BTL1 vs CDSA
| BTL1 Security Blue Team | CDSA Hack The Box | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Defensive · Beginner | Defensive · Intermediate |
| Price | $499 Course plus one exam attempt. | $210 Voucher with 2 attempts. You must first finish 100% of the HTB Academy SOC Analyst path (15 modules, subscription extra); the Silver Annual plan (USD 550/year) includes it along with the CJCA one. |
| Study hours | 60–100 h | 150–300 h |
| Real difficulty | ●●○○○ | ●●●○○ |
| Exam | Hands-on Length: 24 h | Hands-on Length: 168 h |
| Validity | Does not expire | Does not expire |
| Job ads in United States | 6 | 39 |
| Avg. salary | $111,950 | $100,350 |
| Index | 38 | 40 |
| Summary | Hands-on certification for SOC analysts: phishing, log analysis, SIEM, basic forensics and incident response in a 24-hour exam. | For SOC analysts: SIEM detection, log and traffic analysis, forensics and incident investigation. A 7-day hands-on exam where you deliver incident reports. |
Highlighted: the best in that row.