CompTIA A+ vs Network+: which should you take first?

Do IT-support job ads name A+ or Network+?

Both phrases appear in IT-support ads. We count job ads with the title it support (or the local equivalent) and check how many contain each phrase anywhere in the text: comptia a for A+ and comptia network for Network+. An ad can contain both.

Source: Adzuna API (a job-search site that collects ads from many employers), IT-support ads collected in October 2026. Analysis: CertWorthIt.

We count A+ only in IT-support ads. Network+ is also counted in network-engineer ads, which this page leaves out; those figures are on our Network+ certification page and our network-engineer role page.

In the UK and India the samples are small (1,286 and 259 IT-support ads in October 2026), so one posting can move the counts from one month to the next.

Both phrases miss ads that write only the short name (A+, Network+ or Net+), so the counts are a minimum. The phrase comptia a can also catch other CompTIA names that start with an A. A mention can mean required, preferred or one of several options; the count does not say which. Our methodology page explains the search.

Brazil and Mexico are the other countries where we count A+. Of the 1,764 Brazilian suporte técnico ads we counted (Adzuna, October 2026), 5 contained comptia a and 0 contained comptia network. Outside English-speaking countries we still search the English phrases, so local-language mentions are not counted.

Of the 355 Mexican soporte técnico ads (Adzuna, October 2026), 1 contained comptia a and 0 contained comptia network; with samples this small, one posting changes the picture.

What do the A+ and Network+ exams cover?

A+ covers a whole support desk: hardware, mobile devices, operating systems, security and the procedures around them. Network+ spends a whole exam on one part of that: networks, from concepts to troubleshooting.

Source: CompTIA A+ V15 page, read October 6, 2026.

Source: CompTIA Network+ page and CompTIA's N10-009 overview, read October 3 and 6, 2026. Domain names follow CompTIA's N10-009 materials; the blog and the FAQ word two of them slightly differently.

The overlap sits in Core 1. Networking is 23% of Core 1, and network troubleshooting is part of its largest domain, hardware and network troubleshooting. Network+ takes those topics and spreads them over a whole exam: implementation, operations, security and troubleshooting of networks. Core 2 overlaps less: operating systems, software troubleshooting and operational procedures are A+ topics only, though its security domain and the Network+ network security domain cover related ground.

Show the numbers

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

Item	CompTIA A+	CompTIA Network+
Questions	CompTIA A+90 questions	CompTIA Network+90 questions
Exam time	CompTIA A+90 minutes (1 h 30 min)	CompTIA Network+90 minutes (1 h 30 min)
Passing score	CompTIA A+Core 1: 675; Core 2: 700 (scale of 100-900)	CompTIA Network+720 (scale 100–900)
Format	CompTIA A+Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, performance-based tasks	CompTIA Network+Multiple choice, performance-based tasks
Languages	CompTIA A+English	CompTIA Network+5 languages

How much do A+ and Network+ cost?

In CompTIA's US store, A+ costs $548 because it takes two exams at $274 each; Network+ is one exam at $399. Both together come to $947 in vouchers, before training, tax and retakes.

Source: CompTIA US store on the A+ V15 and Network+ pages, read October 3, 2026; continuing-education renewal fees, read October 6, 2026. Retake Assurance is not included in the totals. We did not check CompTIA's prices outside the US.

The renewal fee is due only when you renew by uploading CEUs. If you take A+ and then earn Network+ within A+'s three-year cycle, Network+ renews A+ and CompTIA waives the $75 A+ fee. The route then costs $947 in vouchers, and Network+ has its own $150 renewal fee three years later, and renewing Network+ also renews A+, so that one fee covers both.

Show the numbers

CompTIA A+ vs CompTIA Network+: what each certification costs. Source: comptia.org, checked October 3, 2026.

Item	Fee
CompTIA A+: Fees to get certified: Exam	$274
CompTIA A+: Fees to get certified: Renewal, every 3 years	$75
CompTIA Network+: Fees to get certified: Exam	$399
CompTIA Network+: Fees to get certified: Renewal, every 3 years	$150

Which is harder, A+ or Network+?

CompTIA publishes no pass rate for either exam, so there is no official answer. Here is what it does publish: A+ is two exams, Network+ is one, and the recommended experience differs.

A+ means two exams, so up to 180 questions and 180 minutes in total, with passing scores of 675 for Core 1 and 700 for Core 2 on a scale of 100 to 900. Both A+ exams include drag-and-drop items as well as multiple-choice and performance-based questions. Network+ is one exam of up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, with 720 to pass on a scale of 100 to 900. The passing scores belong to separate exams, so 720 against 675 and 700 does not show that one exam is harder.

The recommended experience differs too. CompTIA suggests 12 months as an IT support specialist for A+, and A+ plus 9 to 12 months of network work for Network+. We have no study-time figure for either exam: the Reddit posts we collected contained too few first-person statements. For an exam in German, Japanese, Portuguese or Spanish, only Network+ is an option; CompTIA's A+ V15 page lists English only.

How do A+ and Network+ renew?

Both last three years. A+ renews with 20 CEUs and a $75 fee, Network+ with 30 CEUs and a $150 fee, and CompTIA's CertMaster CE course renews either one as a single activity.

The two are linked. CompTIA lists Network+ as fully renewing A+ when you earn it within A+'s cycle, and it waives the A+ fee in that case. A+ is not listed as renewing Network+, so passing A+ later does nothing for a Network+ you already hold. Security+ fully renews an A+ or Network+ you already hold.

The exam versions change on their own schedule. The current A+ exams launched on March 25, 2025, and CompTIA estimates their retirement in 2028; Network+ N10-009 launched on June 20, 2024, with retirement estimated in 2027. Check which version your study material covers before you buy a voucher. If you take A+ first, N10-009 may be close to retiring by the time you take Network+, so look up the date of the next version on CompTIA's site before you buy study material.

CompTIA A+ vs Security+ vs Network+: where does each fit?

CompTIA's own pages put A+ first, Network+ second and Security+ third as recommendations, not requirements. CompTIA recommends A+ before Network+, and for Security+ it recommends Network+ and two years in a security or systems-administrator role.

We do not count Security+ in IT-support ads, so this page gives no Security+ figures. If you are torn between Security+ and the other two, our Security+ page covers the credential and our A+ vs Security+ comparison covers the first-exam choice. Earning Security+ within the cycle of an A+ or Network+ you already hold fully renews that certification, according to CompTIA's higher-level renewal list. It does not give you A+ or Network+ if you do not hold them.

A+ vs Network+ on Reddit: what people ask

The posts we collected from r/CompTIA, r/ITCareerQuestions and r/SecurityCareerAdvice in 2026 keep returning to the order of the exams. Posters are a self-selected group, so read these as questions people have, not as statistics.

• "Can I skip A+?" A poster with seven years as a CRM administrator and no IT job asked: "Is it possible to skip the CompTIA A+ and go directly to trying for the network?" (r/CompTIA). Yes: CompTIA requires neither. A+ is aimed at a first IT-support job, the kind of role someone without IT experience applies for.
• "Should I go back for A+ and Network+?" A poster who already held Security+ asked whether it is worth "going back" for A+ and Network+ or moving on to the next certification (r/CompTIA). Security+ renews A+ and Network+ only if you already hold them; it does not replace them. Go back only if the jobs you apply for name them.
• "Where do Security+ and the CCNA fit?" Other posters asked whether to take A+ or Security+ first (r/SecurityCareerAdvice) or whether to skip both for the CCNA and Security+ (r/ITCareerQuestions). See A+ vs Security+ and CCNA vs Network+.

Every support and networking credential we track is on our hub for IT support and networking.

Sources

• CompTIA: A+, A+ V15 (Core 1 and Core 2), Network+, N10-009 overview, earning CEUs, continuing-education renewal fees, renewing with a higher-level certification, cybersecurity career pathway. Prices read October 3, 2026; other pages read October 3 to 6, 2026.
• Job ads: Adzuna API, October 2026, IT-support ads; phrases comptia a and comptia network. Analysis: CertWorthIt. Method.
• Reddit: posts collected from r/CompTIA, r/ITCareerQuestions and r/SecurityCareerAdvice, linked where cited; no usernames.