GPEN vs OSWE
| GPEN GIAC (SANS) | OSWE OffSec | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Offensive · Intermediate | Offensive · Advanced |
| Price | $979 Exam attempt only; the SANS SEC560 course costs over USD 8,000. | $1,749 WEB-300 course with 90 days of lab access and one exam attempt. |
| Study hours | 80–120 h | 300–500 h |
| Real difficulty | ●●●○○ | ●●●●● |
| Exam | Multiple choice Length: 3 h | Hands-on Length: 48 h |
| Validity | 4 years (credits + fee) | Does not expire |
| Job ads in United States | – | – |
| Avg. salary | – | – |
| Index | – | – |
| Summary | 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. | White-box web exploitation from source code and exploit automation. For specialising in application security. |
Highlighted: the best in that row.