Brandwave

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

In September 2026, Certified Associate in Project Management had more branded searches than Project Management Professional among project management certifications worldwide. Certified Associate in Project Management had about 12,100 branded searches, while Project Management Professional had 9,900. Certified Associate in Project Management made up 13.1% of all project management certification searches we track, and Project Management Professional accounted for 10.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about project management certifications, Project Management Professional appeared in four of the five answers and Certified Associate in Project Management in three. Project Management Professional was mentioned before Certified Associate in Project Management in every answer that named either.

Among project management certifications worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Certified Associate in Project Management, about 22% more searches than Project Management Professional

Certified Associate in Project Management 12.1K searchesProject Management Professional 9.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Project Management Professional, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Certified Associate in Project Management in 3

Project Management Professional in 4 of 5Certified Associate in Project Management in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Project Management Professional, named ahead of Certified Associate in Project Management in 4 of 4 answers

Project Management Professional first in 4Certified Associate in Project Management never first

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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. 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. Project Management Professional was listed before Certified Associate in Project Management in every answer that named either.

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 Certified Associate in Project Management or Project Management Professional more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Certified Associate in Project Management 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.

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

Share of searches by month for Certified Associate in Project Management, Project Management Professional. 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 Certified Associate in Project Management 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?

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

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

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Certified Associate in Project Management’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.

Certified Associate in Project Management

1 branded search term

  • certified associate in 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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