--- title: "APM vs Certified Associate in Project Management: Which is searched more?" description: "Is APM or Certified Associate in Project Management more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Project management certifications set worldwide. 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/compare/apm-certification-vs-certified-associate-in-project-management" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # APM vs Certified Associate in Project Management: Which is searched more? Is APM or Certified Associate in Project Management more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Project management certifications set worldwide. 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 - **Compared**: APM and Certified Associate in Project Management - **Competitive set**: Project management certifications - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **APM Share of Search**: 5.8% - **Certified Associate in Project Management Share of Search**: 13.1% ## Is APM or Certified Associate in Project Management more popular in search? - 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%. - Certified Associate in Project Management was ahead of APM in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, APM’s share of searches among project management certifications worldwide moved from 6.6% to 5.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.1K to 5.4K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Certified Associate in Project Management’s share of searches among project management certifications worldwide moved from 14.7% to 13.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 12.1K. ## 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. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Project Management Professional | 1st | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | PRINCE2 | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Certified Associate in Project Management | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Google Project Management Certificate | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | PMI | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Scrum Alliance | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | APM | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | EXIN | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Axelos | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about project management certifications - Asked ChatGPT "Which project management certification should I join?": 1. PRINCE2, 2. Google Project Management Certificate, 3. PMI - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best project management certifications?": 1. Project Management Professional, 2. Certified Associate in Project Management, 3. PRINCE2, 4. PMI - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best project management certification for project managers?": 1. PRINCE2, 2. PMI, 3. Project Management Professional - Searched Google, AI Overview "project management certifications": 1. Project Management Professional, 2. Certified Associate in Project Management, 3. Google Project Management Certificate, 4. PRINCE2 - Searched Google, AI Overview "project manager certification": 1. Project Management Professional, 2. Certified Associate in Project Management, 3. Google Project Management Certificate, 4. PRINCE2 Not named in any answer: Scrum Alliance, APM, EXIN and Axelos. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for project management certifications worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, PRINCE2 overtook Certified Associate in Project Management to rank 3rd among project management certifications worldwide, with 16% of the searches. - In September 2026, Certified Associate in Project Management lost share of searches among project management certifications worldwide, from 14.8% to 13.1%. - 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. ## Month by month | Month | APM estimated searches | APM Share of Search | APM rank | Certified Associate in Project Management estimated searches | Certified Associate in Project Management Share of Search | Certified Associate in Project Management rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 8.1K | 6.6% | 7 | 18.1K | 14.7% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 6.6K | 5.6% | 7 | 14.8K | 12.5% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 5.4K | 5.4% | 7 | 14.8K | 14.9% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 6.6K | 4.9% | 7 | 18.1K | 13.5% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 6.6K | 5.6% | 7 | 22.2K | 18.7% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 6.6K | 4.9% | 7 | 22.2K | 16.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 6.6K | 5.7% | 7 | 18.1K | 15.5% | 3 | | May 2026 | 5.4K | 4.5% | 7 | 27.1K | 22.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 5.4K | 4.2% | 7 | 27.1K | 21.1% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 5.4K | 4.5% | 7 | 18.1K | 15.2% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 5.4K | 5.4% | 7 | 14.8K | 14.8% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 5.4K | 5.8% | 7 | 12.1K | 13.1% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured 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**: Measured on the search term “apm project management”. - **Certified Associate in Project Management**: Measured on the search term “certified associate in project management”. - [APM profile](/demand/global-en/brands/apm-certification) - [Certified Associate in Project Management profile](/demand/global-en/brands/certified-associate-in-project-management) - [All project management certifications worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/project-management-certifications): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is APM or Certified Associate in Project Management more popular in search? 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%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "APM vs Certified Associate in Project Management: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/apm-certification-vs-certified-associate-in-project-management This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/apm-certification-vs-certified-associate-in-project-management. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.