and don't do for your career.

• Network+ is the broader foundation. It covers how networks work at a level that every IT role touches, from help desk to cloud to security. • Security+ pays more on average. Entry-level security roles clear $62K-$95K; pure network roles sit at $45K-$78K depending on region and scope. • Most people should learn Network+ material first, even if they only sit for the Security+ exam. Skipping network fundamentals is the single most common reason people fail Security+ on the first attempt. • Both are DoD 8140/8570 baseline certifications, meaning they satisfy federal contractor requirements for their respective role categories (IAT Level I for Network+, IAT Level II and IAM Level I for Security+). • Neither cert makes you hireable by itself. They're screening credentials. The interview still depends on what you can actually do in a lab or a support ticket.

Short Answer: Which One First?

If you're new to IT with no professional networking experience, take Network+ first. You'll learn concepts that Security+ assumes you already understand, and you'll have a smoother path through the second exam.

If you already have a help desk job, a home lab, or the equivalent of Network+ knowledge from self-study, and your goal is cybersecurity, skip straight to Security+. You don't need to sit for an exam just to prove you know what a subnet is.

If you're coming from a totally different field with no IT exposure at all, consider A+ first, then Network+, then Security+. The trifecta is the classic CompTIA stack for a reason, but it takes 8-14 months and three exam fees. Most career changers who already have professional experience elsewhere can safely skip A+.

The current Network+ exam is N10-009, which replaced N10-008 in mid-2024. If you're buying study materials, make sure they're for the -009 version. Older -008 books will get you 80% of the way there but miss the newer cloud and zero-trust content.

Networking Concepts (23%) The OSI model still matters, and CompTIA still expects you to know all seven layers cold. You'll also cover ports and protocols (port 443, port 22, port 3389, and about 40 others), TCP vs UDP behavior, traffic types, and network services like DNS, DHCP, NTP, and SNMP.

Network Implementation (20%) Routing and switching concepts, VLANs, spanning tree, wireless standards (Wi-Fi 6 and 6E are both on the exam now), and the physical hardware: routers, switches, access points, firewalls, load balancers, and proxy servers. Cabling questions haven't gone away despite everything going wireless.