CCNA vs Network+: which should you take first?

CCNA vs CompTIA Network+: what network-engineer ads name

We counted job ads with the title network engineer, or the local equivalent, and checked which of them name each credential anywhere in the text. Of the 9,475 US network-engineer ads in October 2026, 1,557 named the CCNA and 139 named Network+ (Adzuna). In the UK in October 2026, the CCNA appeared in 74 of the 658 network-engineer ads and Network+ in 23; in India, the CCNA appeared in 121 of the 775 and Network+ in 6 (Adzuna).

Brazilian employers post these jobs as analista de redes. Of the 260 Brazilian ads with that title in October 2026, 32 named the CCNA and 2 named Network+ (Adzuna).

The vendor behind the CCNA is named in the same ads too. In October 2026, the word cisco appeared in 34% of 9,475 US network-engineer ads, 47% of 658 UK ones and 31% of 775 Indian ones (Adzuna). The word also appears in certificate names such as Cisco Certified Network Associate, so this count and the CCNA count overlap. Our reading: if the network-engineer ads you are applying to name Cisco, the CCNA is the credential that matches them; a vendor-neutral one does not.

Germany and France use other job titles in our count. In October 2026, the CCNA appeared in 29 of the 535 German Netzwerkadministrator ads and 14 of the 788 French ingénieur réseau ads (Adzuna). Network+ appeared in none of the 535 German ads with that title and none of the 788 French ones (Adzuna).

Two limits apply to every count on this page. We search for the phrase ccna, which also matches Cisco's CCNA Cybersecurity and CCNA Automation, and for comptia network, which misses ads that write only network+ or net+; the Network+ counts are therefore a minimum. And an ad that names one credential may name the other, so the counts do not show which one an employer requires. The full method is on our methodology page, and the CCNA alone is covered on our CCNA certification page.

Show the numbers

What network engineer job ads name in the United States: certifications and skills. Share of job ads that name each item. Source: Adzuna job ads, October 2026.

Item	Ads	Share of ads
Cisco	Ads3,178	Share of ads34%
Firewall	Ads2,977	Share of ads31%
CCNP	Ads1,892	Share of ads20%
CCNA	Ads1,557	Share of ads16%
CompTIA	Ads463	Share of ads4.9%
CompTIA Network+	Ads139	Share of ads1.5%

CompTIA Network+ vs CCNA: which is better for IT-support jobs?

For IT-support jobs, Network+ is the better fit: CompTIA places it after A+, and in October 2026 it appeared in 163 of the 2,745 US IT-support ads (Adzuna). We count the CCNA only in network-engineer ads, so this page cannot say how often help-desk employers name it.

Source: Adzuna API, job ads with the title it support collected in October 2026, searched for the phrase comptia network. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

In the US in the same month, CompTIA A+ appeared in 551 of 2,745 IT-support ads (Adzuna). CompTIA lists A+ as the recommended step before Network+, and A+ takes two exams, Core 1 and Core 2. In Germany and France in October 2026, Network+ appeared in none of the 1,973 German IT-support ads and none of the 1,382 French technicien support ads (Adzuna).

Our reading: for a first or second IT-support job, Network+ is the networking credential to put next to A+, and the CCNA earns its cost once the next job is on a network team. Our IT-support role page lists every credential IT-support ads name, country by country.

Vendor-neutral vs Cisco: what CompTIA Network+ and the Cisco CCNA cover

The two exams test the same basics from different angles. Network+ asks how networks work and how to keep them running, without tying the answers to one manufacturer's equipment. The CCNA asks you to set up and run a network the Cisco way.

CompTIA publishes five domains for Network+ (N10-009):

Source: CompTIA Network+ page, read October 5, 2026.

Cisco publishes six areas for the CCNA (200-301 v1.1):

Source: Cisco's 200-301 v1.1 exam topics (read October 4, 2026).

Troubleshooting and operations together make up 43% of Network+, which matches the jobs CompTIA says it prepares you for: technical support, network operations and system administration. The largest CCNA area is IP connectivity, which covers routing, and a tenth of the exam is automation, including what AI and machine learning do in network operations.

The practical difference shows in how people describe moving from one to the other. One poster finishing Network+ in July 2026 wrote that they had a foundation from it but were "new to Cisco IOS configuration," and asked how long the CCNA would take (r/ccna). The CCNA's official title, Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions, says where its focus lies.

Show the numbers

CCNA vs CompTIA Network+ exams side by side: questions, time, format. Source: cisco.com, comptia.org, checked October 3, 2026.

Item	CCNA	CompTIA Network+
Exam time	CCNA120 minutes (2 h)	CompTIA Network+90 minutes (1 h 30 min)
Passing score	CCNAnot published by Cisco	CompTIA Network+720 (scale 100–900)
Languages	CCNAEnglish, Japanese	CompTIA Network+5 languages

Which is harder, the CCNA or Network+?

Neither Cisco's CCNA pages nor CompTIA's Network+ page gives a pass rate, so there is no official answer. On what they do publish, the CCNA is the harder one to plan for: Cisco grades it pass/fail and publishes neither a question count nor a passing score, while CompTIA publishes both for Network+.

Recommended experience points the other way on paper. CompTIA suggests A+ and 9 to 12 months as a junior network administrator or network support technician before Network+, while Cisco lists no prerequisite for the CCNA. The r/ccna poster who was finishing Network+ in July 2026 expected the CCNA to be "more hands-on" and to go deeper into configuration and troubleshooting.

People who posted their CCNA study time on Reddit report a median of 3.5 months (n=15; the middle half took 2.8 to 4 months). We have no Network+ study-time figure. If you would rather take the exam in German, Portuguese or Spanish, only Network+ offers that. Our CCNA page covers study resources and practice exams.

Which comes first, Network+ or the CCNA?

For a network-engineer job, take the CCNA first, or only the CCNA. Take Network+ first only on a help-desk or CompTIA security path; neither exam requires the other. Three orders make sense:

1. CCNA only. For a network-engineer job, go straight to the CCNA. Both exams start from networking fundamentals (Network fundamentals in the CCNA, Networking concepts in Network+), and 1,557 of the 9,475 US network-engineer ads we counted named the CCNA, against 139 for Network+ (Adzuna).
2. Network+, then the CCNA. This suits someone on a help desk who wants a first networking credential at work and a Cisco one later. Both first attempts together cost $699 in the US. The r/ccna poster who wrote that they were new to Cisco IOS after Network+ is taking this route.
3. Network+, then Security+. For security work, follow CompTIA's sequence: it recommends Network+ and two years in a security or systems-administrator job before Security+, which costs $439. One poster with an information systems degree asked exactly this, whether to take Security+ or Network+ first (r/CompTIA, August 2026). CompTIA's recommendation puts Network+ ahead.

Taking both for network jobs adds a second exam fee and a second renewal clock. If you hold the CCNA, Network+ mainly helps when a specific IT-support ad asks for it.

How much do the CCNA and Network+ cost?

In the US, the CCNA exam costs $300 (Cisco list price, plus tax) and the Network+ voucher $399 (CompTIA store), both checked in October 2026. Pearson VUE, which runs the Cisco exam, sells the CCNA voucher for £240 in the UK and €285 in Spain, France, Germany and Italy, before VAT. In India, Brazil, Mexico and Poland, its price list shows $300. We did not check CompTIA's prices outside the US.

Failing once changes the math. A failed CCNA attempt costs the same $300 again, and Cisco makes you wait five calendar days before you retest, so two attempts cost $600. CompTIA sells the Network+ voucher with Retake Assurance for $519.

If you count the first exam and the first renewal on the routes with a published vendor price, the CCNA comes to $600 when you renew by passing an associate exam again. Network+ comes to $549 when you renew through continuing education ($399 plus the $150 CE fee), plus whatever the 30 continuing education units (CEUs) cost you in courses or time. We did not price the CCNA's CE-credit route, which depends on the Cisco training you choose. Training is extra for both. Cisco lists its Cisco U. learning path, instructor-led courses, practice exams and Cisco Modeling Labs as official ways to prepare.

Show the numbers

What the CompTIA Network+ certification costs to get and keep (USD). Source: comptia.org, checked October 3, 2026.

Item	Fee
Fees to get certified: Exam	$399
Fees to get certified: Renewal, every 3 years	$150

Does the CCNA or Network+ expire? CompTIA CE vs Cisco recertification

Yes. Both last three years, and both can be renewed without retaking the original exam.

Source: Cisco recertification and CE qualifying options pages (read October 4, 2026); CompTIA CEU and renewal fee pages (read October 3 and 5, 2026).

Cisco's rules reward moving up. When you recertify your highest Cisco level, every certification at that level and below is recertified too, so an active CCNP keeps the CCNA active. Passing a second associate exam, such as CCNA Cybersecurity or CCNA Automation, renews the CCNA and adds a credential for the same $300. Cisco gives no extensions: if the CCNA lapses, you take the full exam again. Cisco sends reminder emails starting two years before the expiration date.

CompTIA lets you earn CEUs in several ways, including preapproved training and some non-CompTIA IT certifications. Its CEU page does not list which outside certifications qualify, so ask CompTIA before you count on a Cisco exam for Network+ renewal. The current exam, N10-009, launched on June 20, 2024. CompTIA says it usually retires an exam about three years after launch and estimates 2027 for this one, so check which version your study material covers.

CompTIA Network+ vs CCNA on Reddit: what people ask

The posts we collected from r/ccna, r/CompTIA and r/ITCareerQuestions in 2026 return to a few questions. Reddit posters are a self-selected group, so read these as questions people have, not as statistics.

• "Is the CCNA outdated?" A poster halfway through CCNA study, with the exam planned for December 2026, was told the CCNA is "old/outdated" and that they should switch to Network+ (r/ccna, September 2026). The data does not support switching: version 1.1 of the exam covers automation tools and AI in network operations, and in October 2026 the CCNA appeared in 1,557 of the 9,475 US network-engineer ads (Adzuna).
• "Passed the CCNA. Should I take Net+?" One poster asked this on the day they passed the 200-301 (r/CompTIA, September 2026). For network work, our answer is no: the CCNA already covers the networking basics on a resume, and Network+ would add a $399 exam.
• "Can I skip A+ and Network+?" A poster asked whether going straight to the CCNA and Security+, then home labs, Linux, infrastructure as code and Python, could lead to a good IT job within a year (r/ITCareerQuestions, September 2026). No exam stands in the way: none of the four requires another. CompTIA's recommended experience assumes the help-desk time, though, and the labs are what you can talk about in an interview.
• "Should I go back for Network+?" A poster with Security+ and a cybersecurity degree, aiming for CySA+, asked whether to go back for Network+ because their networking felt weak (r/CompTIA, August 2026). If the gap is knowledge, the five Network+ domains are a structured way to close it; whether the $399 exam is worth paying for depends on whether the jobs you apply for name it.
• "Did the CCNA get you a job?" A poster who had looked for entry-level IT work for about a year started studying for the CCNA and asked whether it had helped anyone get hired (r/ccna, September 2026). Our count shows which credentials ads name, not whom employers hire.

What comes after the CCNA or Network+?

After the CCNA, Cisco's next level is the CCNP. CCNP Enterprise takes two exams, the ENCOR core exam at $400 and one concentration exam at $300, $700 in all, with no prerequisite. Our CCNP page covers whether it pays off, and our comparison of the CCNA and CCNP explains when to move up. One graduate with Security+ and the CCNA, working in a help-desk-like role, asked whether to aim for network engineering, system administration or cloud work next (r/ccna, July 2026); our network-engineer role page shows what that job's ads name.

After Network+, CompTIA's own path leads to Security+. Our Network+ certification page covers the credential alone, and CCNA vs CompTIA compares Cisco's associate exam with CompTIA's range as a whole. For a move toward senior security roles, see CCNA vs CISSP. Every networking and support credential we track is on our hub for IT support and networking.

Sources

• Cisco: CCNA certification, CCNA exam, 200-301 v1.1 exam topics, recertification, continuing education, read October 3 and 4, 2026.
• Pearson VUE voucher price list for Cisco exams, read October 3, 2026.
• CompTIA: Network+, Security+, A+, CEUs, renewal fees, read October 3 and 5, 2026.
• Job ads: Adzuna API, network-engineer and IT-support ads collected in October 2026. Study time: first-person Reddit posts we collected about the CCNA (n=15).