Brandwave

APM vs Project Management Professional:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Project Management Professional had more branded searches than APM among project management certifications worldwide. Project Management Professional had about 9,900 branded searches, while APM had 5,400. Project Management Professional made up 10.7% 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, Project Management Professional appeared in four of the five answers and APM in none.

Among project management certifications worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Project Management Professional, about 83% more searches than APM

Project Management Professional 9.9K searchesAPM 5.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Project Management Professional, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, APM in 0

Project Management Professional in 4 of 5APM in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Project Management Professional, the only one of the two named

Project Management Professional first in 4APM 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, Project Management Professional was mentioned in four out of five: in two 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 Project Management Professional more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for APM and Project Management Professional 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 Project Management Professional among project management certifications worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Project Management Professional, 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 Project Management Professional comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Project Management Professional gained share of searches among project management certifications worldwide, from 9.9% to 10.7%.

  2. 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 Project Management Professional’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

Project Management Professional

1 branded search term

  • project management professional

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among project management certifications

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