CertReview
All Certificates

Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer vs HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS)

Expert

Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer

Google Cloud

View details

Costs

Exam fee200,00 $
Study time~120h
Renewal2 year(s)

Editorial summary (4 sources)

Editor
HR Value
4.3
Worth Cost
3.8
Learning Value
5.0
100%recommend

Aggregated from public discussion (3 sources). Not a replacement for community reviews. Updated .

Help by writing your own review →
Intermediate

HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS)

Hack The Box

View details

Costs

Exam fee490,00 $
Study time~200h

Editorial summary (4 sources)

Editor
HR Value
3.8
Worth Cost
5.0
Learning Value
5.0
100%recommend

Aggregated from public discussion (4 sources). Not a replacement for community reviews. Updated .

Help by writing your own review →

Verdict: Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer vs HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS)

Editorial verdict

The two certs come out close to even on editorial ratings. The right choice depends on your career direction — see the decision matrix below.This verdict uses aggregated editorial summaries from public discussion. Real community reviews will replace these once they accumulate.

HR signal

→ Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer

4.3/5 vs 3.8/5

Worth cost

→ HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS)

3.8/5 vs 5.0/5

Learning

tie

5.0/5 vs 5.0/5

Recommend

tie

100% vs 100%

When to choose which

→Tightest budget: Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer (200,00 $ vs 490,00 $ exam fee).
→Lowest 6-year total cost (with renewals): HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) (~490,00 $ vs ~500,00 $).
→Easier entry point: HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) (intermediate vs expert).
→Avoid renewal grind: HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) (lifetime cert vs renewable).
→Working primarily in Google Cloud's ecosystem: choose Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer.
Working primarily in Hack The Box's ecosystem: choose HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS).
→Maximum HR signal: Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer (community-rated higher on HR value).

Cost over 6 years (with renewals)

Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer

Initial exam200,00 $
3× renewal × 100,00 $300,00 $
6-year total500,00 $

HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS)

Initial exam490,00 $
Lifetime — no renewals
6-year total490,00 $

Have you done one of these courses? Share your experience.

Rate Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security EngineerRate HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS)
Browse all certifications