--- title: "Cybersecurity certifications: Which brands are most popular in search?" description: "Compare the cybersecurity certifications teams use. Share of Search among EC-Council, CompTIA, Offensive Security, GIAC, ISC2 and SANS, the cybersecurity certifications Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cybersecurity-certifications" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Cybersecurity certifications: Which brands are most popular in search? Compare the cybersecurity certifications teams use. Share of Search among EC-Council, CompTIA, Offensive Security, GIAC, ISC2 and SANS, the cybersecurity certifications Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Cybersecurity certifications - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 6 - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: EC-Council, 46.2% ## Which brand is most popular in search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide? - In August 2026, EC-Council was the most searched among cybersecurity certifications worldwide, with an estimated 27.1K branded searches and 46.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. - CompTIA is in 2nd place, 21 percentage points behind at 25.2% Share of Search. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, EC-Council’s estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide peaked at 50.1% in November 2025 and was lowest at 41.5% in January 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CompTIA’s estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide peaked at 28.6% in May 2026 and was lowest at 22.2% in February 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Offensive Security’s estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide peaked at 16.1% in March 2026 and was lowest at 11.5% in July 2026. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, GIAC’s estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide peaked at 10.2% in January 2026 and was lowest at 6.7% in November 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, ISC2’s estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide peaked at 5.7% in May 2026 and was lowest at 3.6% in November 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, SANS’s estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide peaked at 3.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 2.3% in November 2025. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, EC-Council, CompTIA, Offensive Security, GIAC, ISC2 and SANS held steady: their estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [EC-Council vs CompTIA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/comptia-vs-ec-council): 46.2% against 25.2% Share of Search. - [EC-Council vs Offensive Security: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ec-council-vs-offensive-security): 46.2% against 13.8% Share of Search. - [EC-Council vs GIAC: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ec-council-vs-giac): 46.2% against 7.5% Share of Search. - [EC-Council vs ISC2: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ec-council-vs-isc2): 46.2% against 4.1% Share of Search. - [CompTIA vs Offensive Security: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/comptia-vs-offensive-security): 25.2% against 13.8% Share of Search. - [CompTIA vs GIAC: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/comptia-vs-giac): 25.2% against 7.5% Share of Search. - [CompTIA vs ISC2: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/comptia-vs-isc2): 25.2% against 4.1% Share of Search. - [Offensive Security vs GIAC: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/giac-vs-offensive-security): 13.8% against 7.5% Share of Search. - [Offensive Security vs ISC2: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/isc2-vs-offensive-security): 13.8% against 4.1% Share of Search. - [GIAC vs ISC2: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/giac-vs-isc2): 7.5% against 4.1% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for cybersecurity certifications worldwide in August 2026? - In August 2026, Offensive Security gained estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide, from 11.5% to 13.8%. - In August 2026, EC-Council lost estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide, from 47.4% to 46.2%. - In August 2026, CompTIA lost estimated Share of Search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide, from 25.9% to 25.2%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for GIAC worldwide fell 33.3% over 11 measured months, from 6.6K to 4.4K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for ISC2 worldwide fell 33.3% over 11 measured months, from 3.6K to 2.4K in August 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for SANS worldwide fell 20.8% over 11 measured months, from 2.4K to 1.9K in August 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | EC-Council | 46.2% | 27.1K | 0.0% | EC-Council | | 2 | CompTIA | 25.2% | 14.8K | 0.0% | CompTIA | | 3 | Offensive Security | 13.8% | 8.1K | +22.7% | Offensive Security | | 4 | GIAC | 7.5% | 4.4K | 0.0% | GIAC | | 5 | ISC2 | 4.1% | 2.4K | 0.0% | ISC2 | | 6 | SANS | 3.2% | 1.9K | 0.0% | SANS | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | EC-Council | 40.5K | 46.3% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | CompTIA | 22.2K | 25.4% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Offensive Security | 12.1K | 13.8% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | GIAC | 6.6K | 7.6% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | ISC2 | 3.6K | 4.1% | 5 | | Oct 2025 | SANS | 2.4K | 2.7% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | EC-Council | 40.5K | 50.1% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | CompTIA | 18.1K | 22.4% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Offensive Security | 12.1K | 15% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | GIAC | 5.4K | 6.7% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | ISC2 | 2.9K | 3.6% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | SANS | 1.9K | 2.3% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | EC-Council | 33.1K | 46.4% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | CompTIA | 18.1K | 25.4% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Offensive Security | 9.9K | 13.9% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | GIAC | 5.4K | 7.6% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | ISC2 | 2.9K | 4.1% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | SANS | 1.9K | 2.7% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | EC-Council | 33.1K | 41.5% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | CompTIA | 22.2K | 27.8% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Offensive Security | 9.9K | 12.4% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | GIAC | 8.1K | 10.2% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | ISC2 | 3.6K | 4.5% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | SANS | 2.9K | 3.6% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | EC-Council | 40.5K | 49.6% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | CompTIA | 18.1K | 22.2% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Offensive Security | 9.9K | 12.1% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | GIAC | 6.6K | 8.1% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | ISC2 | 3.6K | 4.4% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | SANS | 2.9K | 3.6% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | EC-Council | 33.1K | 44% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | CompTIA | 18.1K | 24.1% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Offensive Security | 12.1K | 16.1% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | GIAC | 5.4K | 7.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | ISC2 | 3.6K | 4.8% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | SANS | 2.9K | 3.9% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | EC-Council | 33.1K | 46.4% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | CompTIA | 18.1K | 25.4% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Offensive Security | 9.9K | 13.9% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | GIAC | 5.4K | 7.6% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | ISC2 | 2.9K | 4.1% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | SANS | 1.9K | 2.7% | 6 | | May 2026 | EC-Council | 27.1K | 42.9% | 1 | | May 2026 | CompTIA | 18.1K | 28.6% | 2 | | May 2026 | Offensive Security | 8.1K | 12.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | GIAC | 4.4K | 7% | 4 | | May 2026 | ISC2 | 3.6K | 5.7% | 5 | | May 2026 | SANS | 1.9K | 3% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | EC-Council | 27.1K | 46.2% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | CompTIA | 14.8K | 25.2% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Offensive Security | 8.1K | 13.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | GIAC | 4.4K | 7.5% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | ISC2 | 2.4K | 4.1% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | SANS | 1.9K | 3.2% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | EC-Council | 27.1K | 47.4% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | CompTIA | 14.8K | 25.9% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Offensive Security | 6.6K | 11.5% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | GIAC | 4.4K | 7.7% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | ISC2 | 2.4K | 4.2% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | SANS | 1.9K | 3.3% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | EC-Council | 27.1K | 46.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | CompTIA | 14.8K | 25.2% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Offensive Security | 8.1K | 13.8% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | GIAC | 4.4K | 7.5% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | ISC2 | 2.4K | 4.1% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | SANS | 1.9K | 3.2% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | CompTIA | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | EC-Council | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | GIAC | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | ISC2 | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | Offensive Security | — | — | — | | Sep 2026 | SANS | — | — | — | ## What is being compared - **CompTIA**: Measured on the search term “comptia certification”. - **EC-Council**: Measured on the search term “ec council”. - **GIAC**: Measured on the search term “giac certification”. - **ISC2**: Measured on the search term “isc2 certification”. - **Offensive Security**: Measured on the search term “offensive security”. - **SANS**: Measured on the search term “sans training”. - [CompTIA](/demand/global-en/brands/comptia) - [EC-Council](/demand/global-en/brands/ec-council) - [GIAC](/demand/global-en/brands/giac) - [ISC2](/demand/global-en/brands/isc2) - [Offensive Security](/demand/global-en/brands/offensive-security) - [SANS](/demand/global-en/brands/sans-institute) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among cybersecurity certifications worldwide? In August 2026, EC-Council was the most searched among cybersecurity certifications worldwide, with an estimated 27.1K branded searches and 46.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Cybersecurity certifications: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cybersecurity-certifications This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cybersecurity-certifications. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.