If you want the short answer: take CompTIA Network+ first if networking is new to you or you are heading into cyber security, and go straight to the CCNA if you already know what a VLAN is and you want a network engineering job. That is the honest split, and most of the Network+ vs CCNA argument online ignores it by pretending one cert is simply better than the other.
They are not competing for the same reader. Network+ is a vendor-neutral fundamentals exam that proves you understand how networks work. The CCNA is a Cisco exam that proves you can configure and troubleshoot Cisco kit. Employers read them differently, and in 2026 there is a third factor that most comparison articles have not caught up with yet: the CCNA blueprint is being replaced on 3 February 2027.
Network+ vs CCNA at a Glance
| CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) | Cisco CCNA (200-301) | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Vendor-neutral | Cisco-specific |
| Exam price | 399 US dollars from CompTIA as of 1 June 2026 | 300 US dollars |
| Duration | 90 minutes | 120 minutes |
| Questions | Maximum of 90, multiple-choice and performance-based | Not published by Cisco |
| Passing score | 720 on a scale of 100 to 900 | Not published by Cisco |
| Domains | 5 | 6 on the current v1.1 blueprint |
| Validity | 3 years, renewed through CompTIA's Continuing Education programme | 3 years, renewed by exam or Continuing Education credits |
| Prerequisites | None. CompTIA recommends around 9 to 12 months of networking experience | None |
| Blueprint status | N10-009 launched 20 June 2024, CompTIA estimates retirement in 2027 | v1.1 until 2 February 2027, then v2.0 |
The pricing gap surprises people. The CCNA is the harder exam and the cheaper one, because CompTIA raised prices across its whole lineup on 1 June 2026 and Cisco did not.
Exam Tip: CompTIA publishes a hard pass mark of 720 out of 900 for Network+. Cisco publishes neither a passing score nor a question count for the CCNA, and the score you need moves with the form you are given. Do not trust any site that quotes you a fixed CCNA pass percentage.
What CompTIA Network+ N10-009 Actually Tests
Network+ is a breadth exam. It covers five domains:
- Networking concepts, 23 percent
- Network implementation, 20 percent
- Network operations, 19 percent
- Network security, 14 percent
- Network troubleshooting, 24 percent
Troubleshooting is the single heaviest domain, which catches out candidates who revise protocol definitions and skip the methodology. The exam wants you to identify a fault from symptoms, in a specific order, and a chunk of the performance-based questions are built around exactly that.
The important word in the Network+ objectives is "concepts". You are asked what a spanning tree does and why, not to configure it on a switch. That is why the cert transfers cleanly into cyber security roles, where you need to reason about traffic without owning the switch.
What the Cisco CCNA 200-301 Actually Tests
The current v1.1 blueprint, effective since August 2024, has six domains:
- Network fundamentals, 20 percent
- Network access, 20 percent
- IP connectivity, 25 percent
- IP services, 10 percent
- Security fundamentals, 15 percent
- Automation and programmability, 10 percent
IP connectivity is the biggest slice, and it is where most people lose the exam. Routing tables, static and default routing, OSPFv2 and first hop redundancy are configuration topics, not vocabulary topics. You cannot read your way through them.
The CCNA also expects you to work at a command line under time pressure. Cisco's simulation questions drop you into a device and ask you to fix or build something, and they are weighted heavily enough that failing them usually fails the exam.
Which Is Harder, Network+ or CCNA?
The CCNA, by a clear margin, and the reason is depth rather than breadth. Network+ asks you to recognise a hundred things. The CCNA asks you to configure a smaller number of things correctly, from memory, in a simulator, while the clock runs.
Two practical consequences:
- Study time. Plan roughly 8 weeks for Network+ if you study consistently, and 12 or more for the CCNA. Our 8-week Network+ study plan and 12-week CCNA study plan are built on that gap.
- Lab requirements. Network+ needs no lab. The CCNA effectively does. Packet Tracer or GNS3 is free, but the hours you spend in it are real hours, and candidates who skip labbing fail the simulations.
If you have never configured a router, going straight to the CCNA is a six-month project, not a two-month one. That is fine if you have decided networking is the career. It is a poor use of time if you are actually aiming at a SOC role.
Cost, Renewal and the Bill Nobody Quotes
The sticker price is only part of it.
Network+ costs 399 US dollars for a single attempt from CompTIA, and a voucher bundled with retake assurance runs higher. The certification lasts three years and renews through CompTIA's Continuing Education programme, which we break down in our CEU guide. Study materials are cheap because the exam is stable and heavily covered.
The CCNA costs 300 US dollars and also lasts three years, renewed either by passing an exam or by earning Continuing Education credits. The saving disappears into lab time and, for some candidates, training. A CCNA retake also carries a mandatory waiting period, so a failed attempt costs more than money.
One more consideration if you work in or near government: DoD 8140 recognises specific certifications for specific work roles, and which of these two counts depends entirely on the role you are being hired into. Check the role before you book anything.
The February 2027 CCNA Change That Should Affect Your Decision
Cisco announced CCNA v2.0 on 20 May 2026. The new exam goes live on 3 February 2027, and the current v1.1 remains available until 2 February 2027. Cisco classifies this as a major revision, which under its own versioning convention means more than 20 percent of the blueprint content has moved.
What changes:
- Six domains collapse into five.
- Troubleshooting-level questions return after a five-year absence.
- Automation and programmability disappears as a standalone domain and folds into a new operations section.
- The single v1.1 AI topic becomes two, covering AI prompt construction and agentic AI for network operations and troubleshooting.
This matters for timing rather than for whether the CCNA is worth taking. If you can sit the exam before 2 February 2027, your existing study materials are current and the exam is the well-documented one. If your realistic exam date is spring 2027 or later, study for v2.0 from the start rather than learning a blueprint that expires while you revise. We cover the decision in detail in our CCNA v2.0 guide.
Network+ has its own clock. N10-009 launched on 20 June 2024 and CompTIA's own page estimates retirement in 2027, though CompTIA gives a long overlap between versions and honours the certification for its full three years regardless.
Which Networking Certification Should You Take First?
The right answer depends on the job you are aiming at, not on which exam is more respected.
Take Network+ first if you are heading into cyber security
Security analysts need to reason about traffic, not configure switches. Network+ gives you the model, and it is the natural step before Security+. It is also the cheaper path in total, because there is no lab overhead. This is the sequence in our 2026 cyber security certification roadmap.
Take the CCNA first if you want to be a network engineer
Network engineering job adverts name the CCNA specifically. Network+ appears far less often, and when it does it is usually as an alternative rather than the requirement. If the job title you want has "network" in it, the CCNA is the certification that gets read.
Take Network+ first if you are new to IT entirely
If you are coming from a help desk or from outside IT, Network+ is the sane first step. It teaches the vocabulary the CCNA assumes you already have, and passing it makes the CCNA meaningfully easier rather than merely earlier.
Skip Network+ if you already work with networks
If you have been running a network for a year and can already subnet without a calculator, Network+ will teach you little. Go straight to the CCNA. The overlap is large enough that paying 399 dollars to certify what you already know is hard to justify unless an employer is specifically asking for it.
If you are weighing this against the whole CompTIA stack rather than one exam, our trifecta breakdown compares A+, Network+ and Security+ against the CCNA as a package.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Network+ easier than CCNA?
Yes. Network+ tests conceptual breadth with a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes and a published pass mark of 720 out of 900. The CCNA tests configuration depth over 120 minutes and includes simulation questions that require you to work in a live device interface. Most candidates need around 8 weeks for Network+ and 12 or more for the CCNA.
Is the CCNA still worth it in 2026?
Yes, particularly for network engineering roles, where it is named directly in job adverts far more often than any vendor-neutral alternative. The one timing caveat is the v2.0 refresh on 3 February 2027. Sit v1.1 before 2 February 2027 if you can, or study for v2.0 from the start if your exam date falls after it.
Is CompTIA Network+ certification worth it?
It is worth it if you are new to networking or moving into cyber security, because it builds the model that Security+ and analyst work depend on. It is worth much less if you already configure networks daily, since the CCNA covers the same ground at greater depth and carries more weight with networking employers.
Is Network+ harder than A+?
Yes. A+ covers hardware, operating systems and support fundamentals at a broader and shallower level, while Network+ goes deeper into a single subject and devotes 24 percent of the exam to troubleshooting methodology. CompTIA recommends around 9 to 12 months of networking experience before attempting Network+.
Can you take the CCNA without Network+?
Yes. Cisco sets no prerequisites for the CCNA, and plenty of candidates pass it as their first certification. It is a longer road without the fundamentals, so it suits people who already have hands-on exposure to networks or who are prepared to commit to several months of lab work.
Ready to Start Practising?
Whichever exam you pick, the failure mode is the same: reading enough to feel prepared and testing too little to know. Both of these exams punish that, Network+ through its performance-based questions and the CCNA through its simulations.
CertCrush's CompTIA Network+ practice exams and study guide are mapped to the N10-009 objectives, with exam-style questions and explanations that tell you why the wrong answers are wrong. Work through them until you are consistently clearing 720, then book.
Create a free CertCrush account and start practising today.