Security+ vs CySA+: which one should you get next?

Every exam figure below was read off CompTIA’s own certification and continuing education pages on September 24, 2026, and each is linked to the page it came from.

The two exams side by side

The number that tells you most is time per question. Security+ gives you about one minute per question; CySA+ gives you close to two. The objectives explain why. CompTIA’s CySA+ V4 summary is written around analysis: analyze indicators of potential malicious activity, analyze output from vulnerability assessment tools, use SIEM, EDR, and packet analysis tools to determine malicious activity. Security+ covers a wide range of concepts. CySA+ asks you to apply a narrower set of them to evidence.

On question types: CompTIA’s Security+ V7 page states a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions. The CySA+ V4 page does not state the question types, so we make no claim about them for CS0-004. The outgoing CySA+ V3 page does state the same multiple-choice and performance-based mix.

What each exam covers

Security+ spreads across five domains, from general concepts to program management and oversight. CySA+ spends all of its weight on the work a security analyst does day to day.

The overlap is real but shallow. Security operations is the largest Security+ domain at 28 percent, and it is the largest CySA+ domain at 34 percent. The difference is depth: CySA+ turns that one area, plus vulnerability management and incident response, into the whole exam. If Security+ felt like a survey course, CySA+ is the major.

Which one first

Security+ first, for most people. CompTIA’s recommended experience is the clearest signal: Network+ and two years in a security or systems administrator role for Security+, against about four years as a SOC or vulnerability analyst for CySA+. These are recommendations, not gates, but they describe who each exam is written for. If you are coming from help desk, desktop support, or network administration, Security+ is the exam that matches where you are.

CySA+ first, if you already do the job. If you spend your days triaging alerts, running vulnerability scans, or working incidents, CySA+ describes your work more closely than Security+ does. The catch is paperwork: if a job posting or contract names Security+ specifically, it does not matter which exam is more interesting; you need the one the paperwork names. If a contract told you that you need IAT Level II, our IAT Level II certification guide compares every option for that requirement.

The renewal rule: earning CySA+ renews Security+

CompTIA’s higher level certification renewal page lists CySA+ as fully renewing Security+, Network+, and A+. Pass CySA+ during your Security+ renewal cycle and Security+ renews with it. CompTIA waives the Security+ CE fee when it is fully renewed this way, and aligns the Security+ expiration date to the CySA+ one.

That changes the math. Renewing Security+ on its own takes 50 CEUs and $150 over three years, as our Security+ renewal guide walks through. If you were going to study for something anyway, studying for CySA+ inside that window renews Security+ and adds a second certification along the way. Just do not leave it late: CompTIA requires the higher level certification to be earned during your three year renewal cycle, so an expired Security+ is not rescued by a CySA+ pass afterward.

Going forward, CySA+ asks for 60 CEUs per cycle against 50 for Security+, and the CE fee is $150 for either, per CompTIA’s fee table.

Which exam versions are live

Both certifications are mid transition, which matters when you buy study material.

For CySA+, study CS0-004 unless you are already deep into CS0-003 material and can test before December 22, 2026. The V4 domain weights moved enough (vulnerability management dropped from 30 to 26 percent, incident response rose from 20 to 24) that V3 material is not a clean fit for V4.

A sensible order

Security+ now. A year or two of hands-on security work. Then CySA+ inside your Security+ renewal window, so the second exam also renews the first. That sequence matches CompTIA’s own recommended experience for each exam, and it means you never pay a Security+ renewal fee or log 50 CEUs for it separately.

FAQ

Ready for the analyst step? The first module of our CySA+ course, Security operations, is free and covers the largest CS0-004 domain at 34 percent of the exam.