CCNA vs. Network+: Which should you take first?

If you’re choosing your first networking certification, two names come up again and again: the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and CompTIA Network+. Both show employers that you understand how networks work, both are built for people early in their IT careers, and both stay valid for three years.

They take different approaches, though. Network+ is vendor-neutral: it teaches networking concepts that apply to equipment from any manufacturer. The CCNA is Cisco’s own certification, so it also tests whether you can configure and troubleshoot Cisco routers and switches from the command line.

This guide compares the two side by side: the exam details, what each one covers, how hard each is, which jobs each fits, and which to take first. Both exams are also changing in 2027, so we cover what that means for your timing.

Vendor-neutral vs. Cisco-specific: The key difference

CompTIA describes Network+ as vendor-neutral: it “prepares IT pros to work with various networks, not just one vendor solution.” You learn the ideas behind networking, such as IP addressing, ports and protocols, wireless, cloud networking, and security, without tying them to one brand of equipment.

The CCNA covers many of the same foundations, then goes further into Cisco’s way of doing things. One exam, Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (200-301 CCNA), earns the certification, and it expects you to set up and fix Cisco devices, not just describe how they work. The protocols you learn are industry standards, but the commands you practice are Cisco’s.

Neither certification has formal prerequisites. CompTIA recommends the A+ certification and nine to 12 months of hands-on experience in a junior network administrator or network support role before Network+. Cisco says the CCNA “is designed as a starting point and assumes you have little to no networking knowledge.”

CCNA vs. Network+ exam details

Here’s how the two exams compare on the details that matter when you book:

Cisco doesn’t publish the CCNA’s passing score or number of questions, and its policies say passing scores can change from exam to exam. The figures you’ll often see online are unofficial: a passing score of about 825 on a 300-1,000 scale and about 100-120 questions. CompTIA publishes both for Network+.

Both exams mix multiple-choice and performance-based questions, and both are delivered by Pearson VUE at a test center or online. If you don’t pass, Cisco makes you wait five calendar days before a retake. CompTIA has no waiting period before your second attempt but requires 14 calendar days before a third, and you pay the full exam price each time. A Network+ exam voucher costs $399 in CompTIA’s store.

Renewal

You can renew the CCNA by passing the current CCNA or a higher-level Cisco exam, or by earning 30 continuing education (CE) credits through Cisco training. Network+ renews through CompTIA’s Continuing Education program: pass the latest version of the exam, earn a higher-level certification, or earn 30 continuing education units (CEUs). The CEU route also has a $150 fee for each three-year cycle.

Both exams change in 2027

From February 3, 2027, the CCNA moves to version 2.0. It’s still the 200-301 exam, 120 minutes, and $300, with a new set of topics. CompTIA’s product roadmap lists the next Network+, V10 (N10-010), for April-June 2027. If you’re studying now, check which version you’ll actually sit and use that version’s objectives.

What each exam covers

The two exams overlap a lot. Both cover IP addressing and subnetting, switching and VLANs, routing, wireless, network services such as DHCP and DNS, and security basics. The difference is in breadth and depth.

Network+ (N10-009)

Network+ is broader. CompTIA splits it into five domains:

• Networking concepts (23%): the OSI model, network appliances, cloud concepts, ports and protocols, cabling and connectors, topologies, and IPv4 addressing
• Network implementation (20%): routing and switching technologies, wireless devices, and physical installations
• Network operations (19%): documentation, life-cycle and change management, monitoring, disaster recovery, and network services
• Network security (14%): authentication, physical security, common attacks, and network hardening
• Network troubleshooting (24%): a step-by-step troubleshooting method, cabling and interface problems, and tools such as protocol analyzers and cable testers

It touches on more routing protocols than the CCNA (BGP, EIGRP, and OSPF are all named), but at the level of what they do rather than how to configure them.

CCNA (v2.0)

The CCNA is narrower but deeper. From February 3, 2027, its five domains are Network Infrastructure and Connectivity (25%), Switching and Network Access (25%), IP Routing (20%), Network Services and Security (20%), and AI, and Network Operations and Management (10%). Routing is static routes plus single-area OSPF, and you need to configure and troubleshoot them, not just recognize them. Eight of the 29 v2.0 topics ask you to troubleshoot or diagnose a problem, and the exam now includes agentic AI, such as evaluating output from AI assistants that support network operations. Our guide to the CCNA exam topics goes through each domain, including the current v1.1 version.

Is the CCNA harder than Network+?

For most people, yes. Even CompTIA says “some technicians find CCNA to be more challenging than CompTIA Network+,” while noting that this doesn’t make the CCNA the better certification.

The CCNA is harder for three reasons:

• Hands-on configuration: You need to know Cisco’s command line well enough to set up and fix devices under time pressure.
• Depth: Topics such as OSPF, VLANs, and access control lists go further than Network+ takes them.
• Length: The exam runs 120 minutes against Network+’s 90.

Cisco names subnetting and the command line as the topics that most often trip up candidates without IT experience. Network+ tests subnetting too, so that skill carries over. Whichever you choose, lab practice matters: our CCNA study guide builds it into every week of its plan.

Which jobs each certification fits, and which to take first

CompTIA says Network+ prepares you for jobs in technical support, network operations, and system administration. Its certification page also lists the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD 8140) work roles it maps to: technical support specialist, network operations specialist, and system administrator. Cisco aims the CCNA at people who want to become network engineers, administrators, or technicians.

Pay depends more on the role than on the certification. Our guide to CCNA jobs and salaries covers what each of these roles pays.

Take Network+ first if:

Network+ is likely the better first step for you if these sound familiar:

• You’re new to IT and want a gentler introduction to networking concepts.
• You’re aiming at help-desk, support, or systems administration roles, or a DoD position that lists Network+.
• Your employer runs equipment from several vendors, or you don’t know yet where you’ll work.

If that sounds like you, Network+ gives you a solid base to build on.

Go straight to the CCNA if:

The CCNA may be the better place to start if these describe you:

• You want a career in network administration or network engineering.
• You work, or want to work, somewhere that runs Cisco equipment.
• You’re ready to put in regular hands-on lab time.

If they do, you’re ready to take on the CCNA’s deeper, hands-on challenge.

Taking both

You don’t need Network+ to take the CCNA. CompTIA describes its certifications as a strong foundation for Cisco’s, so if you plan to earn both, Network+ first and the CCNA next is the natural order. That order also helps with renewal: CompTIA counts a CCNA as 20 of the 30 CEUs needed to renew Network+. For a wider view of where A+, Security+, and other certifications fit, see our IT certifications guide.

Final thoughts

The CCNA and Network+ aren’t rivals so much as two routes into the same field. Network+ gives you a broad, vendor-neutral foundation in a shorter exam. The CCNA asks more of you, with deeper content and hands-on Cisco configuration, and it points more directly at network administration and engineering roles.

If you’re unsure, start with the job you want and work back from it. When you’re ready to prepare for the CCNA, compare the best CCNA prep courses to find one that fits how you study.