CEH vs Security+: Which Cybersecurity Certification Should You Get First?

If you are choosing between the CEH and CompTIA Security+, get Security+ first. It is the broader, vendor-neutral foundation, it has no experience requirement, and it is the certification most entry-level security job postings actually ask for. Save the CEH for once you have that foundation and want an offensive, hands-on-hacking credential. Both are respected, but they sit at different points in a career. This guide compares the two exams side by side so you can pick the right first step.

Whichever you sit, you can turn your own study material into unlimited drills with an AI certification exam generator, which is the fastest way to test yourself on the domains each exam covers.

CEH vs Security+ at a glance

Security+ is the defensive, foundational cert that proves core security knowledge. The CEH is the offensive cert that proves you understand how attackers work across the full attack lifecycle. Here is the side-by-side.

What is CompTIA Security+?

Security+ is CompTIA's foundational, vendor-neutral security certification. It proves you understand core concepts across threats and attacks, architecture, implementation, operations and incident response, and governance and risk. The current SY0-701 exam is up to 90 questions, including performance-based questions, in 90 minutes, and you need a scaled 750 out of 900 to pass. It has no formal prerequisite, which makes it the usual first security cert, and it is an approved baseline for many US Department of Defense roles, so it appears in a huge number of job postings. You can build a set of Security+ practice test questions from your own notes to drill the five domains.

What is the CEH?

The CEH, or Certified Ethical Hacker, is EC-Council's offensive-security certification. It proves you understand how attackers operate across the full attack lifecycle, from reconnaissance and scanning through system hacking, web application attacks, wireless, cloud and cryptography, plus the tools used at each stage. The CEH v13 exam is 125 questions over four hours, and its cut score varies by exam form, roughly 60 to 85 percent. It is aimed at people who already have a security foundation, and version 13 adds AI-driven attack and defense techniques. You can turn your courseware into CEH practice exam questions to rehearse the tools and techniques across all 20 modules.

What is the difference between CEH and Security+?

The difference is defense versus offense, and breadth versus depth of attack knowledge. Security+ is broad and defense-leaning: it teaches you to recognize threats, harden systems and respond to incidents, which is what most entry-level security jobs need. The CEH is narrow and offense-focused: it teaches you how attacks are actually carried out, tool by tool, so you can find and exploit weaknesses in an authorized test. Security+ answers 'how do I protect this system,' while the CEH answers 'how would an attacker break into it.' Many people earn Security+ to get hired, then add the CEH when they move toward penetration testing.

Which should you get first, CEH or Security+?

Get Security+ first in almost every case. It has no experience requirement, it costs less, it is faster to prepare for, and it is the credential entry-level employers list most often. It also gives you the vocabulary and fundamentals that make the CEH far more approachable, because the CEH assumes you already understand networking, protocols and basic security concepts. Once you have Security+ and some hands-on exposure, the CEH is a strong next step if your goal is offensive security or penetration testing. Going straight for the CEH without a foundation usually means fighting the material and the tools at the same time.

Do you need experience for the CEH or Security+?

Security+ has no formal experience requirement, though CompTIA recommends around two years in IT with a security focus and the Network+ certification first. The CEH has a gate: you can sit it without a separate experience requirement if you complete official EC-Council training, but if you self-study and apply to challenge the exam directly, EC-Council requires at least two years of documented information security work experience. That gate is another reason Security+ tends to come first, since anyone can register for it right away.

How should you study for either exam?

Both exams reward active recall and, in the CEH's case, familiarity with specific tools. Rereading notes feels productive but does not build the retrieval you need on test day. A better loop is to answer practice questions from memory, review every miss, then drill those weak areas with fresh questions. Uploading your own notes or courseware into a generator gives you an endless supply of new items instead of re-answering the same bank, and you can turn plain study notes into a quiz for short daily sessions. One note specific to the CEH and any hands-on testing: never run tools against a system you do not own without a signed authorization defining the scope, because ethical hacking is only ethical, and legal, with written permission in place.

Bottom line: which should you choose?

Choose Security+ as your first security certification. It is broad, has no barriers to entry, and is what employers ask for in entry-level roles. Add the CEH later, once you have the fundamentals and want to move into offensive security or penetration testing. They complement each other well: Security+ shows you can defend and reason about security, and the CEH shows you understand how attackers think. Drill each with practice questions built from your own material, clear the passing bar comfortably on mocks first, and take them in the order that matches where you are in your career.