How popular isMicrosoft Learn?
In September 2026, people searched for Microsoft Learn by name about 351,000 times worldwide, a 14.4% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 22.9% of all global IT certification provider searches, placing Microsoft Learn second out of ten providers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about IT certification providers, Microsoft Learn appeared in three of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the ten.
Microsoft Learn is the second most searched of 10 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.
CiscoShare of searches 45.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
Microsoft LearnShare of searches 22.9%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
CompTIAShare of searches 20.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
AWS CertificationShare of searches 8.8%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
PRINCE2Share of searches 0.97%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
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Top IT certification providers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Learn was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Microsoft Learn is the third most recommended of the ten.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
CompTIA1st
Cisco2nd
Microsoft Learn3rd
ISC24th
AWS Certification5th
PRINCE2–
PMI–
GIAC–
EXIN–
Axelos–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Cisco5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
CompTIA5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Microsoft Learn3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
ISC22 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
AWS Certification1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
PRINCE20 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
PMI0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
GIAC0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
EXIN0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Axelos0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about IT certification providers
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which IT certification provider should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best IT certification providers?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best IT certification provider for a career certificate?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best it certifications”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“it certification courses”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Which IT certification providers compete with Microsoft Learn?
Share of searches by month for Cisco, Microsoft Learn, CompTIA, AWS Certification. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Cisco | Microsoft Learn | CompTIA | AWS Certification | PRINCE2 | PMI | GIAC | ISC2 | EXIN | Axelos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 36.6% | 23.2% | 24.5% | 12.5% | 1.4% | 0.92% | 0.5% | 0.27% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 38.4% | 24.4% | 21% | 13.1% | 1.4% | 0.96% | 0.43% | 0.23% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 35.3% | 27.4% | 19.6% | 14.7% | 1.3% | 0.88% | 0.48% | 0.26% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 36% | 28% | 20% | 12.3% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 0.27% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 42.9% | 22.5% | 19.4% | 12.1% | 1.3% | 0.89% | 0.49% | 0.26% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Mar 2026 | 41.3% | 25.6% | 18.7% | 11.7% | 1.3% | 0.86% | 0.38% | 0.25% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Apr 2026 | 42.7% | 22.7% | 19.5% | 12.2% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.21% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 41.1% | 25.8% | 18.8% | 11.8% | 1.1% | 0.86% | 0.31% | 0.26% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 42.2% | 27.4% | 15.8% | 12.1% | 1.1% | 0.89% | 0.32% | 0.18% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 44.9% | 28.1% | 14% | 10.5% | 1.2% | 0.77% | 0.34% | 0.19% | 0.01% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 47% | 24.3% | 17.5% | 9.1% | 0.99% | 0.66% | 0.3% | 0.16% | 0.01% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 45.7% | 22.9% | 20.6% | 8.8% | 0.97% | 0.65% | 0.29% | 0.16% | 0.01% | <0.01% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 45.7% | 700K | 0% | -1.3 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 22.9% | 351K | -3% | -1.4 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 20.6% | 316K | +21.1% | +3.1 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 8.8% | 135K | 0% | -0.3 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 0.97% | 14.8K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.65% | 9.9K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 0.29% | 4.4K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 8, held 8th | 0.16% | 2.4K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 9, held 9th | 0.01% | 170 | -19% | 0 points | |
| 10, held 10th | <0.01% | 70 | 0% | 0 points |
1.
Cisco45.7%
Held 1st. 700K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.3 points.
22.9%
Held 2nd. 351K estimated branded searches, -3% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.
3.
CompTIA20.6%
Held 3rd. 316K estimated branded searches, +21.1% vs prior month. Share +3.1 points.
8.8%
Held 4th. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
5.
PRINCE20.97%
Held 5th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
6.
PMI0.65%
Held 6th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
7.
GIAC0.29%
Held 7th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
8.
ISC20.16%
Held 8th. 2.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
9.
EXIN0.01%
Held 9th. 170 estimated branded searches, -19% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
10.
Axelos<0.01%
Held 10th. 70 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Compare popularity between Microsoft Learn and its closest rivals
Every comparison with Microsoft Learn
9 comparisons
How has branded search demand for Microsoft Learn changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Microsoft Learn worldwide rose from 307K to 351K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Microsoft Learn’s share of searches among IT certification providers worldwide peaked at 28.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 22.5% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Microsoft Learn rose from 3rd to 2nd among IT certification providers worldwide.
How did search popularity change for IT certification providers worldwide in September 2026?
6 changes

In September 2026, CompTIA gained share of searches among IT certification providers worldwide, from 17.5% to 20.6%.

In September 2026, Microsoft Learn lost share of searches among IT certification providers worldwide, from 24.3% to 22.9%.

In September 2026, Cisco lost share of searches among IT certification providers worldwide, from 47% to 45.7%.

AWS Certification’s share of searches among IT certification providers worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 12.1% to 8.8% in September 2026.

Estimated monthly branded searches for EXIN worldwide fell 46.9% over 12 measured months, from 320 to 170 in September 2026.

Estimated monthly branded searches for Axelos worldwide fell 36.4% over 12 measured months, from 110 to 70 in September 2026.
How are Microsoft Learn’s branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Microsoft Learn’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.
- microsoft certification
- microsoft learn
Who owns Microsoft Learn?
Microsoft Learn is owned by Microsoft. Brandwave also tracks
Microsoft Copilot,
Azure AI Document Intelligence, Azure AI Search,
Azure Bicep,
Azure Blob Storage,
Azure Container Apps,
Azure Container Registry,
Azure Cosmos DB,
Azure Data Factory,
Azure DevOps,
Azure Machine Learning,
Azure Service Bus, Azure Stream Analytics,
Bing,
Clipchamp,
GitHub Actions,
GitHub Copilot,
LinkedIn,
LinkedIn Ads, LinkedIn Recruiter,
LinkedIn Sales Navigator,
Microsoft 365,
Microsoft Advertising,
Microsoft Authenticator,
Microsoft Azure,
Microsoft Bookings,
Microsoft Clarity, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management,
Microsoft Designer,
Microsoft Dynamics 365,
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management,
Microsoft Edge,
Microsoft Entra,
Microsoft Forms, Microsoft OneNote,
Microsoft Planner, Microsoft Power Automate Process Mining,
Microsoft Power BI,
Microsoft PowerPoint,
Microsoft Purview,
Microsoft Surface,
Microsoft Teams,
Microsoft To Do,
Microsoft Translator,
Microsoft Visio,
Microsoft Whiteboard,
Minecraft,
OneDrive, OneNote,
Outlook, Power Automate, Power BI,
SharePoint,
Xbox and
Xbox Game Pass, owned by the same company, worldwide.
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Is Microsoft Learn your brand?
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