Brandwave

APM vs Certified Associate in Project Management:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Certified Associate in Project Management had more branded searches than APM among project management certifications worldwide. Certified Associate in Project Management had about 12,100 branded searches, while APM had 5,400. Certified Associate in Project Management made up 13.1% of all project management certification searches we track, and APM accounted for 5.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about project management certifications, Certified Associate in Project Management appeared in three of the five answers and APM in none.

Among project management certifications worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Certified Associate in Project Management, about 2 searches for every 1 for APM

Certified Associate in Project Management 12.1K searchesAPM 5.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Certified Associate in Project Management, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, APM in 0

Certified Associate in Project Management in 3 of 5APM in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Certified Associate in Project Management, the only one of the two named

Certified Associate in Project Management first in 3APM never named

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Top project management certifications in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Certified Associate in Project Management was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. APM did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Project Management Professional1st
  2. PRINCE22nd
  3. Certified Associate in Project Management3rd
  4. Google Project Management Certificate4th
  5. PMI5th
  6. Scrum Alliance–
  7. APM–
  8. EXIN–
  9. Axelos–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • PRINCE25 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Project Management Professional4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Project Management Certificate3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Certified Associate in Project Management3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • PMI3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Scrum Alliance0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • APM0 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 project management certifications

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is APM or Certified Associate in Project Management more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for APM and Certified Associate in Project Management by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine project management certifications we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

APM and Certified Associate in Project Management among project management certifications worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Certified Associate in Project Management, APM. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle Project Management CertificateScrum AlliancePRINCE2Certified Associate in Project ManagementPMIProject Management ProfessionalAPMEXINAxelos
Oct 202522%22%14.7%14.7%9.8%9.8%6.6%0.26%0.09%
Nov 202522.9%22.9%15.3%12.5%10.2%10.2%5.6%0.22%0.09%
Dec 202522.3%22.3%14.9%14.9%9.9%9.9%5.4%0.26%0.11%
Jan 202624.6%20.2%16.5%13.5%11%9%4.9%0.16%0.08%
Feb 202622.8%18.7%15.2%18.7%10.2%8.3%5.6%0.22%0.22%
Mar 202630.1%16.5%13.5%16.5%9%9%4.9%0.24%0.24%
Apr 202623.2%19%15.5%15.5%10.4%10.4%5.7%0.18%0.09%
May 202627.4%15%12.2%22.4%10%8.2%4.5%0.22%0.14%
Jun 202631.6%14.1%11.5%21.1%9.4%7.7%4.2%0.16%0.07%
Jul 202634%15.2%12.4%15.2%8.3%10.2%4.5%0.14%0.08%
Aug 202627%18%14.8%14.8%9.9%9.9%5.4%0.21%0.07%
Sep 202624%19.5%16%13.1%10.7%10.7%5.8%0.18%0.08%

How has the APM and Certified Associate in Project Management comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for project management certifications worldwide in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, PRINCE2 overtook Certified Associate in Project Management to rank 3rd among project management certifications worldwide, with 16% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Certified Associate in Project Management lost share of searches among project management certifications worldwide, from 14.8% to 13.1%.

  3. APM’s share of searches among project management certifications worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 4.2% to 5.8% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using APM’s and Certified Associate in Project Management’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

APM

1 branded search term

  • apm project management

Certified Associate in Project Management

1 branded search term

  • certified associate in project management

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among project management certifications

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