Best IT certifications for 2027, ranked by cost, time to pass and the jobs they open

How this ranking works, and why salary lists mislead

Search for the best IT certifications and most results rank them by salary. Those salaries come from surveys of people who already hold the certificate, and most of them had a job, often a degree and years of experience when they answered. The certificate did not earn that number by itself, and a list that implies it did will push you toward an exam you are not ready to use.

This page ranks on four things you can check before you spend money:

• The fee for one attempt, from the vendor's own store or exam page.
• What the vendor says you should know or have done before you sit it. No public source measures how long each exam takes to pass, so the vendor's recommended experience is the honest stand-in. For study hours, our timeline guides estimate them exam by exam, for example how long to study for Security+.
• How often the certificate expires and what renewal takes.
• The BLS occupation it leads to, with the May 2025 median pay and the projected change in jobs from 2025 to 2035.

One pattern runs through the BLS numbers. The best-paid occupations here, information security analyst at a $129,180 median and computer network architect at $134,050, list a bachelor's degree as the typical entry route, and architects typically need 5 years or more in a related job. The jobs a certificate gets you into straight away pay less and grow slowly. So the order you take exams in matters more than which one tops a list. A $300 exam that gets you into a support job this spring is worth more than a $439 exam you pass two years before anyone lets you near a firewall.

With no IT job yet, start with CompTIA A+ and then Network+

If you have never worked in IT, book CompTIA A+ first. It is two exams, Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), at $274 each in CompTIA's US store, so $548 for the certification. Each exam has up to 90 questions in 90 minutes. CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support role, but the job itself does not demand it: the BLS lists related work experience as "None" for computer support specialists.

That occupation is the biggest door in IT. The BLS counts 903,100 computer support specialist jobs in 2025, with a median of $62,890, and splits them in two:

• Computer user support specialists (help desk, desktop support): median $61,860, projected to shrink 3 percent by 2035.
• Computer network support specialists: median $76,220, projected to grow 1 percent.

A shrinking occupation still hires, because people keep leaving it for better-paid IT work. That exit is the plan. Treat help desk as the year you are paid to gain the experience the next exam assumes. Jobs with CompTIA A+ lists the titles to search. If you are weighing A+ against Google's IT Support certificate, A+ vs Google IT Support compares the cost and what employers ask for.

CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) comes next, at $399. CompTIA recommends A+ plus 9 to 12 months as a junior network administrator or network support technician, which lines up with your first year at work, and it points you at network support, the one support job the BLS expects to grow. For free videos and paid practice exams covering both, see Professor Messer vs Jason Dion.

Networking: CCNA, when the jobs near you run Cisco

Cisco CCNA is one exam, 200-301 v1.1, at $300 for 120 minutes, with no formal prerequisites. Network+ is vendor-neutral. CCNA expects you to configure Cisco equipment, so it suits people who want the network team rather than the general support desk. The certification lasts three years, and you renew it by passing the current CCNA exam or any higher-level Cisco exam, or by earning 30 continuing education credits through Cisco training and webinars.

Where it leads: network support first, at the $76,220 median above, then network and computer systems administrator. The administrator line pays a $99,130 median, but the BLS projects it to shrink 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,400 openings a year, all of them from people leaving the occupation. Those seats go to candidates who can show they have configured real or simulated gear, and a CCNA backed by a documented lab is how you show it. CCNA jobs with no experience explains the NOC route in and the five labs to build.

Choose CCNA over Network+ when local job ads mention Cisco, and Network+ when they do not; CCNA vs Network+ covers the trade in detail. For courses and practice exams, from Jeremy's IT Lab to Boson ExSim, see the best CCNA course guide.

Cloud: AWS first, Azure where Microsoft runs the office

AWS exams are the cheapest attempts on this list. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner costs $100 for 90 minutes and 65 questions. AWS says candidates may have up to 6 months of exposure to AWS, and that this is not required. It is a sensible first exam for someone in sales, finance or project roles who works beside cloud teams. If you are technical, you can skip it.

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) is the step up for people who build on AWS. It costs $150 for 130 minutes and 65 questions, and AWS recommends at least a year of hands-on experience designing solutions on AWS. Once you hold any AWS certification, AWS gives you 50 percent off your next AWS exam, so passing Cloud Practitioner first brings SAA down to $75. Both last three years. AWS certification discounts covers the other legitimate ways to pay less, and the best AWS practice exams compares Tutorials Dojo, Skill Builder and the rest.

Azure Administrator (AZ-104) is the Microsoft route for admins. Microsoft prices the exam by the country you sit it in, so check the exam page for yours. Its renewal is the easiest here: the certification lasts 12 months, and you renew it at no cost by passing an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. If your employer runs Microsoft 365 and Entra ID, AZ-104 matches the work you already touch. Read free Microsoft exam vouchers before you pay, Azure practice tests compared for prep, and AWS vs Azure if no employer has chosen for you.

The BLS has no occupation called cloud engineer. Its closest is computer network architect: a $134,050 median and 8 percent projected growth to 2035, which the BLS puts down partly to the continued expansion of cloud computing. It also lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical, so an associate cloud exam is the first step on that road, and the road runs through an administrator or developer job.

Security: Security+ is the one entry here

CompTIA maps Security+ to US Department of Defense 8140 work roles including cyber defense analyst, incident responder, vulnerability analyst and system administrator. The voucher costs $439 in CompTIA's US store, or $579 with Retake Assurance, which adds a second attempt, and both are valid for 12 months from purchase. The exam has up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, and you need 750 on a 100 to 900 scale. CompTIA recommends Network+ and two years as a security or systems administrator before you sit it.

Of the BLS occupations on this page, the one it points at has the strongest outlook. Information security analysts earned a $129,180 median in May 2025, and the BLS projects 21 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, or 40,600 more jobs. The same table lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry route and less than 5 years in a related job. That is why CompTIA's two years matter: Security+ is strongest as the step from a support or admin job into security, and weakest as the only line on a blank resume. Is Security+ enough to get hired deals with that question directly.

Two timing points for 2027. CompTIA expects Security+ V8 to launch on or around 17 November 2026, and the English SY0-701 exam retires on 11 June 2027; SY0-701 or SY0-801 covers which to sit. And a failed attempt costs another $439 voucher plus the weeks you spend restudying, so what happens if you fail Security+ is worth reading before you book. Prep runs from free videos to Boson's $2,495 Security+ Training course, and the best Security+ practice tests compares the options in between. To pay less than list for the voucher itself, see CompTIA voucher discounts.

Starting in security with no IT background? The best cybersecurity certifications for beginners puts ISC2's CC, Google's certificate, Security+ and CySA+ in order, with what each costs today.

Already leading projects: PMP, and how to pick yours

PMP is for people who already run projects, and PMI enforces that. With a four-year degree you need 36 months of project management experience, or 60 months with a high school diploma or associate's degree, plus 35 contact hours of project management education unless you hold an active CAPM. PMI says fees depend on membership and region. The BLS counts 1,094,300 project management specialist jobs, with a $102,320 median and 7 percent projected growth to 2035. If you qualify, the best PMP exam prep compares courses that cover the 35 hours.

To pick yours for 2027:

1. No IT job: A+, then Network+ once you are working.
2. In support, and the network is what breaks: CCNA, or Network+ if local ads never mention Cisco.
3. In support or development at a company on AWS or Azure: Solutions Architect Associate or AZ-104.
4. Two years in IT and you want security: Security+.
5. Three years leading projects, with a degree: PMP.

Then book the exam date before you start studying. CompTIA vouchers expire 12 months after purchase, and a voucher bought in January with no date attached is the kind that expires unused.