Best Security+ SY0-701 Books in 2026: Sybex, Get Certified Get Ahead, Meyers and the All-in-One
For CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 in 2026, four books cover the market. Mike Chapple and David Seidl's CompTIA Security+ Study Guide (Sybex, 9th edition) is the default, with 500+ practice questions and an online test bank. Get Certified Get Ahead, co-authored by Joe Shelley and Darril Gibson, is the conversational alternative. Mike Meyers' CompTIA Security+ Certification Guide (4th edition) adds 20+ online lab simulations, and the All-in-One Exam Guide (7th edition) goes deepest, with online PBQ simulations. All four cover SY0-701. Pair any of them with full-length practice: FigigExams gives a complete 90-question exam with interactive PBQs free.Compiled 6 October 2026 by FigigExams from the publishers' listings. We earn no affiliate commission on any book.
Test your reading on a full-length paper
A complete Security+ SY0-701 practice exam: 90 questions with interactive PBQs, an Exam Tip on every item and an Exam Coach report that shows which chapters to re-read.
SECPLUS-EXAM-FULL
Try a free Security+ exam
Already have an account? Log in to redeem
In this guide
Which Security+ book for which candidate
Chapple and Seidl, Sybex Study Guide
- 9th edition, written for SY0-701
- 500+ practice questions, an online test bank and flashcards
- For: anyone who wants one book
Get Certified Get Ahead
- SY0-701 edition, co-authored by Joe Shelley and Darril Gibson
- Real-world examples in a lighter style than Sybex
- For: readers who stall on dense prose
Mike Meyers' Certification Guide
- 4th edition (McGraw Hill, December 2023), with Scott Jernigan
- Short modules plus 20+ online lab simulations
- For: learning by doing
CompTIA Security+ All-in-One
- 7th edition (McGraw Hill, December 2023), Conklin, White, Williams, Cothren
- 200+ practice questions and online PBQ simulations
- For: depth on every objective
Every Security+ book worth reading, side by side
| Book | Edition | Covers | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Chapple, David Seidl: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide | Sybex, 9th edition | SY0-701 | 500+ practice questions, online test bank, flashcards | The default pick |
| Sybex: CompTIA Security+ Practice Tests | Sybex, 3rd edition | SY0-701 | Practice questions by domain | Extra question volume after the study guide |
| Joe Shelley, Darril Gibson: Get Certified Get Ahead (SY0-701) | SY0-701 edition | SY0-701 | Chapter questions with explanations | A conversational read |
| Mike Meyers, Scott Jernigan: Mike Meyers' CompTIA Security+ Certification Guide | McGraw Hill, 4th edition, December 2023 | SY0-701 | Practice questions, 20+ online lab simulations, video training | Hands-on learners |
| Wm. Arthur Conklin et al.: CompTIA Security+ All-in-One Exam Guide | McGraw Hill, 7th edition, December 2023 | SY0-701 | 200+ practice questions, online PBQ simulations | Depth on every objective |
| CompTIA: SY0-701 exam objectives | Free PDF from CompTIA | The live exam | Every objective, numbered | Checking what any book covers |
| FigigExams: free Security+ study guide | Online, no PDF gate | SY0-701 | Chapters mapped to the five domains | Free revision alongside practice exams |
Editions and publication dates from the publishers' listings, checked 6 October 2026. We earn no affiliate commission on any book.
How to use a Security+ book without wasting weeks
- Pick one main book and pair it with Professor Messer's free SY0-701 videos. Two full books cover the same objectives twice.
- Keep the objectives PDF open and tick each objective as you finish it.
- Practise PBQs separately. Books describe performance-based questions; you need to rehearse them. See the PBQ simulator comparison.
- Sit a full-length paper halfway through and re-read only the domains it flags. In our data, Security Operations costs candidates the most marks (5.4 weighted points across 1,080 answers, August 2026).
The SY0-801 question
Every book above covers SY0-701. CompTIA has released draft objectives for SY0-801; a launch date of 17 November 2026 appears on CompTIA's instructor network but has not been published as an announcement, and on CompTIA's precedent SY0-701 would retire around the middle of 2027. If you sit in the next few months, buy for SY0-701. What is confirmed about SY0-801.
A book does not tell you whether you would pass
End-of-chapter questions test one objective at a time. The exam is 90 minutes across all five domains, opening with PBQs. Pair any book with full-length timed papers: FigigExams gives a complete 90-question exam with interactive PBQs free, and the pack is $39 once for 4 exams and 357 questions. For the rest of the stack, see the best Security+ study resources.
Find out which chapters to re-read
A complete 90-question Security+ exam with interactive PBQs and an Exam Coach report that ranks the domains costing you marks. Free, no credit card.
Try a free Security+ examThe full Security+ pack is $39 once: 4 exams, 357 questions and 17 interactive PBQs, lifetime.
Frequently asked questions about Security+ books
What is the best book for Security+ SY0-701?
Mike Chapple and David Seidl's CompTIA Security+ Study Guide (Sybex, 9th edition) is the default, with 500+ practice questions and an online test bank. Get Certified Get Ahead is the more conversational alternative, Mike Meyers' Certification Guide adds online lab simulations, and the All-in-One goes deepest.
Do I need a book if I watch Professor Messer?
Not strictly. The free videos cover every objective. A book helps with the objectives you find hard to absorb by watching, and its online test bank adds practice questions.
Is the Sybex Security+ book enough to pass?
It covers the material, but it cannot rehearse PBQs or test you under exam conditions. Add PBQ practice and full-length timed papers before you book.
Are SY0-601 books still useful?
Not as a main book. SY0-701 reorganised the objectives and changed their weights, so an SY0-601 book teaches to an exam that has retired.
Are there free Security+ books?
CompTIA's SY0-701 objectives PDF is free, and FigigExams publishes a free Security+ study guide readable online. Professor Messer's free course is video rather than a book.
Should I wait for SY0-801 books?
Not if you can sit in the next few months. The SY0-801 launch date has not been formally announced, and SY0-701 would remain available until around mid-2027 on CompTIA's precedent.