Best Security+ Training in 2026
Security+ is the rare cert where the best resource is free. Professor Messer's SY0-701 video series covers the entire exam at zero cost. Pair it with Jason Dion's Udemy practice tests ($15-30 on sale) and the Sybex Official Study Guide ($35), and most career-switchers pass for under $100 plus the $392 exam fee. Skip CompTIA's $499 CertMaster unless your employer pays.
Comparison of the four highest-trafficked online Security+ prep options as of 2026-05-09, plus the books and practice-test vendors most candidates pair with them. No fluff, no listicles — just what's actually working in r/cissp post-pass surveys and the cybersecurity hiring channels we follow.
Comparison at a glance
| Provider | Format | Price | Time | Labs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Messer's SY0-701 Course Professor Messer |
Free video series | Free (optional $20-50 study guide PDF + practice exams) | ~50 hours of video | No | Everyone. The free baseline. |
| Jason Dion's Security+ Course on Udemy Udemy |
Video + 6 full-length practice tests | $15-50 (often on sale) | ~25 hours video + 6 practice tests | No | Practice-test backbone |
| CompTIA CertMaster Learn CompTIA |
Interactive learning + virtual labs | $499 | ~50 hours self-paced | Yes. CertMaster Labs add-on. | Employer-paid corporate training |
| Pluralsight Security+ Learning Path Pluralsight |
Video + Cloud labs (Skills tier) | $29/month or $299/year | ~30-40 hours of video | Yes (Skills plan) | Subscribers already on Pluralsight |
| CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Study Guide (Sybex) Wiley/Sybex |
Print or Kindle | $35-45 | ~50-70 hours of reading | No | Everyone. Pair with Professor Messer or Dion. |
Our pick
If you're a career-switcher paying out of pocket: Professor Messer's free SY0-701 videos, the Sybex Official Study Guide ($35), and Jason Dion's 6 practice tests on Udemy ($15-30 on sale). Total under $80. 6 to 10 weeks at 10 hrs/wk.
If your employer is paying: Pluralsight Security+ path ($299/yr), Sybex book, Dion practice tests, and Professor Messer as the second voice. Name-brand platform makes the manager budget approval easier. 4 to 6 weeks of full-time prep.
If you're already experienced and need a fast track: Already in IT for 2+ years? Skip the videos. Sybex book and Dion practice tests as the backbone. Skim Professor Messer on whatever topic the practice tests flag as weak. 3-week sprint.
Provider deep-dives
Professor Messer's SY0-701 Course — Professor Messer
Free video series · Free (optional $20-50 study guide PDF + practice exams) · ~50 hours of video · Labs: No
Best for: Everyone. The free baseline.
What's good:
- The most-recommended Security+ resource of any tier. Free, comprehensive, mapped to the official exam objectives section by section.
- Professor Messer updates within weeks of every CompTIA exam version refresh. Currently at SY0-701.
- Optional study guide ($20) and practice exams ($50) cost less than every commercial alternative combined.
The honest tradeoff:
- Lecture-only format. No labs, no hands-on, no interactive practice in the free tier.
- Some candidates need a second explanation on cryptography and network security. Pair with the Sybex book.
Jason Dion's Security+ Course on Udemy — Udemy
Video + 6 full-length practice tests · $15-50 (often on sale) · ~25 hours video + 6 practice tests · Labs: No
Best for: Practice-test backbone
What's good:
- Dion's six practice tests are the closest match to actual Security+ exam difficulty. Pass his tests at 80% and you'll pass the real exam on first attempt.
- Each lesson runs 8 to 15 minutes. Easy to fit around work.
- Lifetime Udemy access. Re-attempts cost nothing extra.
The honest tradeoff:
- Video coverage is thinner than Professor Messer's. Buy Dion for the practice tests, not the lectures.
- Practice tests are why you buy this. The video lectures are the secondary value.
CompTIA CertMaster Learn — CompTIA
Interactive learning + virtual labs · $499 · ~50 hours self-paced · Labs: Yes. CertMaster Labs add-on.
Best for: Employer-paid corporate training
What's good:
- Official CompTIA training. The people who write the exam wrote this material.
- Interactive practice questions throughout the course. Not just a final practice test.
- CertMaster Labs add-on (priced separately) is the only hands-on lab option CompTIA officially endorses.
The honest tradeoff:
- $499 runs roughly 6× the cost of Professor Messer plus Dion plus Sybex combined. Marginal accuracy advantage.
- Self-paced with no instructor. Reads like a polished textbook with quizzes rather than a course.
Pluralsight Security+ Learning Path — Pluralsight
Video + Cloud labs (Skills tier) · $29/month or $299/year · ~30-40 hours of video · Labs: Yes (Skills plan)
Best for: Subscribers already on Pluralsight
What's good:
- Multiple instructors per domain. Useful when one explanation doesn't click.
- Cloud labs come with the Skills plan. Hands-on practice that Professor Messer and Dion don't offer.
- Already pay for Pluralsight on other certs? Marginal cost is zero.
The honest tradeoff:
- $299/yr for a single-cert prep is poor value compared to Professor Messer's free option for the same outcome.
- Less practice-test depth than the Dion Udemy bundle.
CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Study Guide (Sybex) — Wiley/Sybex
Print or Kindle · $35-45 · ~50-70 hours of reading · Labs: No
Best for: Everyone. Pair with Professor Messer or Dion.
What's good:
- Most-recommended Security+ book in r/CompTIA post-pass surveys.
- Online test bank with 1,000+ practice questions. Combined with Dion's tests, you'll have seen a wider question pool than the actual exam covers.
- Mike Chapple is lead author. Same lineage as the Sybex CISSP study guide.
The honest tradeoff:
- Book alone won't carry you through. Pair it with at least one video resource.
- Less current than the videos for fast-changing exam areas (cloud, Zero Trust).
What to skip
$2,000-$5,000 Security+ bootcamps
Some training providers price 5-day Security+ bootcamps at $2,000 to $5,000. The exam is too entry-level to justify that. Professor Messer's free videos teach the same content. If your employer is paying and you want a structured deadline, take the bootcamp. Otherwise, this is the worst dollar-per-pass ratio in cert prep.
Old SY0-601 study materials
Confirm every resource you buy targets SY0-701 (current as of 2026). The previous SY0-601 materials are still available cheaply but are NOT a substitute. Roughly 20% of the exam objectives changed between versions. CompTIA does not let you choose which version you sit for.
Free resources worth knowing about
- Professor Messer's free Q&A live streams — Weekly live Q&A on Security+ topics. Questions come from current candidates, so they reflect real confusion points.
- CompTIA's official Security+ exam objectives PDF — Read the objectives PDF before buying anything. It's the canonical scope of the exam.
- r/CompTIA — Post-pass writeups by score, study time, and resources used.
- Quizlet flashcard decks for SY0-701 — User-contributed Security+ flashcards covering acronyms and definitions. Useful for the memorization portion.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best Security+ course?
Professor Messer's free SY0-701 video series. It covers the entire exam at zero cost. Pair it with Jason Dion's six Udemy practice tests ($15-30 on sale) and the Sybex Official Study Guide ($35). Most career-switchers pass for under $100 plus the $392 exam fee.
How long does Security+ take?
Plan for 6 to 12 weeks at 10 hours per week. That's 60 to 120 total hours. Career-switchers with no IT background often need 16+ weeks. Candidates already in IT support or networking pass in 4 to 6 weeks. The exam is 90 questions in 90 minutes.
Is Professor Messer enough on its own?
For the video portion, yes. His SY0-701 series covers every exam objective. But practice questions are what calibrate readiness, so you also need Jason Dion's Udemy practice tests or the Sybex book's online test bank. Messer videos plus 1,000+ practice questions is the combination that passes.
Should I buy CompTIA's CertMaster Learn?
Only if your employer pays. CertMaster is $499. That's roughly 6× the cost of Professor Messer plus Sybex plus Dion combined, for marginal accuracy advantage. Exam outcomes are statistically similar across all three approaches. If you're paying yourself, the free-plus-budget combo wins on every dimension except brand.
Are Dion's practice tests harder than the real exam?
Slightly harder, which is what you want. Pass Dion's six tests at 80% on first attempt and you'll pass the real exam on first attempt. They cover all five Security+ domains and explain every wrong answer. CompTIA's official practice tests are easier and less explanatory.
Where to go from here
- Take the cert match quiz — 7 questions, scores your fit across 70+ certs (in case Security+ isn't actually your right pick).
- CISO salary calculator — compare expected ROI on this cert against your career stage.
- CISSP / CCISO / CISM study guide — the cert-vs-cert decision before you pick a course.
- CISO Salary in 2026 — what hitting CISSP unlocks downstream.
- Play CISO Simulator free — a 5-year strategy sim drilling the budget pressure Security+ certifies you to handle.