You have A+ under your belt, or you are a few months into an IT job, and now the same question keeps circling back every time you open a browser tab: Network+ or Security+ next? You have probably read the Reddit threads where one person swears you can skip straight to Security+ and another insists you will drown without networking first. Both sound confident. Neither tells you how to actually decide for your situation.
Let me give you a straight answer, then show my work.
If you have the time and no external deadline forcing your hand, take Network+ first. It builds the plumbing that makes Security+ click instead of blur. But if you are targeting a security role right now, especially one with a DoD 8570 requirement, skipping straight to Security+ is defensible and I will tell you exactly when.
The difference between Network+ and Security+ in one breath
Network+ (current version N10-009) is about how networks actually work: the infrastructure, the protocols, the ports, the subnets, wireless, and the day-to-day of troubleshooting why traffic is not flowing. It is vendor-neutral plumbing knowledge. It does touch some network security, but security is not its center of gravity.
Security+ (current version SY0-701) is about defending systems: threats, attacks, cryptography, identity and access, risk, and the frameworks that hold it all together. It is the entry-level security credential, and it carries a real institutional weight because it satisfies the DoD 8570/8140 baseline for a lot of information assurance roles.
Here is the relationship that matters, and the one most comparison articles skate past: Security+ quietly assumes you already understand networks. When SY0-701 talks about segmenting a network, poisoning ARP, or reading traffic on a given port, it does not stop to teach you what a subnet or a port is. It expects you to already know. Network+ is where you learn that.
The order I’d take them and why
Network+ first turns Security+ from an exercise in memorization into an exercise in understanding, and that difference is the whole argument.
Think about what a security concept actually is. A firewall rule is a decision about which traffic on which port is allowed to cross a boundary. If you do not already have a mental model of ports, protocols, and traffic flow, you are memorizing “block port 3389 for RDP” as a flat fact. If you do have that model, the rule is obvious: you know what RDP is, why it listens where it does, and why exposing it to the open internet is asking for trouble.
That pattern repeats across the whole SY0-701 blueprint. VLAN segmentation, network access control, IDS and IPS placement, VPN tunneling, DNS attacks, man-in-the-middle: every one of these is a security idea layered on top of a networking fact. Learn the networking fact first and the security idea has somewhere to land.
Security is not a separate subject from networking. It is networking with an adversary in the room.
This is also the honest reason the “just skip to Security+” advice works for some people and burns others. The people it works for already understand networks, usually from a job. They are not skipping the networking knowledge, they are skipping the exam that certifies it. If you genuinely have that foundation, fine. If you do not, Network+ is not a detour. It is the road.
When skipping straight to Security+ is defensible
I am not dogmatic about this. There are real situations where going straight to Security+ is the right call:
- You are under a DoD 8570 deadline. Security+ satisfies the IAT Level II baseline. Network+ does not. If a job or contract needs that baseline on a clock, you take the cert that unlocks the door. Sequence is a luxury you do not have.
- You already work in networking. If you spend your days in subnets, VLANs, and packet captures, you have the Network+ knowledge without the Network+ paper. Testing what you already know may not be the best use of your money or weeks.
- The role you want is explicitly security, now. SOC analyst, security operations, GRC. Security+ is the credential those postings ask for by name, and it is the one that moves your resume.
The tell is simple: if you can already picture what happens to a packet as it crosses a network, you can skip Network+; if you cannot, you are going to feel it on every networking-flavored Security+ question.
The honest tradeoff is that skipping Network+ means you may spend part of your Security+ study time backfilling networking basics anyway, just without the structure a dedicated cert gives you. Sometimes that is a smart trade. Sometimes it is just harder. Know which one you are making.
Network+ vs Security+ at a glance
| Network+ (N10-009) | Security+ (SY0-701) | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Networking infrastructure, protocols, ports, wireless, troubleshooting | Threats, cryptography, identity, risk, security operations |
| Exam | Max 90 questions, 90 minutes | Max 90 questions, 90 minutes, includes PBQs |
| Passing score | 720 / 900 | 750 / 900 |
| Best-fit role | Network technician, junior admin, help desk moving up | SOC analyst, security operations, IA/DoD roles |
| Recommended background | A+ or about 9-12 months experience | About 2 years IT experience (CompTIA suggests, not required) |
| Where it sits in order | The foundation | Builds on networking knowledge |
Neither has a hard prerequisite, so nothing stops you from booking either exam tomorrow. Both also cost roughly the same single-exam fee (a few hundred dollars in the US, and prices change, so check current list price), and both certify for three years and renew through continuing education. The order argument is about comprehension and money spent wisely, not permission. If you want the full ladder laid out, I walked through the complete CompTIA certification path from A+ through Network+ and Security+ in a separate piece.
Which pays more, and can you actually get hired
Two questions I see constantly, answered plainly.
Does networking or cybersecurity pay more? Generally, security-titled roles trend higher, because security sits closer to risk and compliance and companies pay to reduce risk. But “generally” is carrying weight there. A senior network engineer out-earns a junior SOC analyst all day. Seniority, location, and the specific role move the number far more than the word “security” in your title does. Do not pick a cert order off a salary rumor.
Can you get a job with just Network+? Yes, though it is more of a stepping stone than a finish line. Network+ alone maps to help desk, junior network technician, and network support roles. It is a legitimate on-ramp. It is just rarely the destination, which is exactly why the question of what comes next matters so much.
FAQ
Can I skip Network+ and go straight to Security+?
Yes, there is no hard prerequisite. Whether you should depends on whether you already understand networks. If you do (from a job or A+ plus real curiosity), skipping the exam is reasonable. If you do not, you will be learning networking under pressure while trying to learn security, and that is the harder path. And if you already have a job, order matters less: you are learning the networking on the job anyway.
Which is harder, Network+ or Security+?
They are comparable in exam mechanics, both up to 90 questions in 90 minutes. Network+ can feel more technical and detail-dense (ports, subnetting, protocols). Security+ is broader and more conceptual, with performance-based questions and a slightly higher passing score at 750/900 versus 720/900. Which feels harder depends on how your brain is wired.
Is Network+ worth it if my goal is cybersecurity?
For most people, yes, because it makes Security+ and everything after it easier to actually understand. The exception is a hard deadline (like DoD 8570) where only Security+ satisfies the requirement. Then you take Security+ first and can always circle back.
What is the difference between network and security roles day to day?
Networking roles keep traffic flowing and infrastructure healthy. Security roles assume someone is trying to break in and work to detect, prevent, and respond. The overlap is enormous, which is exactly why the networking foundation pays off in a security career.
Who’s telling you this, and what I’d actually study with
Quick honesty about where I sit. I am a software engineer by training (NUST), and I have spent years building machine learning systems and product tools before becoming a founder. I do not hold Network+ or Security+, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. What gives me a seat at this table is adjacent: across 2022 and 2023 I delivered a run of cybersecurity webinars for a software vendor, GFI Software, sometimes solo and sometimes alongside their regional channel manager, on topics like security directives, email security, firewall-as-a-service, and network performance. Those network-performance sessions are exactly why the plumbing-first argument in this piece is not theoretical to me. I have watched security concepts fall apart for people who did not have the networking layer underneath, and click into place for the people who did.
Here is the part where the tool I helped build earns its mention, because it is genuinely relevant to how you would pass either exam. My team built PrepClubs to fix the one thing that actually determines whether you pass: reps on realistic, exam-style questions until the patterns are automatic. When you are ready to stack both, PrepClubs has original practice sets for Network+ (N10-009) and Security+ (SY0-701) so you can run the exact order this article argues for.
A few honest notes on it. Start with the free diagnostic, genuinely free first, then paid if it is helping. Access is a one-time payment with 30-day access and a Pass Guarantee, not a subscription that quietly renews. The questions are original practice questions written to mirror the real exam’s style and difficulty, not the real exam, and PrepClubs is not affiliated with CompTIA. If it is Security+ you are gearing up for, I went deeper on why question-bank depth is the thing that actually moves your score in this piece on the Security+ practice exam.
Pick your order with your eyes open. If you have the runway, plumbing first. If you have a deadline, the door that opens now. Either way, do the reps.