CompTIA Trifecta (A+/Net+/Sec+) vs AWS SAA
AWS SAA pays $10K/yr more than the CompTIA Trifecta at 18% of the cost. AWS pays back in 5 weeks; the Trifecta takes 24 months. For career ROI, AWS SAA dominates. Trifecta is best for DoD-required vendor-neutral credentials.
Compare ROI at Your Salary
Full Comparison: CompTIA Trifecta (A+/Net+/Sec+) vs AWS SAA-C03
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| Factor | CompTIA Trifecta (A+/Net+/Sec+) | AWS SAA-C03 |
|---|---|---|
| Total exam cost | $1,640 | $300 |
| Annual premium | +$26,000/yr | +$36,000/yr |
| Payback | ~24 months | ~5 weeks |
| Vendor-neutral | Yes (all three) | No |
| DoD 8570 compliance | Yes (Sec+ covers IAT II) | No |
| Cloud skills validated | Minimal | Deep AWS architecture |
The Trifecta Is for Government IT; AWS Is for Cloud Engineering
The CompTIA Trifecta (A+, Network+, Security+) satisfies DoD 8570 baseline requirements and is commonly required for government IT contractors. Outside government IT, collecting all three certs provides limited incremental value over Security+ alone.
A+, Network+, and Security+ each certify different skill levels. For cloud engineering roles, AWS SAA validates more relevant skills than all three CompTIA certs combined.
Security+ Alone vs the Full Trifecta
If you need DoD compliance, Security+ alone ($404) satisfies IAT Level II requirements — you don't need A+ and Network+ for most DoD positions. The full Trifecta is only necessary for specific positions that require all three as listed prerequisites.