Editor’s note: I have lost count of the career-changers who froze at this exact fork — Google’s cheap, friendly-looking certificate on one side, CompTIA’s pricier, examy-looking A+ on the other. Most of them assumed “newer and cheaper” meant “better.” It does not, and it also is not the whole story. The honest answer depends on one thing: do you want to learn IT or do you want to get hired in IT this year? They are not the same goal, and each credential is built for a different one. Here is the version I wish someone had given me before I spent the money.
You have got maybe a few hundred dollars, a few months of evenings, and no IT job yet. Two names keep surfacing: the Google IT Support Professional Certificate and CompTIA A+. On the surface they look like the same thing — entry-level, no degree required, aimed at help-desk and support roles. They are not. One is a study program; the other is an industry exam. Pick the wrong one for your situation and you lose either money or momentum.
Quick answer: CompTIA A+ is the credential more U.S. employers actually list on help-desk and IT-support job postings, and the one that meets the DoD 8570 baseline. It costs more — about $253 per exam, roughly $506 for the two you need — and ends in two proctored exams. Google IT Support is cheaper ($49/month on Coursera, often under $200 total), fully self-paced, and a better on-ramp for a true beginner — but on its own it carries less weight with IT hiring managers. If you can only do one and you want a U.S. IT job, take A+. If you are testing the waters or broke, start with Google, then add A+.
The 30-second version
If you only read one thing, read this table. The detail underneath explains the why — because the trade-offs are not obvious until you are three months in.
| Google IT Support | CompTIA A+ | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Self-paced study program (Coursera) | Two industry certification exams |
| Cost | $49/mo, ~$150–$300 total | ~$253/exam, ~$500 for both |
| Time | 3–6 months, ~10 hrs/week | 4–12 weeks per exam |
| Ends in an exam? | No proctored exam | Yes — two proctored exams |
| Employer recognition | Growing, consortium of 150+ | Industry standard; on most postings |
| DoD 8570 / gov roles | No | Yes (IAT Level I) |
| Best for | Absolute beginners, budget-tight | Getting hired in U.S. IT support |
Cost: Google is cheaper, but the gap is smaller than it looks
Google wins the sticker-price battle. The certificate runs on a single $49/month Coursera subscription, and a motivated learner who finishes in three months pays under $200. Financial aid and a 7-day trial can push it lower.
CompTIA A+ looks expensive next to that: each of the two exams (Core 1 220-1101 and Core 2 220-1102) costs about $253, so roughly $500 just in exam fees, before study materials. But here is the catch most cost comparisons miss: the A+ price buys you the credential itself. The Google fee buys you a course; the recognized certificate at the end is a completion certificate, not an industry exam. You are not really comparing $200 to $500 — you are comparing a study subscription to a professional certification. Different products.
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Studying for either one? The cheapest part of both paths is knowing the material cold before you pay for anything. Pluralsight covers CompTIA A+, IT fundamentals and the Google IT Support skills with hands-on labs and practice — 10-day free trial, cancel anytime. It is the low-risk way to find out if IT support is actually for you before you spend $500 on exams.
Difficulty and format: watching videos vs passing a proctored exam
Google IT Support is graded coursework — videos, quizzes and hands-on labs you complete at your own pace. There is no high-stakes exam day. That is friendly for beginners and terrible for proving you can perform under pressure, which is exactly what the A+ exam is designed to test.
CompTIA A+ is two proctored exams with multiple-choice and performance-based questions, and the pass rate is well under 100% — people fail and pay to retake. That difficulty is the point: when a hiring manager sees A+ on a résumé, they know you sat a real exam and passed. When they see a Google certificate, they know you finished a course. Both are real work; only one is externally verified.
Which one employers actually recognize
This is where the decision usually gets made. Search live help-desk and IT-support postings in the U.S. and CompTIA A+ shows up by name over and over — often as “required or preferred.” It is vendor-neutral, it has been the entry-level standard for two decades, and it meets the DoD 8570 baseline, which opens government and contractor roles that Google IT Support simply cannot.
Google IT Support has real momentum — the hiring consortium of 150+ employers (Google, Walmart, Deloitte and others) agree to consider certificate holders. That is genuine, and it is more than most course certificates offer. But “will consider” is not “recognizes as a qualification.” For now, A+ is the one that clears résumé filters; Google is the one that helps you learn enough to earn it.
Salaries and job outcomes
Both target the same first job: help desk or IT support technician. Entry-level roles typically pay $40,000–$55,000 in the U.S., and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median for computer support specialists at roughly $60,000, rising with experience and the next certifications (Network+, Security+). Neither credential changes that band on its own — what moves your salary is landing the role and stacking the next cert. The credential that gets you through the door fastest is the one worth paying for, and in the U.S. that is usually A+.
So which should you take?
Take CompTIA A+ if…
You want a U.S. IT-support job this year, you are eyeing government or contractor roles (DoD 8570), or you already have some tech confidence and want the credential employers filter for. It costs more and it is harder — that is exactly why it carries weight.
Take Google IT Support if…
You are a true beginner who has never opened a command line, you are on a tight budget, or you are still deciding whether IT is even for you. It is the gentlest, cheapest way to build the foundation — and it maps neatly onto the A+ objectives, so nothing is wasted.
Take both if you can — in this order
The move most people miss: these are not either/or. The smartest budget path is Google IT Support first (learn the material cheaply and confirm you like the work), then CompTIA A+ (get the credential employers actually want). You end up spending around $700 total across a few months, and you walk into interviews with both the knowledge and the certification. That combination beats either one alone.
Start with the skills, not the fee. Before you commit $500 to A+ exams, run the material with hands-on labs on Pluralsight (10-day free trial →) — A+, IT fundamentals and Google IT Support paths in one place. If it clicks, book the exam. If it does not, you have lost nothing.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Google IT Support enough to get a job without CompTIA A+?
Sometimes — especially through the Google hiring consortium or at companies that value the skills over the credential. But in the broader U.S. market, many help-desk postings ask for A+ by name, so pairing the two gives you the widest shot.
Can I use Google IT Support to study for CompTIA A+?
Yes, and that is the smartest sequence. The Google certificate covers most of the A+ foundations, so you can finish it first to build knowledge cheaply, then focus your A+ prep on the exam-specific objectives and hands-on troubleshooting.
Which is cheaper overall?
Google IT Support, by a clear margin — usually under $300 versus about $500 in A+ exam fees alone. But cheaper is not the same as better value if the pricier one is the credential that gets you hired.
Do employers respect CompTIA A+ in 2026?
Yes. It remains the most widely requested entry-level IT certification in U.S. support and help-desk roles and meets the DoD 8570 baseline for IAT Level I.
Related reading
- CompTIA A+ Cost in 2026: the real price breakdown
- Google IT Support Certificate: worth it in 2026?
- Google Career Certificates: all 7 ranked by cost and salary
- CompTIA Security+: your next cert after A+
Sources
- CompTIA, “How much does the CompTIA A+ certification cost,” accessed 2026, comptia.org
- Grow with Google / Coursera, “Google IT Support Professional Certificate,” accessed 2026, grow.google
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Computer Support Specialists,” Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed 2026, bls.gov
- U.S. DoD 8570.01-M, Information Assurance Workforce baseline certifications