Most people studying for their second or third CompTIA exam have already earned a credential they have never claimed and do not know exists. CompTIA stackable certifications are awarded automatically when you hold the right combination of active CompTIA certifications, they cost nothing extra, and there is no additional exam or application form to complete. If you hold a current A+, Network+ and Security+, you are already a CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Specialist.
There are 12 CompTIA stackable certifications in total, split across two pathways: five in the infrastructure pathway and seven in the cybersecurity pathway. This guide lists every one of them with its exact prerequisites, shows you which stack you already qualify for, and answers the question most people get wrong: what happens to your stack when one of the underlying certifications expires.
What CompTIA Stackable Certifications Actually Are
A stackable certification is a separate credential that recognises a specific combination of CompTIA exams you have already passed. It is not a course, not a bundle you buy, and not something you sit an exam for.
The mechanics are simple:
- You pass the individual exams that make up a stack.
- CompTIA awards the stackable certification automatically once all the required certifications are active.
- There is no additional fee, no separate exam, and no application to submit.
- The stack appears in your CompTIA certification account and as a digital badge you can add to LinkedIn and your CV.
CompTIA organises the stacks into three career levels within each pathway: specialist, professional and expert. Specialist stacks sit at the early-career end and generally need two or three foundational exams. Professional stacks assume a working practitioner. Expert stacks require SecurityX, the advanced credential formerly known as CASP+.
Exam Tip: You do not need to do anything to claim a stack. If you have passed the required exams and they are all still active, log into your CompTIA certification account and the stackable certification will already be listed there with a downloadable certificate.
All 12 CompTIA Stackable Certifications and What Each One Requires
This is the complete CompTIA stackable certifications list for 2026. Note that every prerequisite must be a current, active certification under the Continuing Education (CE) programme at the same time.
Infrastructure Pathway (5 Stacks)
| Acronym | Full Name | Level | Certifications Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIOS | CompTIA IT Operations Specialist | Specialist | A+, Network+ |
| CSSS | CompTIA Systems Support Specialist | Specialist | A+, Linux+ |
| CCAP | CompTIA Cloud Admin Professional | Professional | Network+, Cloud+ |
| CNIP | CompTIA Network Infrastructure Professional | Professional | Network+, Server+ |
| CLNP | CompTIA Linux Network Professional | Professional | Network+, Linux+ |
The infrastructure pathway rewards breadth across support, networking, Linux and cloud. Network+ is the hinge: three of the five infrastructure stacks require it, so it is the single most efficient exam on this side of the map.
Cybersecurity Pathway (7 Stacks)
| Acronym | Full Name | Level | Certifications Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSIS | CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Specialist | Specialist | A+, Network+, Security+ |
| CSCP | CompTIA Secure Cloud Professional | Professional | Security+, Cloud+ |
| CSAP | CompTIA Security Analytics Professional | Professional | Security+, CySA+ |
| CNVP | CompTIA Network Vulnerability Assessment Professional | Professional | Security+, PenTest+ |
| CNSP | CompTIA Network Security Professional | Professional | Security+, PenTest+, CySA+ |
| CSAE | CompTIA Security Analytics Expert | Expert | Security+, CySA+, SecurityX |
| CSIE | CompTIA Secure Infrastructure Expert | Expert | Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, SecurityX |
Security+ appears in all seven cybersecurity stacks. That is the clearest signal in the entire stackable map: if you are heading down the security route, Security+ is not optional, it is the key that unlocks every door on this pathway.
Which CompTIA Stackable Certification Do You Already Qualify For?
Work from what you already hold rather than from where you want to end up. This table shows the stack you have earned right now and the single cheapest exam that would earn you another.
| What You Currently Hold | Stack You Already Have | Next Exam for Another Stack |
|---|---|---|
| A+ only | None yet | Network+ earns CIOS |
| A+ and Network+ | CIOS | Security+ earns CSIS |
| A+, Network+, Security+ | CIOS and CSIS | CySA+ earns CSAP |
| Network+ and Security+ | None yet | A+ earns CSIS |
| Security+ and CySA+ | CSAP | PenTest+ earns CNSP |
| Security+ and PenTest+ | CNVP | CySA+ earns CNSP |
| Security+, CySA+, PenTest+ | CSAP, CNVP and CNSP | SecurityX earns CSIE and CSAE |
| Network+ and Cloud+ | CCAP | Security+ earns CSCP |
| A+ and Linux+ | CSSS | Network+ earns CLNP |
Two things fall out of that table that are worth knowing before you book anything.
Stacks compound. Passing Security+, CySA+ and PenTest+ does not earn you one stack, it earns you three at once: CSAP, CNVP and CNSP. Adding SecurityX on top of those three then earns both expert stacks, CSAE and CSIE, taking you to five stackable certifications from four exams.
One exam can be worth two stacks. If you hold A+ and Network+, a single Security+ pass adds CSIS while you keep CIOS. If you hold Security+ and CySA+, a single PenTest+ pass adds both CNVP and CNSP.
Exam Tip: The most efficient cybersecurity route by stacks-per-exam is Security+, then CySA+, then PenTest+. Three exams, three stacks, and CySA+ and PenTest+ each renew your Security+ automatically at the same time.
Do CompTIA Stackable Certifications Expire?
Yes, and this is the part that catches people out. A stackable certification is not a permanent credential that sits above your other certs. It is entirely dependent on them.
The rules are straightforward:
- Every current CompTIA certification expires three years after the date you earn it.
- A stackable certification expires the moment any of its prerequisite certifications expires.
- If you later regain the lapsed certification, the stackable certification is reinstated automatically.
So if you hold CSIS on the strength of A+, Network+ and Security+, and you let your A+ lapse, you lose CSIS as well, even though your Network+ and Security+ are perfectly healthy. Get the A+ back and CSIS returns.
The Renewal Cascade Works in Your Favour
The saving grace is that higher-level CompTIA certifications automatically renew the lower-level ones beneath them. Passing CySA+, PenTest+ or SecurityX renews your Security+ without you spending a single continuing education unit on it. SecurityX renews the certifications below it across the board.
That means a candidate working steadily up the cybersecurity pathway rarely has to think about renewal at all. Each new exam resets the clock on what came before, and the stacks stay live as a side effect. If you are not progressing to another exam, you will need continuing education units instead, which is covered in detail in our guide to CompTIA continuing education and CEU requirements.
Are CompTIA Stackable Certifications Worth Putting on Your CV?
Honestly, it depends where you put them and how you describe them.
Where they help:
- LinkedIn and applicant tracking systems. The stack name contains role language that individual exam names do not. "Security Analytics Professional" reads as a job description in a way that "CySA+" does not, and recruiters searching on role keywords may surface you on the strength of it.
- Signalling breadth cheaply. A stack tells a hiring manager at a glance that you have a coherent combination of skills rather than a scattered collection of exams.
- They are free. There is no cost-benefit calculation to make. You have already paid for them by sitting the exams.
Where they do not help:
- Nobody asks for them by name. Job adverts specify Security+ or CySA+. They effectively never specify CSAP or CNSP. Do not sit an exam purely to complete a stack.
- They can look like padding. Listing CSAP, CNVP and CNSP as three separate lines when they are all derived from the same three exams reads as CV inflation to anyone who knows the scheme.
The practical approach is to list your individual certifications as the primary entries, then add your highest-level stack as a single supporting line. One stack, positioned as a summary of the others, is credible. Three stacks stacked on top of three exams is not.
The Fastest Route to Your First Stack
If you hold nothing yet and want the shortest path to a stackable certification, the answer depends on which pathway you are aiming at.
- Cheapest possible stack: A+ and Network+ gives you CIOS. Both are foundational and widely recognised, and A+ is two exams (Core 1 and Core 2), so budget for three exams in total. Our comparison of Tech+ and A+ is worth reading first if you are completely new.
- Best value for a security career: A+, Network+ and Security+ gives you both CIOS and CSIS, and Security+ is the entry requirement for most junior security roles anyway. See our take on whether the CompTIA trifecta is still worth it before committing.
- Fastest stack if you already work in security: Security+ plus CySA+ gives you CSAP in two exams. If you are weighing those two, we compared CySA+ and Security+ directly.
Whichever route you take, the exams are the hard part and the stacks are the free reward at the end. Prepare for the individual exam in front of you and let the stacks accumulate on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which CompTIA certs are stackable?
The certifications that feed into stacks are A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+, Cloud+, Server+, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecurityX. Combining them in defined groupings produces the 12 stackable certifications. Security+ is the most valuable single exam in the scheme because it appears in all seven cybersecurity stacks, and Network+ is the most valuable on the infrastructure side, appearing in three of five.
Is CompTIA still relevant in 2026?
Yes, particularly at the entry and early-career levels. Security+ remains one of the most frequently requested certifications in job adverts and is an approved baseline credential for a wide range of US Department of Defense cyber roles. The vendor-neutral positioning also means CompTIA certifications transfer across employers in a way that vendor-specific credentials do not.
Is Network+ or A+ harder?
Most candidates find Network+ harder in terms of depth, while A+ is harder in terms of sheer breadth. A+ requires two separate exams (Core 1 and Core 2) covering hardware, operating systems, mobile devices, troubleshooting and basic security, so there is more ground to cover. Network+ goes deeper on a narrower subject, and the subnetting and protocol content trips up candidates who have no hands-on networking exposure.
What is the highest paying CompTIA certification?
SecurityX, formerly CASP+, generally commands the highest salaries of the CompTIA portfolio because it targets senior security architects and engineers rather than analysts. PenTest+ and CySA+ sit next, both aimed at working practitioners. Note that the stackable certifications themselves carry no separate salary premium, since they reflect certifications you already hold.
Do I have to pay for a CompTIA stackable certification?
No. Stackable certifications are awarded automatically at no additional cost once you hold all the required certifications in an active state. There is no separate exam, no application form and no fee.
Ready to Start Practising?
Every CompTIA stackable certification comes down to the same thing: passing the individual exams underneath it. The stacks look after themselves.
CertCrush has full practice exam banks for the certifications that unlock the most stacks, including Security+, Network+, CySA+, PenTest+ and SecAI+, with performance-based questions and detailed explanations for every answer. Browse the full course catalogue to find your next exam, or create a free account and start with a practice test to see where you actually stand before you book.
Pass the exam in front of you. Collect the stack on the way past.