RoleMath

comparison

Cisco CCST Cybersecurity vs CompTIA Security+

CCST Cybersecurity is an entry-level Cisco credential with no stated prerequisites. The sharpest difference between the two is Department of Defense recognition: the DoD 8140 qualification matrix (V2.1, effective 2025-09-19, published at https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/8140/xls/(U)%202025-09-19_DoD8140MatrixV2.1.xlsx) lists Security+ against 20 DoD work roles and does not list CCST Cybersecurity at all. That matrix governs DoD cyberspace workforce roles; it does not speak for federal hiring generally. At $125 against $439, CCST is the cheaper way to find out whether security work suits you; Security+ is the one that matrix recognises.

Choose between these for my background

Next source review 2026-09-07.

Certification details change. Always confirm final pricing, availability, and credential terms on the official provider page linked in the sources below before you pay for anything.

Decision comparison

Side-by-side comparison

Side-by-side certification tradeoff grid with fit-dependent caveats.

Cited detail

EvidenceCisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) CybersecurityCompTIA Security+
Exam code100-160SY0-701
Exam length50 minutes90 minutes
Credential levelEntryFoundation
Published exam price$125 (exam fee as of 2026-06-12)$439 (exam fee as of 2026-06-13)
Official certification sourceBLS occupation contextO*NET role evidenceRoleMath scoring evidence

Choose by fit

Choose Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity when
  • You are still exploring whether cyber is a fit.
  • You want an entry Cisco-aligned cyber credential first.
  • You want a shorter, cheaper first exam: 50 minutes and $125, against 90 minutes and $439.
Choose CompTIA Security+ when
  • You are targeting a DoD cyberspace workforce role, where the 8140 matrix names Security+ and not CCST.
  • You already have basic IT or networking knowledge.
  • You want security operations coverage: it is the largest block on the Security+ blueprint at 28%.
Not claimed here
  • Exam pass rates
  • Job placement rates
  • Any job guarantee
  • A salary figure attributed to this certification
  • A salary prediction for you personally
  • Return on investment or a payback period

Related Roles

These are role mappings for career-planning context. Salary and outlook data must stay tied to BLS occupations, not to certification outcomes.

The Relationship column compares a credential's published exam objectives with the work the occupation involves, and names which credential it is describing. A role RoleMath maps to only one of the two credentials shows that one; where both map to it, both are named, and Both means they read the same way for that role. Covers the core means the objectives reach that occupation's main work, Covers groundwork that they reach what it builds on rather than the work itself, and Partial overlap that they meet it only in places; a qualifier such as after a foundation records where RoleMath reads the objectives as assuming earlier study or experience, and Overlap not classified marks a pairing we hold but have not placed on this scale. This is RoleMath's reading of published objectives, not a measurement of hiring: we have not surveyed employers, and nothing here measures how much a credential is asked for or what it does for an application.

Every wage below is the occupation's national annual median wage - the midpoint of that occupation's wage distribution - as published by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025. It is not the OEWS mean, not an average, and not a starting wage. The outlook column is the BLS Employment Projections change for the same occupation over 2024-2034. Both describe the occupation, not an outcome of holding the credential.

RoleRelationshipSOCAnnual median wage (BLS OEWS, May 2025)BLS outlook (2024-2034)
Cybersecurity AnalystCisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity - Covers groundwork, before entry; CompTIA Security+ - Covers the core15-1212$129,180 annual median28.5%
Network Security EngineerCompTIA Security+ - Covers groundwork15-1299$116,580 annual median8.2%
Help Desk TechnicianCisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity - Partial overlap15-1232$61,860 annual median-3.7%
Junior Systems AdministratorCompTIA Security+ - Partial overlap15-1244$99,130 annual median-4.2%

These pages draw on the same sourced data, and are the closest to what you just read.

Roles & paths this connects to

cert comparisonCybersecurity Analystcert comparisonIncident Response Analystcert comparisonSOC Analyst

Zoom out

cert comparisonCisco Certified Support Technician Cybersecuritycert comparisonCompTIA Security+

Core source records

This table lists the page’s core content records and when they were checked. Claim-specific citations appear beside the relevant text and may not be repeated here.

Show all 34 sources
IDSupportsSourceChecked
CIT-01Public official credential page for Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity.Cisco Certified Support Technician Cybersecurity - Cisco2026-06-09T03:15:30+00:00
CIT-02Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst.Cybersecurity Analyst BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-03Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst.Cybersecurity Analyst BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-04Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst.Cybersecurity Analyst O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-05Supports occupation-level labor context for Help Desk Technician.Help Desk Technician BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-06Supports occupation-level labor context for Help Desk Technician.Help Desk Technician BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-07Supports occupation-level labor context for Help Desk Technician.Help Desk Technician O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-08Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst.Threat Intelligence Analyst BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-09Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst.Threat Intelligence Analyst BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-10Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst.Threat Intelligence Analyst O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-11Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst.Incident Response Analyst BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-12Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst.Incident Response Analyst BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-13Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst.Incident Response Analyst O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-14Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst.SOC Analyst BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-15Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst.SOC Analyst BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-16Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst.SOC Analyst O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-17Public official credential page for CompTIA Security+.Security+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA2026-06-19T04:57:29+00:00
CIT-18Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator.Junior Systems Administrator BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-19Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator.Junior Systems Administrator BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-20Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator.Junior Systems Administrator O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-21Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist.IT Security Operations Specialist BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-22Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist.IT Security Operations Specialist BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-23Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist.IT Security Operations Specialist O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-24Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer.Network Security Engineer BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-25Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer.Network Security Engineer BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-26Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer.Network Security Engineer O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-27Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester.Penetration Tester BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-28Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester.Penetration Tester BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-29Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester.Penetration Tester O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-30Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer.Security Engineer BLS OEWS wage source2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00
CIT-31Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer.Security Engineer BLS Employment Projections source2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00
CIT-32Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer.Security Engineer O*NET source2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00
CIT-33The exam fee shown for Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity, and the date beside it, were both read from this published price source on 2026-06-12.Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity exam fee - published price source, read 2026-06-122026-06-12
CIT-34The exam fee shown for CompTIA Security+, and the date beside it, were both read from this published price source on 2026-06-13.CompTIA Security+ exam fee - published price source, read 2026-06-132026-06-13

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