Quick Verdict
Network+ covers networking itself - N10-009, five weighted domains, 14% of it network security. CND is EC-Council's network-defense credential: the defensive operations built on that ground. RoleMath holds no published prerequisite for either exam, and the DoD 8140 matrix places the two in the same band - CND against ten DCWF work roles, Network+ against five, and Basic proficiency on all but one of those fifteen rows. Choose by which subject you need, not by an order.
Choose The First Option When
- You already understand networking and want defensive security depth.
- You are targeting network defense or security operations.
- You are considering EC-Council's cyber operations pathway.
Choose The Second Option When
- You still need networking itself rather than its defence: addressing, implementation, operations, troubleshooting.
- You are early in IT support, cloud, or cyber exploration.
- You want a vendor-neutral credential rather than an EC-Council-specific one.
Cited Detail
| Credential | Exam | Duration | Price | Domains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Network Defender (CND) | CND | 4 Hours | We have not recorded this | 20 captured modules: Module 01: Network Attacks and Defense Strategies; Module 02: Administrative Network Security; Module 03: Technical Network Security; Module 04: Network Perimeter Security; Module 05: Endpoint Security - Windows Systems; Module 06: Endpoint Security - Linux Systems; Module 07: Endpoint Security - Mobile Devices; Module 08: Endpoint Security - IoT Devices; Module 09: Administrative Application Security; Module 10: Data Security; Module 11: Enterprise Virtual Network Security; Module 12: Enterprise Cloud Security; Module 13: Enterprise Wireless Network Security; Module 14: Network Traffic Monitoring and Analysis; Module 15: Network Logs Monitoring and Analysis; Module 16: Incident Response and Forensics Investigation; Module 17: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery; Module 18: Risk Anticipation with Risk Management; Module 19: Threat Assessment with Attack Surface Analysis; Module 20: Threat Prediction with Cyber Threat Intelligence |
| CompTIA Network+ | N10-009 | 90 minutes | $399 (exam fee as of 2026-06-13) | 5 captured domains: Networking concepts (23%); Network implementation (20%); Network operations (19%); Network security (14%); Network troubleshooting (24%) |
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.
| Role | Relationship | SOC | Annual median wage (BLS OEWS, May 2025) | BLS outlook (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network Administrator | Certified Network Defender (CND) - Covers the core; CompTIA Network+ - Covers groundwork | 15-1244 | $99,130 annual median | -4.2% |
| Network Security Engineer | Certified Network Defender (CND) - Covers the core; CompTIA Network+ - Covers groundwork | 15-1299 | $116,580 annual median | 8.2% |
| Technical Support Engineer | CompTIA Network+ - Covers groundwork | 15-1232 | $61,860 annual median | -3.7% |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | CompTIA Network+ - Covers groundwork | 15-1212 | $129,180 annual median | 28.5% |
| Network Automation Engineer | CompTIA Network+ - Covers groundwork | 15-1241 | $134,050 annual median | 11.9% |