The 11 Most Popular CompTIA Certifications (And What They Pay)

CompTIA certifications are among the most popular choices for professionals who plan to build their careers in IT — and for good reason.

CompTIA, or the Computing Technology Industry Association, is a globally recognized, vendor-neutral organization that offers professionals trusted credentials to validate their career experience and build a versatile skillset.

Some of CompTIA’s certifications, namely Security+, are often serve as job requirements, including for roles that work with organizations like the U.S. Department of Defense — fulfilling its 8570/8140 DoD requirements. These certifications are a popular choice for professionals at every level of their careers, whether they’re just starting out or advancing to senior or leadership roles.

Why? They earn professionals more respect and credibility among their peers. They also earn professionals higher wages, improve job security, and more. That’s according to Skillsoft’s annual IT Skills and Salary survey. 

The IT Skills and Salary survey garnered responses from over 5,700 tech professionals worldwide on their current jobs, experience, certifications, salaries, and more. Globally, 628 survey respondents reported having earned at least one CompTIA certification. Below, we break down the most popular certifications worldwide, showing the average earnings of individuals with the respective certifications. 

You can also see our methodology for this list at the end of the post.

A resounding yes! 

Those who reported having a CompTIA certification make about 32% more on average than those who have no certifications ($77,149), the Skillsoft survey found. When compared to the global IT population, those with CompTIA certifications made almost 6% more ($96,184). 

So, will you see a return? It’s likely.

But consider these results from the report too: 

• The highest percentage of IT decision-makers say certified staff at $30,000 or more on average than their non-certified counterparts. 
• Earning certifications tends to boost productivity, reduce troubleshooting time, and close skill gaps. 
• And, they tend to elevate one’s quality of work, improve engagement at work, and make professionals faster. 

What’s more, one in five professionals say they received a raise as a result of earning a certification, while others reported getting a promotion or a new job. So, is it worth it? I’ll answer your question with another question: Who doesn’t want to be better and faster at their job — and get paid more? 

Numerous factors may affect a professional’s compensation and job prospects, including the certifications they have. However, many other factors are at play too, like whether they’ve managed a team before, their soft skills and work history. The list goes on. 

While certifications are an excellent investment in one’s abilities, it helps to understand that a single certification isn’t always responsible for a professional’s earning potential or their ability to land a job. Bearing this in mind, consider what the average certification-holder reported in the IT Skills and Salary survey: 

The highest-paying CompTIA certification is Project+, according to the survey. Surprised? Keep reading.

Those who reported having this certification also tend to have an average of 13 certifications in total, and they primarily manage a team. Sixty-two percent of those who have their Project+ also say they’ve earned the Security+ certification too. Digging into this further, the most common job function of those with this certification isn’t in project management — but cybersecurity, with the most common job title being “security manager or director.”

Knowing this, CompTIA’s Project+ is a great addition for those seeking to bolster their project management skills, ascend to leadership positions, and generally take the lead on their teams. Candidates who pursue this certification will build skills in project management, including dealing with setbacks, team communication, change management and more. 

When it comes to assessing potential job candidates, skills like these carry almost as much weight for IT decision-makers as technical skills, according to Skillsoft’s survey. What’s more, training for this certification helps professionals build these skills without being confined to one framework or methodology, making it versatile and widely applicable. The new Project+ exam spans these topics: 

It’s recommended that candidates have at least 6 to 12 months of hands-on experience managing projects in an IT environment.

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Project+ training

Cybersecurity remains both a key concern and top area of investment for many in leadership, according to the IT Skills and Salary Report. Often, this domain is also among the toughest to hire for, leaving a talent gap. Given the continuous demand for cybersecurity skills, the CompTIA Advance Security Practitioner (CASP+) certification is ideal for professionals who aspire to more senior roles on their teams, holding titles like security engineer or architect, risk analyst, among others.

Earning this certification means a professional can determine an organization’s cybersecurity readiness when faced with attack and implement solutions to strengthen its posture. This includes analyzing the organization’s architecture and operations; governance, risk and compliance; and more. It also satisfies the U.S. Department of Defense’s 8140.03M requirements.

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA CASP+ training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

This certification is recommended for cybersecurity professionals with a minimum of 10 years of experience, including at least 5 years of hands-on experience. The exam features up to 90 multiple choice and performance-based questions, focused on these areas: 

Those who aspire to a career in cybersecurity often start with CompTIA’s Security+. Of the CompTIA certifications listed here, Security+ is the most popular, alongside A+ and Network+. If you’re charting your certification path, the latter two often serve as stepping stones to Security+. 

This certification proves a professional has the knowledge and skill to carry out the duties that many analysts, pen testers, and architects face day to day. It’s also required for professionals who plan to work with organizations like the Department of Defense.

CompTIA recommends candidates earn their Network+ first and have at least two years of experience in a security-focused role. To earn the certification, candidates must pass the 90-question exam, which features multiple choice and performance-based questions. 

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Security+ training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

The current version of the exam (SY0-601) retires at the end of July 2024. The newer exam (SY0-701) tests candidates in these areas: 

CompTIA Server+ is an entry-level, broad scope certification that validates the skills of IT professionals who install, manage, and troubleshoot physical and virtualized servers in data centers, while reflecting the increasing industry adoption of cloud-based solutions leading to more hybrid environments.

Before sitting the exam, CompTIA recommends earning the A+ certification first and having at least two years of experience on the job. 

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Server+ training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

The Server+ exam verifies knowledge and ability in four key domains:

The IT Skills and Salary Report found 82% of decision-makers see the demand for cloud computing skills increasing within their organizations. Part of the reason being has to do with the benefits reaped from the cloud: efficiency, scale, convenience, price. As organizations continue investing in this area, they also need skilled professionals to lead and implement the work.

CompTIA’s Cloud+ certification validates a number of skill areas that network administrators, cloud engineers and similar professionals must have to be successful on the job. The certification is also approved for select roles under the DoD 8140.03 requirements. 

Before sitting the exam, CompTIA recommends candidates have at least 5 years of experience, with up to three in a relevant role. If you’re earlier into your career, consider the Cloud Essentials+ certification, which we dive into below.

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Cloud+ training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

To earn this certification, candidates must pass the 90-question exam. The new version of the exam (CV0-004), which is expected mid-2024, covers the following domains:

Unlike the previously mentioned CASP+ certification, which is designed for an advanced level, the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) certification is for intermediate-level professionals.

The CySA+ is a great choice for aspiring incident response analysts, threat hunters, cybersecurity engineers and similar roles. Those who pursue this certification will learn skills that help organizations improve their security operations and identify vulnerabilities. Certified cybersecurity analysts are adept at mitigating and detecting threats and responding swiftly. 

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA CySA+training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

Before sitting this exam, candidates should have at least four years of relevant experience, in addition to their Network+, Security+ or a comparable certification. Then, to pass the exam, candidates must prepare to answer multiple choice and performance-based questions related to these domains:

One of the main reasons why Network+ help candidates thrive at work is due to the vendor-neutral nature of the certifications.

For those who plan to work as administrators or engineers, studying for Network+ helps prepare you to build networks — regardless of vendor or technology — that are resilient and available. Earning this certification proves your knowledge of the essentials, but also network security, troubleshooting and operations. Further, it’s often a prerequisite for more specialized certifications, like Security+.

Before sitting the exam, candidates should have about a year of experience in a network-focused role. CompTIA also recommends having your A+ certification as well. Candidates have 90 minutes to complete 90 questions and need a passing score of at least 720.

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Network+ Training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

Here are the domains for the new exam set to release June 2024:

Over the years, Linux has grown to become more or less the de facto standard for running highly available, reliable, and critical workloads — from bare metal to virtualization, cloud, and containers. As a result, a vast number of enterprises use Linux in cloud, cybersecurity, mobile and web administration applications. That means, there’s high demand for IT professionals who can navigate the ins and outs of this powerful and versatile operating system.

CompTIA’s Linux+ is made for the job, meaning it helps validate the skills professionals must have while supporting systems running Linux. The latest version of the exam is most heavily weighted toward systems management, which CompTIA describes as configuring and managing software, storage, processes and services.

Those considering the exam are recommended to have completed either the CompTIA A+, Network+, or Server+ certification. Additionally, 12 months of hands-on experience working with Linux servers in a junior Linux support engineer or junior cloud/DevOps support engineer job role is recommended. 

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Linux+ training

The exam spans these domains:

CompTIA’s A+ is the entry point to a professional career in IT — making it one of the most popular certifications, according to Skillsoft research. 

Being a foundational certification, A+ validates a broad knowledge set: managing hardware and software; understanding the types of networks; baseline cybersecurity knowledge; troubleshooting, professionalism and more. Those seeking this certification must pass two certifications: the Core 1 and Core 2. 

It’s recommended candidates have about a year of professional experience before sitting the exams. After earning this certification, many go onto pursue the previously mentioned Project+, Network+, and Security+.

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Core 1 and Core 2 Training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

CompTIA’s Cloud Essentials+ certification is designed for both non-IT and IT professionals. Many non-IT roles, specifically in management-level positions, are consistently called upon to assist their organization in determining how to increase efficiency, manage costs, and reduce security risks.

Cloud Essentials+ validates that the candidate understands basic terms, definitions, and processes of cloud computing.

There are no prerequisites required for the exam, but it’s recommended for candidates to have between six months to a year of work experience as a business analyst in an IT environment with some exposure to cloud technologies.

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ training

The exam covers these domains: 

Based on the ever-increasing demand for technical skills, the IT Fundamentals+ certification is a great way for students or those considering a career change to test the waters. It’s also aimed at marketing, sales and operations staff who want to deepen their knowledge of the industry and technology. This certification is a great way for learners to establish a foundational IT education, and a helpful on-ramp to tech careers.

This introductory certification focuses on the knowledge and skills required to identify and explain the basics of:

• IT concepts and terminology
• Infrastructure
• Applications and software
• Software development
• Databases
• Security

The exam lasts 60 minutes, spanning 75 questions. Candidates can test online or at a testing center. CompTIA offers exam vouchers and bundles, with the lowest option starting at $138. 

Resources to help you earn this certification:

• Skillsoft’s On-Demand CompTIA IT Fundamentals+ training
• Skillsoft’s Global Knowledge live, instructor-led prep course

This list of top-paying CompTIA certifications is based on survey responses from Skillsoft’s IT Skills and Salary survey conducted from May to September 2023. The survey is distributed to IT professionals around the world by technology providers, certification bodies, and Skillsoft. It asks respondents about their current jobs and experience, certifications and salaries, and more. Respondents encounter multiple choice and multi-select, open-ended, rank choice, and other types of questions while taking the survey.

The focus of this list is on the 628 respondents worldwide, who reported having one or more CompTIA certifications. When reporting salary figures, Skillsoft looks for at least 50 survey responses before considering relevance, demand, and other factors. *Some salaries reports for the North America region (409 responses) fall below this threshold and are presented for continuity. Salaries are not normalized for cost-of-living or location.