CEH vs CPTS
| CEH EC-Council | CPTS Hack The Box | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Offensive · Intermediate | Offensive · Intermediate |
| Price | $1,199 Exam voucher. Without official training you need 2 years of experience and an application fee. | $210 Exam voucher; you also need to finish the HTB Academy path (subscription). |
| Study hours | 80–150 h | 250–450 h |
| Real difficulty | ●●○○○ | ●●●●○ |
| Exam | Multiple choice Length: 4 h | Hands-on Length: 240 h |
| Validity | 3 years (credits + annual fee) | Does not expire |
| Job ads in United States | – | – |
| Avg. salary | – | – |
| Index | – | – |
| Summary | Very common in job ads and with HR, but the main exam is multiple choice and the technical community rates it poorly. Expensive for what it proves. | A 10-day exam with a professional report. Very demanding and increasingly recognised as an OSCP alternative. |
Highlighted: the best in that row.