CISSP or CCSP: broad security first, or straight to cloud
The CCSP exam is $599 in the Americas, or $798 with a second attempt, and the CISSP exam is $749, as of November 2026. Both are three-hour adaptive exams passed at 700 out of 1,000, and both need about five years of experience to certify. CISSP covers security broadly across eight domains; CCSP covers cloud security across six. Holding both costs $1,348 in exam fees and a single $135 yearly fee to ISC2, because one fee covers every ISC2 certification you hold.
CISSP and CCSP, row against row
| CISSP | CCSP | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | ISC2 | ISC2 |
| Scope | Broad security practice across eight domains, from risk management to software development security | Cloud security across six domains, from architecture and data security to legal, risk and compliance; not tied to one cloud provider |
| Exam fee (Americas) | $749 | $599, or $798 with a second attempt within 180 days |
| Exam format | Adaptive, 100 to 150 questions, 3 hours, pass at 700 of 1,000 | Adaptive, 100 to 150 items, 3 hours, pass at 700 of 1,000 |
| Outline | In force since April 15, 2024; new outline from April 15, 2027 | New outline in force since August 1, 2026 |
| Experience to certify | Five years in at least two of the eight domains; a degree or approved credential can replace one year | Five years in IT, three in cybersecurity and one in a CCSP domain; a degree or CCSK can replace one year; an active CISSP replaces all of it |
| Exam prerequisite | None; pass without the experience and you become an Associate of ISC2 with six years to earn it | None; same Associate of ISC2 rule |
| Yearly fee once certified | $135 | $135, and one fee covers every ISC2 certification you hold |
| Continuing education | 120 CPE credits per three-year cycle, at least 90 Group A | 90 CPE credits per three-year cycle, at least 60 Group A |
| What it signals | Breadth across security work, for experienced staff; approved under DoDM 8140.03 | Cloud security judgment across design, operations and compliance; listed under DoDM 8140.03 |
How the CISSP waiver changes the order
The single biggest reason to sequence these two is ISC2's own rule: an active CISSP replaces the whole CCSP experience requirement. A CISSP holder who passes CCSP still submits ISC2's certification application within nine months of the exam, but needs no endorser and pays no extra fee. Someone taking CCSP first, by contrast, proves five years in IT and three in security, finds an endorser, and then proves experience again for CISSP later.
The experience rules themselves differ. CISSP wants five years inside its eight security domains. CCSP counts five years of IT work, of which three must be security and one must fall in a CCSP domain, so a cloud engineer with two years of earlier systems administration and three of cloud security can meet the CCSP rule while still short of five years in CISSP's security domains.
Training and exam costs for each
| Route | CISSP ($749 exam) | CCSP ($599 exam) |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest first attempt | $818: Boson's $69-a-year text course plus the exam (Boson price checked October 13, 2026) | $1,149: ISC2's $550 self-paced course plus the exam |
| Next step up (formats differ: video course against live class) | $2,544: ONLC on-demand video course ($1,795, 180 days) plus the exam | $3,249: ISC2's live online class ($2,650) plus the exam |
| Five-day class, voucher counted | $4,144 (ONLC or New Horizons at $3,395 plus the exam; New Horizons does not say whether a voucher is included) to $4,295 (Learning Tree, voucher included) | $4,295 (Learning Tree, voucher included) |
CCSP's exam is $150 cheaper, but its cheapest prep route on our pages costs more: ISC2's own $550 self-paced course, against Boson's $69 CISSP text course. At the top end the two meet: Learning Tree charges $4,295 for each five-day class with the voucher. Over three years of holding both, ISC2 charges $1,348 in exam fees and $405 in annual fees, $1,753 before training, against $1,154 for CISSP alone.
Outlines to match your study material to
CCSP changed on August 1, 2026, so CCSP material written before then follows the old outline. CISSP changes next: its current outline runs until a new one takes effect April 15, 2027. If you take CISSP first and test on or after April 15, 2027, buy material written for the new outline.
Common questions
- Do I need CISSP before CCSP?
- No. CISSP only removes the CCSP experience requirement; anyone can sit the CCSP exam.
- Which exam costs less?
- CCSP: $599 against $749 for CISSP in the Americas, as of November 2026.
- Do I pay two annual fees if I hold both?
- No. ISC2's $135 annual maintenance fee covers all your ISC2 certifications.
- Is CCSP tied to AWS, Azure or Google Cloud?
- No. Its domains are vendor-neutral. For one platform, see AWS Security Specialty or SC-500, which replaced AZ-500.
Matching CISSP or CCSP to your role
- Security lead or architect whose work spans identity, networks, operations and risk: CISSP first; add CCSP later on the waiver if your work moves to the cloud.
- Cloud security engineer with five years in IT, three in security: CCSP fits your work directly and costs $150 less to sit.
- Auditor or assessor of cloud services: CCSP, which includes a legal, risk and compliance domain (13% of the exam).
- Existing CISSP holder: CCSP adds a cloud credential with no new experience proof and no added yearly fee.
- Short of the experience rule (CISSP: five years in its domains, four with a degree or approved credential; CCSP: five years in IT with three in security, four in IT with a degree or CCSK): either exam makes you an Associate of ISC2 first; see Security+ or ISC2 CC for an earlier step.
Next step
Ask which order fits your experience
Sources
- ISC2: exam pricing (CISSP and CCSP fees), checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: CISSP exam outline (format, passing score, domains), checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: CISSP certification (outline change notice), checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: CISSP experience requirements, checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: CCSP exam (fee, two-attempt option), checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: CCSP exam outline (format, passing score, domain weights), checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: CCSP experience requirements (CISSP waiver), checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: apply for certification (nine-month window, endorsement), checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: annual maintenance fees, checked November 5, 2026
- ISC2: certification maintenance handbook (CPE requirements), checked November 5, 2026
Prices are published list prices we recorded on the dates shown, not quotes. How we research.
Class prices come from the named providers, as listed and dated on the certification pages linked above.