⚖️ Compare certifications
⚖️ Compare
26 different·5 in common
🧭 Overview
Certifying body= same
PMI
PMI
Focus≠ differs
The global gold-standard certification for project managers.
PMI's certification for agile practitioners across frameworks.
Best suited for≠ differs
Mid-career PMs (3+ yrs leading projects)
Practitioners with agile team experience (1–2 yrs)
Pass mark= same
Proficiency bands (no fixed %)
Proficiency bands (no fixed %)
Difficulty≠ differs
4 / 5
3 / 5
Open book= same
No
No
🚀 Career & roles
Career prospects≠ differs
The global gold standard for project managers — opens senior PM, program and delivery-lead roles across almost every industry, and is often used as a screening filter in job ads.
PMI's agile credential spanning Scrum, Kanban, Lean and XP — suits practitioners in agile delivery who want a broad, framework-agnostic agile cert.
Post-certification roles≠ differs
Project Manager · Senior PM · Program Manager · Delivery Manager · PMO Lead
Agile PM · Scrum Master · Agile Coach · Delivery Lead · Product Owner
Demand trend≠ differs
Hot — consistently the most-requested PM credential
Growing — agile delivery roles in demand
Typical salary≠ differs
Holders report ~15–25% higher pay than non-holders (varies by region/experience)
Comparable to other agile certs; strongest when paired with PMP
🌍 Recognition & market
Recognition≠ differs
PMI (USA) · ANSI/ISO 17024 accredited · recognised worldwide
PMI (USA) · recognised worldwide · broader than single-framework certs
Popular in≠ differs
Strong everywhere — USA, Canada, India, Middle East, Europe, SE Asia
USA, Europe, India, ANZ
Companies hiring≠ differs
IT services, consulting, BFSI, construction, telecom, MNCs & GCCs
Product companies, IT services, digital & consulting
Industry verticals≠ differs
IT/software, construction, finance, healthcare, energy, government
IT/software, fintech, telecom, digital
Tech horizontals≠ differs
Method-agnostic across domains — cloud, data, ERP and infra programs
Software delivery, product, cloud/DevOps teams
📝 Exam format
Questions≠ differs
180 questions
120 questions
Duration≠ differs
230 min · 3h 50m
180 min · 3h
Question types≠ differs
Multiple choice · Multiple response · Matching · Hotspot · Fill-in-the-blank
Multiple choice
Delivery= same
Test centre · Online proctored
Test centre · Online proctored
Languages≠ differs
English + 15 others
English
🎓 Eligibility & process
Eligibility / prerequisites≠ differs
Degree + 36 months leading projects + 35 contact hours (or 60 months without a degree)
12 months general project experience + 8 months agile + 21 contact hours
Application process≠ differs
Online application → eligibility review (possible audit) → pay fee → schedule within 1 year (3 attempts)
Online application (audit possible) → pay fee → schedule within 1 year
💸 Cost & effort
Training cost (approx)≠ differs
USD 300–1,500
USD 300–1,000
Exam / application fee≠ differs
USD 555
USD 495
Prep time≠ differs
~10 weeks
~8 weeks
Study hours≠ differs
~120 hours
~90 hours
🔄 Validity & renewal
Validity= same
3 years
3 years
Renewal≠ differs
60 PDUs every 3 years
30 PDUs every 3 years
Retake policy≠ differs
Up to 3 attempts within a one-year eligibility period; wait between attempts.
Up to 3 attempts within a one-year eligibility period.
📈 ROI
ROI score≠ differs
5 / 5
4 / 5
Worth it?≠ differs
High — strong salary uplift and a job-filter advantage; pays back the fee quickly for working PMs.
Solid for agile career paths; the broad coverage differentiates it from Scrum-only certs.
📊 Syllabus — domain weighting
📘PMP
- People42%
- Process50%
- Business Environment8%
🌀PMI-ACP
- Agile Principles & Mindset16%
- Value-Driven Delivery20%
- Stakeholder Engagement17%
- Team Performance16%
- Adaptive Planning12%
- Problem Detection & Resolution10%
- Continuous Improvement9%
Career, cost, effort and ROI figures are indicative — they vary by region, employer and experience.