"An honest comparison for beginners who are not sure where to start — no hype, no certification industry cheerleading."

The question is more common than you might think

A lot of people researching tech certifications hit the same fork in the road: Security+ or A+? Both are CompTIA certifications. Both are entry-level. Both show up in IT job postings. Which one makes more sense to study first?

The honest answer is: it depends on where you are starting from and what direction you are heading. This post gives you the actual factors to consider — not a sales pitch for either credential.

One thing worth saying directly

The certification industry does a lot of selling. There are websites that rank certifications by salary and use those rankings to sell study materials. There are comparison posts that conveniently conclude that whichever cert the site sells is the right one to start with. We are not going to do that.

Both A+ and Security+ are legitimate credentials. Which one you study first should depend on your situation, not on which study guide someone is trying to sell you.

What the honest answer looks like for most beginners

Most people who ask this question have some IT familiarity but are not sure if it is enough. Here is a practical test:

If you understand what a firewall does, what the difference is between hardware and software, what a network switch is for, and what an operating system manages — you probably have enough foundation to study Security+ directly.

If those concepts are mostly unfamiliar or fuzzy, spending time on A+ first (or even just A+ study material without taking the exam) will make Security+ significantly less confusing.

The free Security+ Quick-Start Cheat Sheet includes a 7-point readiness check that can help you assess this. It is not a formal assessment. It is a honest filter designed to tell you whether Security+ is the right starting point or whether you need one step earlier.

When it makes sense to go straight to Security+

You already have IT experience — even informal experience like building your own computers, managing home networks, or working in a tech-adjacent role.

You are specifically targeting security roles, not general IT support. You have already studied A+ material, even without taking the exam.

You work in an environment where Security+ is required or preferred, and A+ is not part of the conversation.

When it makes sense to do A+ first

You are completely new to IT with no work experience in a tech environment. You want a help desk or IT support role as your first step, not a security role. You are finding Security+ study materials confusing because the underlying IT concepts feel unfamiliar.

You want to build credentials in a logical sequence that matches the depth of your knowledge.

The key difference in plain English

A+ teaches you how computers and IT systems work. Security+ teaches you how to protect them. If you do not have much of a background in how IT systems work, jumping into Security+ can be harder — not impossible, but harder. Security+ assumes you understand what a network is, what an operating system does, what a server is for. It does not spend much time teaching those things.

A+ covers those foundations. If your IT knowledge is thin, A+ will fill gaps that will make Security+ easier later.

What Security+ actually is

Security+ covers cybersecurity fundamentals. It is one level of specificity above A+ — it assumes you have some IT familiarity and builds on it with security-focused concepts.

Security+ is associated with security-adjacent roles: junior security analyst, IT auditor, security administrator, system administrator with security responsibilities. It is also a Department of Defense baseline certification (DoD 8570), which matters for people who want to work in government IT. Security+ is a single exam, not two.

What A+ actually is

CompTIA A+ is a foundational IT certification. It covers hardware, operating systems, troubleshooting, networking basics, and basic security concepts. CompTIA describes it as the industry starting point for IT careers.

A+ is primarily associated with IT support and help desk roles. If someone in a help desk job needs to demonstrate foundational IT knowledge, A+ is the credential that signals that.

The exam itself has two parts — two separate exams that both need to be passed to earn the certification. It covers a wide range of practical, hands-on topics: how to set up a workstation, how to troubleshoot a printer, how to explain to a user why their computer is slow.