SOC analyst vs penetration tester and red team
The two jobs set against each other on the security roles open right now: how many there are, the salaries their postings give, how many can be done from home, and the employers hiring for both.
Side by side
Today's openings for each
| SOC Analyst | Penetration Tester and Red Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles | 58 | 57 |
| Middle salary | $158k/yr | $213k/yr |
| Typical salary | $105k–$260k/yr | $178k–$320k/yr |
| Remote | 40% (23) | 46% (26) |
| Employers hiring | 42 | 34 |
| Top employer | Huntress | Thales |
| Top area | California | San Francisco Bay Area |
A role counts under the most specific job its title names, the rule the salary ranking uses, so the two lists never share a role.
Getting into either: How to Become a SOC Analyst: Tiers, Skills and Pay in 2026 and How to Become a Penetration Tester: Skills, Certs and Pay.
Questions
SOC analyst or penetration tester and red team?
SOC analyst or penetration tester and red team: which pays better?
Penetration tester and red team roles, on today's postings: the open SOC analyst postings that state a salary sit at a middle of $158k/yr (typically $105k–$260k/yr), the penetration tester and red team postings at $213k/yr (typically $178k–$320k/yr).
Which of the two has more openings right now?
SOC analyst: 58 open roles against 57 at the board's last read, across 42 and 34 employers.
Which is more often remote?
40% of SOC analyst roles (23) and 46% of penetration tester and red team roles (26) are listed as remote.
Do the same employers hire for both?
8 employers have both open right now, among them Palo Alto Networks, Thales, Anduril Industries, Apex, Coupang, so a move from one to the other inside the same company is a real option there.
Other pairs: SOC analyst vs security engineer, security analyst vs security engineer, security architect vs security engineer, cloud security engineer vs security engineer, GRC and compliance vs security analyst, application security engineer vs penetration tester and red team, detection engineer vs SOC analyst, threat intelligence analyst vs SOC analyst, security manager vs security architect.
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