CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) Prep on YouTube: The 2026 Path

Quick Answer: The Best Network+ YouTube Channels in 2026

The best way to prepare for CompTIA Network+ on YouTube in 2026 is to follow Professor Messer's N10-009 course objective by objective, review with PowerCert Animated Videos, test yourself with Technical Institute of America's practice questions, and use Jeremy's IT Lab or NetworkChuck to make subnetting automatic. Everything on this list is free to watch.

CompTIA Network+ is CompTIA's vendor-neutral networking certification, and N10-009 is the current exam, launched on June 20, 2024. According to CompTIA's exam page (read 2026-11-11), it has a maximum of 90 questions, a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions (PBQs). You get 90 minutes, and you need 720 on a scale of 100-900 to pass. The exam is offered in English, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

The questions come from five domains: Networking concepts (23%), Network implementation (20%), Network operations (19%), Network security (14%) and Network troubleshooting (24%). Troubleshooting is the single largest domain, which shapes how you should spend your final weeks.

Below you will find the domain table, the nine ranked channels with a free starting video for each, a seven-week study plan mapped to the domains, a practical guide to PBQs and subnetting, and an honest look at whether Network+ or CCNA is the better first exam for you.

What the N10-009 Exam Covers

N10-009 splits its questions across five domains, and the weights tell you where your study hours should go. Troubleshooting and concepts together make up nearly half the exam at 47%, while security is the smallest at 14%. Every channel and every week in this guide maps back to these five domains.

A few things are worth knowing before you plan. CompTIA recommends that candidates hold A+ and have 9 to 12 months of hands-on work as a junior network administrator or network support technician. That is a recommendation, not a requirement, so you can book the exam without either.

Exam versions do not last forever. CompTIA usually retires an exam about three years after launch, and it estimates 2027 for N10-009. If you are starting now, N10-009 is the version to study. Check the retirement date on CompTIA's site when you book, especially if your plan stretches well into 2027.

On price, we are deliberately not quoting a number. CompTIA sets the voucher price by country and has changed it over time, and the figures published around the web do not agree. Check the official CompTIA store for your country before you book.

How We Ranked These Channels

We ranked channels by how directly they prepare you for N10-009, not by size. Every channel was checked on 2026-11-11, subscriber bands come from each channel's page that day, and every Start with link below is a free YouTube video or playlist. Channels that are not Network+ courses are labelled as such.

Our criteria, in order of weight:

• Exam fit. A course built around the N10-009 objectives ranks above general networking teaching, even when the general channel is far bigger.
• Currency. N10-009 launched in June 2024. Material made for it ranks above older courses, and we say plainly when a course predates it.
• Clarity on hard topics. Subnetting runs through the concepts domain and shows up again in troubleshooting. Channels that explain it well earn a place even when they teach for a different exam.
• Fit for review. A good review resource, like a single long video or a practice question set, helps in the last two weeks, so those got credit too.

Subscriber count came last. NetworkChuck has the biggest audience here, at 5M+, and ranks sixth because it is not a Network+ course.

The 9 Best YouTube Channels for Network+ in 2026

The list runs from exam courses you can follow start to finish down to topic channels that fix specific gaps. The first four are Network+ material. Picks five to nine teach networking well but are not Network+ exam courses, and each entry says so. Every Start with link is free to watch on YouTube.

1. Professor Messer - Best single spine for N10-009

Subscribers: ~1.4M | Focus: complete CompTIA N10-009 course, organized by exam objective

Professor Messer ranks first because his course is built the way the exam is built. The playlist is titled "CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Training Course," and each lesson is numbered by exam objective: 1.1, 1.2 and onward. The first lesson, "Understanding the OSI Model - CompTIA Network+ N10-009 - 1.1," was published in June 2024 and runs about 14 minutes. That numbering means you can always match a lesson to a line in CompTIA's objectives, which makes gaps easy to spot.

He also posts "How to Pass Your CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Exam," a good first watch before you plan, and a monthly study group playlist, "CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Study Groups," which works well as a regular check-in during your prep.

Optional paid extra: Professor Messer also sells Network+ course notes on his own website. They are not needed to follow the free YouTube course, and nothing in this guide depends on them. Some learners like them for the final review; decide after you have watched the free course.

Best for: One ordered N10-009 course you can follow from objective 1.1 to exam day.

Start with: "CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Training Course", beginning with "Understanding the OSI Model - CompTIA Network+ N10-009 - 1.1". Watch "How to Pass Your CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Exam" first, and keep the "CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Study Groups" playlist for review.

2. PowerCert Animated Videos - Best animated review of the whole exam

Subscribers: ~1.8M | Focus: animated N10-009 full course in one video

PowerCert explains networking with animation, which helps with topics that are easier to see than to read, like how traffic moves between devices or how a protocol hands data along. Its "CompTIA Network+ N10-009 Full Certification Course" is a single video of about 4 hours and 17 minutes, published in November 2025.

It is not where you learn every detail, but it shows the shape of the whole exam at the start and gives a quick second explanation at the end. If a topic did not stick from Professor Messer, find the same section here and hear it a second way.

Best for: A visual second explanation, and a full review pass in one sitting or over a few evenings.

Start with: "CompTIA Network+ N10-009 Full Certification Course" (one video, about 4 h 17 min).

3. Technical Institute of America - Best for practice questions and a study plan

Subscribers: ~96K | Focus: N10-009 study guidance and practice questions

Technical Institute of America is the channel of Andrew Ramdayal's training company, and it is the smallest on this list. It earns third place because it covers the two things a course alone does not: how to study, and how to test yourself.

"The Ultimate Network+ N10-009 Study Guide - 100% Free" runs about 12 minutes and was published in August 2024. Watch it early, alongside Professor Messer's how-to-pass video, to set up your plan. Then save "100 Network+ Practice Questions, Exam N10-009" for later. Practice questions are where you find out whether you can use what you watched, so take this video in timed blocks once you have covered most of the domains, and write down every question you miss.

Best for: Setting up a study plan early and checking yourself with practice questions late.

Start with: "The Ultimate Network+ N10-009 Study Guide - 100% Free" (about 12 min), then "100 Network+ Practice Questions, Exam N10-009" in the final weeks.

4. howtonetwork - Best long-form fundamentals (older exam version)

Subscribers: ~170K | Focus: long Network+ full course, networking fundamentals

howtonetwork's "CompTIA Network+ Full Course FREE [23+ Hours]" is the longest single resource here, at about 23 hours. Here is the honest caveat: it was published in October 2022, before N10-009 launched in June 2024. It was not built for the current exam.

That does not make it useless. Core networking ideas, like how addressing works or what a switch does, did not change between exam versions. Use it for depth on fundamentals when you want a slower, longer explanation, and check each topic against the N10-009 objectives in the domain table above. For anything that might have changed, trust Professor Messer's N10-009 lessons over this course.

Best for: Long-form depth on networking fundamentals, cross-checked against the current objectives.

Start with: "CompTIA Network+ Full Course FREE [23+ Hours]" (about 23 hours, published October 2022, before N10-009).

5. Jeremy's IT Lab - Best subnetting depth (a CCNA course, not Network+)

Subscribers: ~640K | Focus: CCNA 200-301 course, subnetting

Jeremy's IT Lab is a free CCNA 200-301 course. It is not a Network+ course, and it teaches with Cisco-specific detail that Network+ does not test. We include it for one reason: its subnetting lessons are some of the clearest anywhere.

Subnetting sits in the concepts domain, the second largest at 23%, and it comes back whenever a troubleshooting question involves addressing. The three-part run starts with "Subnetting (Part 1)," continues in Part 2, and finishes with VLSM in Part 3. VLSM and CIDR are named in the N10-009 concepts domain, so all three parts are on target for this exam, even though the course itself is not.

Watch only the subnetting lessons. Skip the rest of the CCNA course unless you plan to take CCNA later.

Best for: Learners who need subnetting and VLSM explained slowly and thoroughly.

Start with: "Free CCNA | Subnetting (Part 1) | Day 13 | CCNA 200-301 Complete Course", then Part 2 and Part 3 (VLSM).

6. NetworkChuck - Best for motivation and subnetting drills (not an exam course)

Subscribers: 5M+ | Focus: beginner networking, subnetting series

NetworkChuck has the biggest audience on this list by far, and it is good at one thing that matters more than people admit: getting a nervous beginner to keep going. It is not a Network+ exam course, so do not use it as your spine.

Its subnetting series is the reason it is here. It starts with "what is an IP Address? // You SUCK at Subnetting // EP 1" and builds up to episode 9, "Do you STILL suck at subnetting?? (THE FINAL TEST)." That final episode is a good self-check. If you can work through it without pausing for long, your subnetting is probably ready for the exam.

Best for: Beginners who need motivation, and anyone who wants a fun subnetting drill with a final test.

Start with: "what is an IP Address? // You SUCK at Subnetting // EP 1", and finish with "Do you STILL suck at subnetting?? (THE FINAL TEST)".

7. Practical Networking - Best for how packets actually move (not an exam course)

Subscribers: ~350K | Focus: networking fundamentals, packet flow

Practical Networking is not a Network+ exam course. It teaches how networks actually work, at a level of care that makes later topics easier. Its Networking Fundamentals series starts with "Network Devices - Hosts, IP Addresses, Networks - Networking Fundamentals - Lesson 1a."

The lesson worth watching early is "How Data moves through the Internet - Networking Fundamentals." Once you can picture a packet's trip from one host to another, the OSI model stops being a list to memorize, and troubleshooting questions start to make sense.

Best for: Learners who want to understand packet flow, not just memorize it, before the heavier domains.

Start with: "Network Devices - Hosts, IP Addresses, Networks - Networking Fundamentals - Lesson 1a", then "How Data moves through the Internet - Networking Fundamentals".

8. Network Direction - Best second take on fundamentals and the OSI model (not an exam course)

Subscribers: ~210K | Focus: network fundamentals series

Network Direction is another fundamentals channel, not a Network+ exam course. Its Network Fundamentals series opens with "Introduction to Networking | Network Fundamentals Part 1 (Revised)," and its third part, "How the OSI Model Works," is a useful second explanation of the first topic in Professor Messer's course.

The OSI model is the backbone of the concepts domain, and you will use it on troubleshooting questions too, when you have to decide at which layer a problem lives. If objective 1.1 felt abstract, watch this part before moving on.

Best for: A second, calm explanation of networking basics and the OSI model.

Start with: "Introduction to Networking | Network Fundamentals Part 1 (Revised)", then "How the OSI Model Works | Network Fundamentals Part 3".

9. CertBros - Best short explainers for single topics (not an exam course)

Subscribers: ~290K | Focus: short single-topic explainers

CertBros is not a Network+ exam course either. Its value here is short, focused explainers you can pull up the moment one topic does not click. "OSI Model Explained | Real World Example" ties the layers to an everyday case, which helps them stick.

"NAT Explained | Overload, Dynamic & Static" lines up with the implementation domain, where NAT and PAT are both named. NAT overload is the common way PAT is described, so this one video covers both terms you will see on the exam.

Best for: Quick, single-topic refreshers, especially in the last two weeks.

Start with: "OSI Model Explained | Real World Example", plus "NAT Explained | Overload, Dynamic & Static".

Channel Comparison at a Glance

The table puts all nine picks side by side so you can choose by need instead of by audience size. Only the first three are built for N10-009. The fourth is a Network+ course for the older exam, and the last five are general networking channels you use for specific topics, mostly subnetting and the OSI model.

How to Structure Your Network+ Prep: A Seven-Week Plan

A workable plan for most self-taught learners is about seven weeks, one domain at a time, with Professor Messer as the spine and the other channels as support. It assumes roughly 8 to 10 hours a week. That is our rough suggestion for planning, not a measured stat, so stretch it if you are new to IT.

The order follows Professor Messer's numbering, which follows CompTIA's domain order. Do not skip ahead to troubleshooting, even though it carries the most weight. Troubleshooting questions draw on everything in the first four domains, so it makes sense to study it last.

Weeks 1-2: Networking concepts (23%) and subnetting

Watch "How to Pass Your CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Exam" and Technical Institute of America's study guide on day one, then start Professor Messer at objective 1.1. If the OSI model feels abstract, add Network Direction's OSI lesson or CertBros' real-world example. If networking is completely new, Practical Networking's packet flow lessons help before you go further.

Start subnetting in week one, not later. Watch Jeremy's IT Lab Part 1 or NetworkChuck's episode 1, then practice a few problems every day. By the end of week two you should be working through VLSM (Jeremy's IT Lab Part 3) and checking yourself against NetworkChuck's final test.

Week 3: Network implementation (20%)

Follow Professor Messer through domain 2: static and dynamic routing (BGP, EIGRP, OSPF), NAT and PAT, FHRP, switching, wireless and physical installs. Network+ asks what these do and when you would use them, not how to configure them on one maker's equipment step by step. CertBros' NAT video is a good second explanation of NAT overload. Keep your daily subnetting problems going.

Week 4: Network operations (19%)

Domain 3 covers documentation such as diagrams, IPAM and SLAs, network services such as DHCP, SLAAC, DNS, NTP, PTP and NTS, and ways to reach and manage devices, such as VPN, SSH, APIs and console access. It is a broad domain with many terms. Make a one-line note for each service saying what it does and what problem it solves.

Week 5: Network security (14%)

Domain 4 is the smallest, but it is full of acronyms that look alike: PKI, IAM, MFA, SSO, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML and TACACS+. Follow Professor Messer's domain 4 lessons and sort each term into a group, for example what proves who you are, what controls what you can reach, and what protects data in transit. Grouping beats memorizing a flat list.

Week 6: Network troubleshooting (24%)

This is the biggest domain, and it rewards everything you learned before. Watch Professor Messer's domain 5 lessons, then practice thinking in order: what is the symptom, which layer could cause it, what would you test first. Start Technical Institute of America's 100 practice questions in timed blocks this week.

Week 7: Review and practice questions

Watch PowerCert's full course as a review pass, a section at a time, and note anything that feels shaky. Finish the 100 practice questions and redo every one you missed. Use Professor Messer's study group playlist for a final check. Then book your date, checking the price for your country in CompTIA's store first.

Watching is not the same as remembering, especially across seven weeks and five domains. Our guide on how to remember what you learn from YouTube covers simple habits, like testing yourself the day after a lesson, that keep week one alive by week seven.

How to Handle Subnetting and PBQs

Subnetting and performance-based questions are where most Network+ candidates lose time. Both are skills, not facts, so they only improve with practice. Drill subnetting a little every day from week one, and practice PBQ-style tasks by doing, not watching, so the exam does not surprise you with a format you never tried.

Subnetting: make it automatic

Subnetting is named directly in the N10-009 concepts domain, together with VLSM, CIDR and address classes. It also shows up inside other questions, like a troubleshooting scenario where two hosts cannot talk because they sit in different subnets. If each subnetting problem takes you several minutes, you will feel it on a 90-minute exam.

A routine that works:

• Learn the method once, from one teacher. Jeremy's IT Lab Parts 1 to 3 if you like a slow, thorough approach; NetworkChuck's series if you want something faster and lighter.
• Practice daily, briefly. A handful of problems a day beats one long session a week. Speed comes from repetition.
• Write it out. Practice on paper or a whiteboard, the way you would have to work it out on exam day.
• Test yourself honestly. NetworkChuck's episode 9 is a final test. If you can get through it without rewatching earlier episodes, move on.

PBQs: practice doing, not just watching

Performance-based questions ask you to complete a task instead of picking one answer from a list. CompTIA's exam page confirms that N10-009 mixes them with multiple-choice questions, within the maximum of 90 questions and 90 minutes.

The way to prepare for a task-based question is to do tasks. After each domain, take one idea and work it out by hand: subnet an address block for a set of departments, draw a small network diagram and label each device by OSI layer, or match each network service to the port and job it does. If you cannot do it on a blank page, you are not ready for it on the exam.

On exam day, manage your time. A PBQ can take longer than several multiple-choice questions combined. If your exam lets you flag a question and come back, consider answering the quick questions first so a hard PBQ does not eat your clock.

Network+ or CCNA: Which Should You Take?

Network+ is CompTIA's vendor-neutral exam and teaches networking ideas that apply to any equipment. CCNA is Cisco's certification and adds hands-on configuration of Cisco gear. Take Network+ first for a broad foundation or if you are unsure where you will work. Choose CCNA first if you know your job runs on Cisco.

The honest difference is depth versus breadth. Network+ wants you to understand what routing, switching, services and security controls do, and to troubleshoot problems in general terms. CCNA expects you to configure and verify that work on Cisco equipment, which is why courses like Jeremy's IT Lab spend so much time on it.

Choose Network+ first if:

• You are new to networking and want a structured foundation before going deeper.
• You do not yet know which vendor's equipment you will work with.
• You want a credential that covers networking concepts without tying them to one company.

Choose CCNA first if:

• You already know basic networking and want configuration skill.
• The jobs you are targeting name Cisco equipment.
• You are comfortable spending more time on hands-on labs.

There is no wrong order. The subnetting you drill for Network+ carries over directly to CCNA. If CCNA is next for you, our CCNA prep guide on YouTube ranks the channels for that exam and explains its version change.

If you are still weighing whether any certification is worth your money, our guide to whether certificates are worth it for self-taught developers looks at what a credential actually shows an employer.

Common Network+ Study Mistakes to Avoid

Most Network+ plans fail in a few predictable ways: watching without testing, leaving subnetting too late, studying an old exam version, or spending equal time on every domain. Each mistake below is easy to make with a YouTube-only plan, and each has a simple fix that costs nothing but some discipline.

Watching instead of testing. Finishing a lesson feels like progress, but only a practice question proves you can use it. After each domain, answer questions on it before you move on.

Leaving subnetting for the end. Subnetting runs through the concepts domain and comes back in troubleshooting. Start in week one and practice every day.

Studying the wrong exam version. The howtonetwork course was published in 2022, before N10-009. It is good for fundamentals, but check every topic against the current objectives, and trust N10-009 material when they differ.

Treating a CCNA course as Network+ prep. Jeremy's IT Lab is excellent, but it is a CCNA course. Use its subnetting lessons and leave the Cisco configuration for later.

Giving every domain the same time. Troubleshooting is 24% of the exam and security is 14%. Weight your review the same way.

Frequently Asked Questions

These seven questions come up most often from people planning Network+ prep with YouTube in 2026. Each answer is short and self-contained and matches the fuller sections above, covering the exam itself, timelines, whether YouTube is enough, prerequisites, the CCNA choice and how renewal works.

What is the CompTIA Network+ N10-009 exam?

Network+ is CompTIA's vendor-neutral networking certification, and N10-009 is the current exam, launched June 20, 2024. It has a maximum of 90 questions, including performance-based questions, runs 90 minutes, and needs 720 on a scale of 100-900 to pass. It covers five domains: concepts, implementation, operations, security and troubleshooting.

How long does it take to prepare for Network+ with YouTube?

Our rough suggestion is about seven weeks at 8 to 10 hours a week if you already know basic computer and IT ideas. Complete beginners should plan for longer. Use Professor Messer's N10-009 course as the spine, map each week to one exam domain, and move on only when practice questions in that domain feel routine.

Can I pass Network+ using only YouTube videos?

YouTube can teach every N10-009 domain, and Professor Messer's course is built objective by objective for this exam. Videos alone are not enough, though. You need daily subnetting practice, timed practice questions such as Technical Institute of America's 100-question video, and an honest check of every objective. Optional paid study aids help some learners too.

What is the best YouTube channel for Network+?

Professor Messer is the best starting point, because his CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Training Course is organized by exam objective number, so you always know which part of the exam a lesson covers. PowerCert Animated Videos is the best second explanation, with an animated full course of about four hours that works well for review.

Do I need CompTIA A+ before Network+?

No. CompTIA recommends A+ plus 9 to 12 months of hands-on work as a junior network administrator or network support technician, but that is a recommendation, not a requirement. You can book Network+ without A+. If you have no IT background at all, plan extra time for the fundamentals in the first two weeks.

Should I take Network+ or CCNA first?

Take Network+ first if you want a vendor-neutral foundation or are not sure where you will work, since it covers networking ideas without tying them to one maker's equipment. Take CCNA first if you know your job will run on Cisco gear and you want configuration skill. You can do both: Network+ subnetting carries straight into CCNA.

How long is Network+ valid and how do I renew it?

A Network+ certification is valid for three years. CompTIA lets you renew by earning 30 continuing education units (CEUs) over those three years, or by completing the CertMaster CE course, without sitting the exam again. Separately, CompTIA usually retires an exam version about three years after launch, and estimates 2027 for N10-009.

Start Your Network+ Prep Today

Every N10-009 domain is taught for free across the channels above, and Professor Messer alone covers the whole exam objective by objective. What decides your result is not finding more videos. It is following one course in order, drilling subnetting daily, and testing yourself before you book.

Pick your first step today. Watch Professor Messer's how-to-pass video and Technical Institute of America's study guide, then open objective 1.1 and start NetworkChuck's or Jeremy's IT Lab's subnetting series alongside it. Follow the seven-week plan, and check the price in CompTIA's store for your country before you book.

If you would rather not stitch the order together by hand, LearnPath turns a topic like Network+ into a path of YouTube lessons in steps, with a short quiz after each lesson so you know whether it stuck before moving on. The Free plan includes step 1 of each path, for up to 2 paths in total. Every later step, and the completion certificate, is on Pro.