SSCP vs Security+: which one should you get?

Every figure below was read off ISC2’s and CompTIA’s own pages on October 22, 2026, and each is linked to the page it came from.

The two exams side by side

The formats are quite different on the day. CompTIA’s Security+ V7 page lists a maximum of 90 multiple-choice and performance-based questions in 90 minutes, so expect hands-on simulations as well as multiple choice. Our Security+ exam format guide covers those in detail. ISC2’s SSCP exam outline, effective October 1, 2025, says every SSCP exam now uses Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT): between 100 and 125 items in 2 hours, in English, Japanese, and Spanish, with multiple choice and what ISC2 calls advanced item types.

What each exam covers

The topics overlap heavily: access control, cryptography, network security, risk, and incident response appear in both. The difference is emphasis. Security operations is the single largest Security+ domain at 28 percent, and Security+ also gives 20 percent to program management and oversight. SSCP spreads its weight almost evenly across seven domains, with cryptography the smallest at 9 percent, and reads as a practitioner’s exam about running the controls on systems you administer. If you can study for one, most of that study transfers to the other.

The experience question decides it for most people

Security+ has no prerequisite. CompTIA’s exam page recommends Network+ and two years in a security or systems administrator job role, but you can sit the exam and hold the certification without either.

SSCP is different. ISC2’s SSCP experience requirements ask for at least 1 year of full-time work in one or more of the seven domains before you can be certified. The details are more forgiving than people assume:

• Full-time means at least 35 hours a week. Part-time work of 20 to 34 hours a week counts, and 2,080 part-time hours equal 12 months.
• Paid or unpaid internships count, with a letter on the organization’s letterhead.
• A qualifying degree can satisfy the year on its own. The experience page lists which degrees ISC2 accepts.

If you have none of that yet, you can still sit the exam. Pass, and you become an Associate of ISC2 with 2 years to earn the year of experience, per the exam outline. ISC2’s member policies set the Associate’s upkeep at 15 CPE credits a year, and the fee page sets the Associate annual fee at $50. The catch is that an Associate is not yet an SSCP, so if an employer needs the certification itself on day one, Security+ is the safer route.

What each one costs to get and keep

ISC2’s pricing page lists the SSCP exam at $249 for standard registration in the Americas. CompTIA’s Security+ pages sell the exam voucher inside study bundles and do not state a standalone voucher price, so we do not quote one; check CompTIA’s store for the current price in your country.

Upkeep runs the other way. Security+ costs $150 per 3 year cycle in CE fees, plus 50 CEUs. SSCP carries an annual maintenance fee of $135, which is $405 over the same three years, plus 60 CPE credits per cycle, of which at least 45 must be Group A. ISC2 charges a single fee no matter how many of its certifications you hold, so if a CISSP is in your plans, the SSCP fee is the same $135 you would pay for that later anyway.

ISC2’s certification maintenance policy suggests 20 CPE credits a year and gives a 90 day grace period after the cycle ends to earn and submit any that are missing.

Holding both: SSCP renews Security+

This is the part worth knowing before you choose. CompTIA’s Security+ renewal list credits SSCP at 50 CEUs, which is the entire 50 CEU requirement. Two conditions from CompTIA’s rules for non-CompTIA certifications: the SSCP has to be earned or renewed during your three year Security+ cycle, and the CE fee still applies. CompTIA also notes that the list can change as its exams are updated.

So a sensible order for many administrators is Security+ now, then SSCP within the next three years once the experience year is in hand. One exam renews the other, and you come out holding both. Our Security+ renewal guide covers the other ways to reach 50 CEUs.

Timing: Security+ is changing versions

CompTIA’s Security+ V8 page lists SY0-801 launching November 17, 2026, and the V7 page lists SY0-701 retiring in English on June 11, 2027. The format stays the same, so this matters only for which objectives you study. The SSCP outline has been in effect since October 1, 2025.

Which one to pick

• Pick Security+ if you are new to security, need a certification you can hold right away, or you want the lower upkeep cost per cycle.
• Pick SSCP if you already have a year of administration or operations work, or you are heading toward other ISC2 certifications such as the CISSP.
• Plan on both if you hold Security+ already and need to renew it: SSCP covers the CEUs and adds a second certification. See our SSCP certification page for the details.

FAQ

Leaning toward SSCP? Our SSCP course is built for the adaptive exam, and the first module, Security concepts and practices, is free with a free account.