The real cost of EC-Council CEH: exam, training, and renewal

The exam is the down payment; training and renewal are the rest of the cost. Below is what each piece actually costs, every figure sourced and dated. The exam, the training, and the renewal are separate — a course is not the certification.

What it costs

Keeping it current

This credential is valid for 3 years. Renewal model: Annual ECE fee + earn ECE credits. You must earn 120 continuing-education credits per ECE credits per 3-year cycle. Continuing-education credits are something you earn (often through activities you'd do anyway); the renewal/maintenance fee above is the amount paid to the certifying body.

A transparent 3-year estimate

Self-study route ≈ $1,439 — just the exam ($1,199) plus renewal $240 over 3 years, studying with free self-paced material (many vendors publish it).

With a course ≈ $3,735 — the published course+exam bundle ($3,495, exam included) plus renewal $240 over 3 years.

These are illustrations from cited components, not quotes; they exclude retakes, study materials, and your time, and use the lowest published (commercial, non-discounted) training price. Your cost will differ.

Many certification vendors publish free self-paced training (for example AWS Skill Builder and Microsoft Learn), so the training line can be $0 if you self-study — see the training-options pages and the training providers hub.

Sources

• Exam fee: https://store.eccouncil.org/product/ceh-vue-exam-voucher/
• Training: https://www.newhorizons.com/course-outline/courseid/300201523/coursename/ec-council-certified-ethical-hacker-ceh-v13
• Renewal/maintenance: https://cert.eccouncil.org/ece-policy.html

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