Are CEH and Security+ the same kind of certification?

No. They sit at different points. Security+ is a broad, vendor-neutral foundation covering threats, architecture, operations and governance - defensive and general. CEH is an offensive credential focused on ethical hacking: reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation and the attacker's toolkit, studied from a defender's standpoint. Most people earn Security+ first and consider CEH later if they move toward offensive work.

Which should I take first?

For almost everyone, Security+. It has no prerequisites, is far cheaper, and teaches the fundamentals that offensive work assumes you already know. CEH expects networking and security basics, requires official training or two years of experience to sit, and is much more expensive - so it makes more sense after you have the groundwork.

Do I need experience or training for either?

Security+ has no prerequisites - anyone can sit it. CEH requires either official EC-Council training or an eligibility application backed by two years of information-security work experience. That gate, plus the cost, is a key practical difference between the two.

Which is more respected for a penetration-testing job?

CEH is the offensive-leaning credential of the two and is well recognised by HR and some government baselines, which is its main strength. But among hands-on practitioners, opinions on CEH vary, and performance-based offensive certifications are often rated more highly for red-team work. CEH on its own proves breadth of concepts, not deep hands-on exploitation skill - so for a pen-testing job, weigh it against more practical, lab-based offensive certs.

Why is CEH so much more expensive?

CEH is among the most expensive certifications here: roughly US$1,199 for the exam, plus EC-Council eligibility or official training that often runs to US$1,000 or more. Security+ is around US$404 with mostly free study resources (such as Professor Messer). The cost gap alone makes Security+ the more sensible starting point for most people.

What jobs does each lead to?

Security+ opens junior SOC analyst, security administrator and security-focused IT roles, and it meets the US DoD 8140 baseline, so it appears on many government-adjacent postings. CEH points toward security analyst, junior penetration tester and roles that name CEH for compliance - though hands-on offensive roles usually also want demonstrated practical skill.

Head-to-head comparison

CEH vs CompTIA Security+: offensive hacking or security foundations?

By The Exam Atlas Editorial Team · Verified 2026-06-06

Our verdict

These are not the same kind of certification. Security+ is the broad, vendor-neutral foundation most people should earn first. CEH is an offensive, ethical-hacking credential aimed at people moving toward penetration testing - and it is far more expensive. For almost all beginners, start with Security+; reach for CEH later, and only if an offensive role or a specific requirement calls for it.

Side by side

The numbers that decide it, lined up across every dimension that matters.

	CEH	SY0-701
Posture	Offensive (ethical hacking / attacker view)	Foundational & defensive (broad security)
Level	Intermediate (offensive breadth)	Intermediate (entry-level baseline)
Prerequisites	Official training, or 2 yrs security experience + eligibility	None
Exam format	125 questions, 240 minutes (optional practical exam)	Max 90 questions, 90 minutes (with performance-based items)
Passing score	Cut score varies by form (roughly 60–85%)	750 / 900
Cost (approx.)	~US$1,199, plus training/eligibility (often US$1,000+)	~US$404
Validity	3 years (EC-Council ECE credits)	3 years (continuing education)
Best fit	Aspiring pen testers; roles that require CEH	First security cert; IT-to-security career changers

Full exam pages: Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) · CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and CompTIA Security+ are both cybersecurity certifications, but they are not rivals at the same level - they sit at different points on the map. One is a broad foundation; the other is an offensive specialism. Here is the detailed comparison, beyond the table above.

The core difference

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) is the most common entry-level, vendor-neutral cybersecurity certification. It covers the broad foundations: general security concepts, threats and vulnerabilities, security architecture, security operations, and program management and oversight. It is general and largely defensive - the groundwork that almost every security role assumes.

CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) is an offensive credential. It covers the tools and techniques of attackers - reconnaissance, scanning, system and network hacking, web, application and wireless attacks, plus cloud, IoT and cryptography - studied from a defender’s standpoint. It is the “think like an attacker” credential, aimed at people moving toward penetration testing and red-team work.

So the split is foundation versus offence. Security+ teaches what security is; CEH teaches how systems are attacked. They are complementary, not interchangeable - and the foundation comes first.

Cost compared

This is one of the starkest differences between the two.

Security+: the voucher is around US$404, with study materials ranging from free (Professor Messer, the official exam objectives) to a few hundred dollars. Budget the full fee again only if you need a retake.
CEH: among the most expensive certifications around - roughly US$1,199 for the exam, plus EC-Council eligibility or official training that often runs to US$1,000 or more. That makes CEH several times the all-in cost of Security+.

Confirm current pricing with CompTIA and EC-Council, as both change fees over time. But the gap is large enough that, on cost alone, Security+ is the natural starting point.

Difficulty and time

Both are pitched at an intermediate level, but they assume different starting points.

Security+ is up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, passing at 750/900, and includes performance-based items that ask you to complete tasks rather than just pick answers. Most candidates need six to ten weeks of part-time study; an IT background shortens that. It has no prerequisites.
CEH is 125 questions in 240 minutes, with a cut score that varies by exam form (roughly 60-85%) and an optional hands-on practical exam. It expects networking and security fundamentals, and to sit it you need either official EC-Council training or an eligibility application backed by two years of security experience.

Neither is trivial, but they are demanding in different ways: Security+ tests broad fundamentals from a standing start, while CEH tests offensive breadth on top of assumed groundwork - and gates entry behind training or experience.

Recognition and job market

Both are well recognised, but with different signals.

Security+ is one of the most-requested baseline certifications, recognised across government and private-sector roles. It meets the US DoD 8140 baseline for certain positions, so it appears on many government-adjacent postings. Its value is as a door-opener and screening credential.
CEH is well recognised by HR and meets some compliance and government baselines - that recognition is its main strength. Among hands-on practitioners, though, opinions on its depth vary, and performance-based offensive certifications are often rated more highly for actual red-team work.

If you need a credential that clears HR filters and compliance checklists, both do that in their respective lanes. For proving hands-on offensive skill specifically, CEH alone is rarely the full story.

Career outcomes

Security+ maps to: junior SOC analyst, security administrator and security-focused IT roles. It is an entry credential and supports early-career pay rather than commanding a large premium on its own.
CEH maps to: security analyst, junior penetration tester and roles that list CEH for compliance. Hands-on offensive roles usually also want demonstrated practical skill, so CEH tends to work best alongside lab experience rather than by itself.

In practice many security careers run Security+ first, then add an offensive credential like CEH only if the path turns toward penetration testing.

How to decide

Decide by where you are and where you are heading.

New to security, changing careers, or coming from IT support → Security+. No prerequisites, far cheaper, and the foundation everything else stands on.
You already have the fundamentals and are moving toward offensive security, or a job or compliance baseline names it → CEH, ideally paired with hands-on, lab-based practice.
Unsure → start with Security+. It is the lower-risk entry point and the natural groundwork for offensive work later.

These are steps on a path more than competitors. For most people the honest sequence is Security+ first, then CEH (or a more practical offensive cert) when an offensive role actually calls for it.

Which should you choose?

Choose CEH if

People moving toward offensive security or penetration testing who want structured ethical-hacking breadth, or who need CEH because a job or compliance baseline names it specifically.

Choose SY0-701 if

People entering cybersecurity from IT support or as a career change who want a recognised, affordable first credential and a baseline that appears on many job postings.

Our specialty · side by side

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Where these exams lead

Career paths featuring these exams

See where CEH and SY0-701 sit in a longer certification sequence.

How to become a penetration tester with certifications View path → How to become a network engineer with certifications View path → How to become a CISO with certifications View path → How to become a SOC analyst with certifications View path → How to become a cybersecurity analyst with certifications View path → How to become a security engineer: build defences, not just watch them View path →

FAQ

Are CEH and Security+ the same kind of certification?: No. They sit at different points. Security+ is a broad, vendor-neutral foundation covering threats, architecture, operations and governance - defensive and general. CEH is an offensive credential focused on ethical hacking: reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation and the attacker's toolkit, studied from a defender's standpoint. Most people earn Security+ first and consider CEH later if they move toward offensive work.
Which should I take first?: For almost everyone, Security+. It has no prerequisites, is far cheaper, and teaches the fundamentals that offensive work assumes you already know. CEH expects networking and security basics, requires official training or two years of experience to sit, and is much more expensive - so it makes more sense after you have the groundwork.
Do I need experience or training for either?: Security+ has no prerequisites - anyone can sit it. CEH requires either official EC-Council training or an eligibility application backed by two years of information-security work experience. That gate, plus the cost, is a key practical difference between the two.
Which is more respected for a penetration-testing job?: CEH is the offensive-leaning credential of the two and is well recognised by HR and some government baselines, which is its main strength. But among hands-on practitioners, opinions on CEH vary, and performance-based offensive certifications are often rated more highly for red-team work. CEH on its own proves breadth of concepts, not deep hands-on exploitation skill - so for a pen-testing job, weigh it against more practical, lab-based offensive certs.
Why is CEH so much more expensive?: CEH is among the most expensive certifications here: roughly US$1,199 for the exam, plus EC-Council eligibility or official training that often runs to US$1,000 or more. Security+ is around US$404 with mostly free study resources (such as Professor Messer). The cost gap alone makes Security+ the more sensible starting point for most people.
What jobs does each lead to?: Security+ opens junior SOC analyst, security administrator and security-focused IT roles, and it meets the US DoD 8140 baseline, so it appears on many government-adjacent postings. CEH points toward security analyst, junior penetration tester and roles that name CEH for compliance - though hands-on offensive roles usually also want demonstrated practical skill.