AWS Security Specialty vs Az 500

At a glance

Factor	AWS Security Specialty	Azure Security Engineer (retired)
Exam fee	$300	$165
Tier	specialized	specialized
Provider	Amazon	Microsoft
Questions	65	40-60
Duration	170 minutes	120 minutes
Renewal	Every 3 years	Every 1 years
Holders	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
DoD 8140 approved	No	No

What each cert actually signals

AWS Security Specialty. AWS Security Specialty is the cloud security cert you earn when AWS is your operating environment. AWS retired the SCS-C02 version and replaced it with the current SCS-C03. It tests deep knowledge of AWS-native controls: IAM, KMS, CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Security Hub, Macie, Inspector, WAF, Shield, and the shared responsibility model in practice. Unlike CCSP's vendor-neutral governance focus, SCS-C03 is hands-on AWS. Expect scenarios that make you pick the right bucket policy, the right KMS key policy, and the right VPC endpoint configuration for a given requirement. Employers running AWS-first security programs often list this cert above CISSP for cloud security engineering roles.

Azure Security Engineer (retired). AZ-500 and the Azure Security Engineer Associate certification retired on August 31, 2026. Microsoft's suggested replacement is SC-500 (Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate), a different exam and credential with no conversion path from AZ-500. Anyone who earned AZ-500 before retirement keeps the credential on their transcript, but it can no longer be earned or renewed. See the sc-500 entry for the current, active cert covering this scope.

Cost and time investment

AWS Security Specialty runs $300 for the exam fee alone. Budget another $200-$800 for study materials and practice exams, and 6-16 weeks of prep time depending on your starting point. Azure Security Engineer (retired) runs $165 with a similar prep-time range. All-in (fee + materials + opportunity cost of study time at a modest $25/hour), expect $2.8K-$5.1K total for AWS Security Specialty and $2.7K-$5.0K for Azure Security Engineer (retired).

Azure Security Engineer (retired) is the lower-risk first purchase when budget is a factor. That said, picking based on price alone is a trap. The right question is which cert the roles you are targeting list on their job postings, which the exam-format and audience sections below help you answer.

Exam format and difficulty

• AWS Security Specialty: 65 questions, 170 minutes, passing 750/1000.
• Azure Security Engineer (retired): 40-60 questions, 120 minutes, passing 700/1000.

Both certifications sit in the specialized tier. Difficulty is roughly comparable, though domain coverage and exam style differ (see next section).

Domain coverage

AWS Security Specialty covers: Threat Detection and Incident Response; Security Logging and Monitoring; Infrastructure Security; Identity and Access Management; Data Protection; Management and Security Governance.

Azure Security Engineer (retired) covers: Manage Identity and Access; Secure Networking; Secure Compute, Storage, and Databases; Manage Security Operations.

Career impact

AWS Security Specialty: Typical salary lift is $15,000-$30,000 for cloud security engineers in AWS-heavy shops. Roles in the $140,000-$200,000 range list it as required or strongly preferred.

Azure Security Engineer (retired): Retired. See sc-500 for current salary-impact data on this role scope.

AWS Security Specialty shows up most on job postings for: security engineer, security architect.

Azure Security Engineer (retired) shows up most on job postings for: security engineer, security architect.

Pick this one if

AWS Security Specialty. Security engineers and architects building on AWS, DevSecOps practitioners running AWS-native security pipelines, and consultants working with AWS-first customers.

Azure Security Engineer (retired). No longer earnable. Candidates should pursue sc-500 instead.

Verdict

For most candidates, the answer is not "which one is better" but "which one does the job posting demand." Pull 5-10 postings for the role you want, tally which cert appears most often, and pick that one first. If both appear roughly equally, pick the lower-cost one and treat the other as a follow-up in year 2-3.

Run both numbers through the Certification ROI Calculator to see the expected payback under your specific salary and cost assumptions. Or take the Career DNA assessment (2 min, free) to get a cert path tailored to your profile.