Security+ vs CC

Updated: 2025-01-15 Methodology

Security+ and ISC2 CC both target newcomers to cybersecurity, but they occupy very different positions in the market. This comparison examines salary impact, employer demand, and career trajectory to help you pick the right entry point into security.

$88K
Security+
$65K
CC

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Security+CC
Provider CompTIAISC2
Level IntermediateEntry-Level
Exam Cost $404N/A
Avg Salary $88,000$65,000
Pass Rate 82%80%
Study Hours 40h30h
Difficulty 5/103/10
Job Listings 45.0K8.0K

Our Verdict

Security+ is the clear winner for career impact — 45K job listings vs CC's 8K and a $23K salary advantage ($88K vs $65K) make it the industry's de facto entry-level security standard, especially for government and defense roles where it satisfies DoD 8570 requirements. ISC2 CC is free to take and genuinely useful as a stepping stone if you have zero security background, but it should be viewed as a launchpad toward CISSP rather than a career credential on its own. If you can handle Security+'s moderate difficulty, skip CC and go straight for the certification that actually moves the needle on your resume.

Choose Security+ if you...

  • Want higher earning potential ($88K vs $65K avg)
  • Prefer a more accessible exam (82% pass rate)
  • Want broader job market demand (45.0K listings)
  • Focus on CompTIA ecosystem and intermediate-level roles

Choose CC if you...

  • Prefer a less challenging exam path (3/10 difficulty)
  • Have limited study time (~30h vs ~40h)
  • Focus on ISC2 ecosystem and entry-level-level roles

Deep Dive Into Each Certification

Security+

CompTIA · Intermediate · $88K avg

CC

ISC2 · Entry-Level · $65K avg

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ISC2 CC really free?
Yes, ISC2 offers the CC exam at no cost as part of their One Million Certified in Cybersecurity initiative. The exam fee is waived entirely, and ISC2 also provides free self-paced training materials. Annual maintenance fees apply after certification, but the barrier to entry is genuinely zero dollars. This makes CC an attractive first step for career changers or students testing the cybersecurity waters.
Will employers accept CC instead of Security+?
In most cases, no. Security+ appears in roughly 5-6x more job postings than CC, and it's the baseline requirement for many government, defense, and enterprise security roles. CC is too new and too entry-level to substitute for Security+ in most hiring managers' eyes. CC signals interest in cybersecurity; Security+ signals readiness to work in it.
Should I get CC before Security+?
Only if you have no IT or security background at all. CC covers foundational concepts that Security+ assumes you already know, so it can serve as a confidence-building stepping stone. But if you have any IT experience — help desk, networking, system administration — skip CC and invest those study hours directly into Security+. The $404 exam fee will pay for itself quickly in job market access.
Does CC count toward CISSP experience requirements?
Holding the CC credential does not directly waive CISSP experience requirements. However, earning CC gives you an ISC2 membership and familiarity with ISC2's exam style and knowledge domains, which is valuable preparation. The real path from CC to CISSP is accumulating the required five years of professional experience while building on the foundational knowledge CC provides.

Related Career Paths

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Data Sources

  • Salary data — Aggregated from job postings and salary surveys (US median)
  • Job listings — Active postings across major job boards
  • Pass rates — Community-reported estimates