CWES vs GPEN
| CWES Hack The Box | GPEN GIAC (SANS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Offensive · Intermediate | Offensive · Intermediate |
| Price | $210 Voucher with 2 attempts. You must first finish 100% of the HTB Academy Web Penetration Tester path (20 modules, subscription extra); the Silver Annual plan (USD 550/year) includes it along with the CJCA one. | $979 Exam attempt only; the SANS SEC560 course costs over USD 8,000. |
| Study hours | 150–300 h | 80–120 h |
| Real difficulty | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ |
| Exam | Hands-on Length: 168 h | Multiple choice Length: 3 h |
| Validity | Does not expire | 4 years (credits + fee) |
| Job ads in United States | 28 | 941 |
| Avg. salary | $115,873 | $156,033 |
| Index | 41 | 65 |
| Summary | Web application pentesting and bug bounty: injections, XSS, authentication, access control and APIs. A 7-day hands-on exam with a professional report. | Well respected in large companies and the public sector, usually paid by the employer together with the SANS course. Open-book exam with lab questions. |
Highlighted: the best in that row.