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Network+ vs CCNA: which networking cert should you get first?

By the founder of CertOwl • July 2026 • 3 min read

Two names come up constantly when people map out a networking career: CompTIA Network+ and Cisco CCNA. They overlap enough to look interchangeable, but they aim at different things. One is a broad, vendor-neutral foundation. The other goes deep on one vendor's equipment and expects you to configure it. Picking the right one first saves you time and money.

What each certification actually is

Network+ (N10-009) is vendor-neutral. It covers concepts that apply to any network: cabling, IP addressing, protocols, topologies, security basics, and troubleshooting. It is one exam, has no prerequisite, and is aimed at people early in IT. It proves you understand how networks work in general, not how one company's hardware behaves.

CCNA (200-301) is Cisco's associate certification. It touches the same core networking topics, but teaches and tests them through Cisco's world. You learn to configure routers and switches on Cisco's command line, plus a slice of automation and network programmability. It is also a single exam with no hard prerequisite, though Cisco suggests around a year of hands-on experience first.

Difficulty and depth

Network+ is broader and shallower. CCNA is narrower and deeper. Network+ asks you to recognise and explain; CCNA asks you to configure, including simulation questions where you type real commands into a mock console. If you have touched networking before, Network+ is the gentler on-ramp, and the workload it involves is covered in how hard the Network+ really is. CCNA's simulations and the volume of Cisco specifics push it a clear step up. Most people need longer to prepare for it, especially anyone who has never used a router CLI.

Cost

Both are single exams, which keeps them cheaper than the two-exam A+. A Network+ voucher runs roughly $369 to $399 depending on the reseller and when you buy, broken down in our Network+ cost guide. The CCNA exam sits around $300, closer to $330 once regional taxes land at checkout. Cisco is slightly cheaper at list on the base voucher, but that gap is tiny next to the difference in study time each one demands.

Which one gets you hired

The honest answer depends on the job. Help desk, desktop support, and general IT support roles lean on Network+ language, and many public-sector and contractor listings name it directly because it is vendor-neutral and maps cleanly to hiring frameworks. Network engineering roles, especially anywhere running Cisco gear, ask for CCNA by name. If your target job posting mentions one, that is your answer. When neither is named, Network+ opens more entry-level doors, while CCNA opens deeper, better-paid networking doors a little further down the line.

A sensible order

For most people starting out, Network+ first and CCNA second wastes the least effort. Network+ builds the vocabulary and the mental model, the OSI layers, subnetting, how traffic actually moves, without burying you in one vendor's syntax. Subnetting alone trips up plenty of beginners, which is why we wrote a plain-English subnetting guide. With that base in place, CCNA stops being an intimidating wall and becomes the same ideas expressed on Cisco hardware. You can go straight to CCNA if you already work with networks or a specific Cisco job is waiting, but coming in cold, the two-step route is smoother and each certification reinforces the other.

The short version

Choose Network+ if you are new, want a vendor-neutral credential, or see it listed in the jobs you want. Choose CCNA if you are aiming at Cisco-heavy network roles, or already have hands-on experience and want depth. They are not really rivals, more like two rungs on the same ladder, and plenty of engineers end up holding both. Start where your target job and your current experience point you, and let the other follow when it earns its place.