The honest answer to "A+ vs Network+, which first?" is almost always A+ — unless you've already been working in IT for a year or two, in which case skip it. That's the short version. The longer version is what most people actually need, because the people asking this question usually have a specific reason for wanting to skip A+ (it's two exams, it's expensive, it feels too basic), and those reasons deserve a real answer rather than a recycled CompTIA recommendation.
So that's what this post is. The honest case for each path, who each one is actually for, and the trap I've watched people fall into when they pick wrong.
What you're actually choosing between
A+ is the broad IT support cert. It's two exams — Core 1 and Core 2 — and together they cover hardware, operating systems, mobile devices, basic networking, basic security, troubleshooting methodology, and a chunk of soft-skill stuff like documentation and customer interaction. It's wide and shallow. The point isn't to make you an expert in any of these areas. It's to prove you can sit at a help desk on Monday and not be useless.
Network+ is one exam, and it goes deeper into one slice of what A+ covers. You'll spend serious time on the OSI model, TCP/IP, subnetting, routing and switching, wireless, network security, and troubleshooting connectivity issues. It's narrower and meaningfully harder, mostly because the concepts are more abstract. You can hold a stick of RAM. You can't hold a subnet mask.
If you want a deeper look at what's on each A+ exam specifically, A+ Core 1 vs Core 2 breaks down the split. And if Network+ is where you're headed eventually, Network+ N10-009 exam tips covers the latest version.
Why A+ first, for most people
Here's the thing nobody tells you about Network+ when you're brand new: a lot of the exam assumes you already know how a computer works. Not in a deep sense — but it assumes you know what a NIC is, why DNS matters when you can't load a website, what a process is, what a service is. None of that is on the Network+ blueprint, but the questions are written like you've already absorbed it.
A+ is where you absorb it.
If you've never worked in IT, going straight to Network+ is like starting a calculus class without algebra. You can technically do it. You'll just spend half your study time looking up things that everyone else in the room already knows, and you won't realize you're behind until you're sitting at the testing center.
A pattern I've seen pretty consistently: people skip A+, struggle with Network+, fail it the first time, then go back and do A+ anyway because they realized the foundation matters. They saved a few hundred bucks and lost three months. Not the trade I'd make.
The other thing A+ gets you that nobody talks about: it gets you employed. Help desk and desktop support roles will hire you with just A+. Network+ alone, with no IT experience, doesn't open the same doors. Employers see Network+ on a resume with no experience and assume you crammed for an exam. They see A+ and assume you've at least thought about working in IT.
When to skip A+
There's a real case for going straight to Network+, but it's narrower than people want it to be.
You should skip A+ if you've already been doing IT work for a year or more — help desk, MSP work, sysadmin tasks, anything where you've troubleshot real machines for real users. At that point A+ won't teach you anything, and the cert mostly just validates skills you can already prove with your job history.
You should also skip it if you're coming from an adjacent field where you've absorbed the foundations another way. Telecom techs, cable techs, AV installers, people who've done years of IT-adjacent work. You probably know more than the A+ blueprint covers, even if you've never thought of it that way.
What I'd push back on: skipping A+ because you "feel" ready after watching some YouTube videos. Or skipping it because it's two exams and you don't want to spend the money. Or skipping it because your friend skipped it and passed Network+ on the first try. None of those are good reasons. They're cost-avoidance dressed up as strategy.
The trifecta question
If you're reading this, there's a decent chance you're eventually heading toward Security+ — and possibly toward a cybersecurity career. The standard CompTIA progression is A+ → Network+ → Security+, often called the trifecta. It's the resume signal that gets you past most entry-level filters.
You can technically take Security+ without A+ or Network+. CompTIA doesn't enforce prerequisites. But the trifecta exists for a reason: each cert builds on the one before it. Security+ assumes you understand networks. Networks assume you understand systems. Systems is what A+ teaches.
If your endgame is cybersecurity, do the trifecta in order. Don't try to be clever about it. The full CompTIA certification path walks through how this connects to the broader vendor ladder if you want the long view.
Difficulty, honestly
A+ is broad but not deep. Most people who study consistently for two to three months pass both Core 1 and Core 2. The hardest part is volume — there's just a lot to remember, and Core 2 in particular has a lot of "did you read the manual" type questions about Windows utilities, command-line tools, and OS-specific features. It's memorization-heavy.
Network+ is the opposite. Less material to memorize, but the material is harder to internalize. Subnetting trips up almost everyone the first time. The OSI model questions get tricky when CompTIA writes them ambiguously (which they do). And troubleshooting questions on Network+ require you to think through a process — they're not "what does this acronym mean" questions, they're "you have these symptoms, what's the most likely cause" questions, and you have to actually reason through them.
Plenty of people find Network+ harder than A+ even though it's only one exam. That's worth knowing before you assume "one exam = easier."
Time and money
Two A+ exams currently run about $253 each (so $506 total, give or take depending on bundles and vouchers). Network+ is one exam at about $358. So A+ costs more out of pocket, which is a legitimate frustration, especially if you're paying for it yourself.
Study time, roughly:
- A+ Core 1 + Core 2: 80–120 hours total if you're new to IT, less if you've been around computers
- Network+: 50–80 hours if you've already done A+ or have IT experience; 100+ hours if you're starting cold
Working full-time, A+ usually takes 10–14 weeks of consistent evening study. Network+ takes 6–10 weeks. These are real numbers from real candidates, not the marketing numbers CompTIA puts in their study guides.
One pattern worth flagging: people who buy materials for both certs at the same time, planning to "do them back to back," usually end up dragging the second one out for months. Whatever momentum you build studying for A+, you lose some of it celebrating after Core 2. Plan for a 2-3 week break and then a fresh restart on Network+, not a seamless transition.
What each cert actually does for your career
A+ qualifies you for tier-1 IT roles. Help desk, desktop support, field service, IT support technician. These jobs exist in basically every company, in every city, and they're how most people break into IT. Pay varies a lot by region but the typical range is $40K–$55K starting, with significant upside if you're in a higher-cost-of-living area or a tech hub. Some people stay in these roles for years and do well. Most use them as a launching pad.
Network+ qualifies you for infrastructure and networking roles. Network admin, junior network engineer, network technician, NOC analyst. These typically pay better than help desk — usually $55K–$75K starting, again region-dependent — but they're also harder to get without some IT experience. A Network+ with zero IT job history is a tougher sell than people realize.
If you want a more detailed breakdown of A+ specifically, the A+ salary guide for 2026 has more recent numbers and regional context.
So what should you actually do
If you've never worked in IT: A+ first, no question. It'll get you a job, it'll teach you what you actually need to know to pass Network+, and it'll prove to employers (and to yourself) that you can do the work. Yes, it's two exams. Yes, that's annoying. Do it anyway.
If you're already in IT in any capacity: skip to Network+. You'll be bored studying for A+ and the cert won't change much for you.
If you're somewhere in between — maybe you've done some informal computer help, you've built a PC, you've troubleshot your family's Wi-Fi for a decade — you're probably closer to "needs A+" than you think. The blueprint goes deeper into Windows server stuff, mobile device management, and corporate IT processes than most self-taught people expect. Worth checking before you commit to skipping it.
The trap most people fall into isn't picking the wrong cert. It's picking based on what they want to be true about themselves (I'm experienced enough to skip the basics) instead of what's actually true. Be honest about where you are. The cert will still be there in three months if you change your mind, but the time you spend studying for the wrong one isn't coming back.
If you're not sure where you actually stand, do the diagnostic before you buy any study materials. LearnZapp has a free one for both A+ and Network+ that takes about 20 minutes and tells you, by topic, where you'd score if you sat the exam today. No signup. If you score badly on basic networking and OS questions, that's your answer — start with A+. If you score reasonably well on the A+ topics, you can probably skip ahead.