OSCP vs CPTS
| OSCP OffSec | CPTS Hack The Box | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Offensive · Intermediate | Offensive · Intermediate |
| Price | $1,749 PEN-200 course with 90 days of lab access and one exam attempt. | $210 Exam voucher; you also need to finish the HTB Academy path (subscription). |
| Study hours | 300–600 h | 250–450 h |
| Real difficulty | ●●●●○ | ●●●●○ |
| Exam | Hands-on Length: 24 h | Hands-on Length: 240 h |
| Validity | OSCP does not expire; OSCP+ lasts 3 years | Does not expire |
| Job ads in United States | – | – |
| Avg. salary | – | – |
| Index | – | – |
| Summary | The pentesting certification most requested in job ads. A 24-hour exam plus a report. Expensive, but it still opens more doors than any other hands-on cert. | A 10-day exam with a professional report. Very demanding and increasingly recognised as an OSCP alternative. |
Highlighted: the best in that row.