PMP or PMI-ACP: which PMI credential matches the projects you run
PMI's US exam fees in November 2026: the PMP costs $675, or $425 for members, and the PMI-ACP $495, or $435 for members. Each also needs training before you apply, 35 hours for the PMP and 21 agile hours for the ACP, so the course is the larger cost. Without membership, the cheapest first attempt we priced is $1,474 for the PMP (PMI's $799 self-paced course) and $1,990 for the PMI-ACP (Florida Atlantic University's $1,495 course); live classes run to $4,025 and $2,190.
PMP and PMI-ACP facts in one table
| PMP | PMI-ACP | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | PMI | PMI |
| Exam fee (US) | $675, or $425 for PMI members | $495, or $435 for PMI members |
| Exam | 180 questions in 240 minutes, two 10-minute breaks | 120 items (100 scored) in 3 hours, one 10-minute break after item 60 |
| Training before you apply | 35 hours of project management education, or an active CAPM | 21 hours of agile training, finished and evidenced before you apply |
| Experience to apply (formal requirement) | 3 years leading projects with a bachelor's degree, 4 with an associate degree, 5 with a high school diploma, 2 with a PMI-accredited (GAC) degree; within the last 10 years, overlapping projects counted once | 2 years of agile work in the past 5, or 1 year plus a GAC degree or a third-party agile certification held over a year; an active PMP also qualifies |
| Attempts | Up to three within a one-year eligibility period | Up to three within a one-year eligibility period |
| Validity and renewal | Three years; 60 professional development units per cycle | Three years; 30 professional development units per cycle |
| What the exam covers | People 33%, process 41%, business environment 26%, including agile and hybrid scenarios | Mindset 28%, leadership 25%, product 19%, delivery 28%, across several agile frameworks |
| What a pass signals | You have led projects for years, whatever the method | You work in agile roles such as scrum master, product owner or agile project manager |
Experience: the gate that decides it
For most candidates the choice is made by which application PMI will accept. The PMP counts years spent leading projects, and how many you need depends on your education; overlapping projects count only once, which catches people who ran several at the same time. The PMI-ACP counts years of agile work instead, and it gives credit for an agile certification such as a Scrum or SAFe credential held for more than a year, which PMI treats as 12 of the 24 months.
A scrum master with two years on agile teams but no years as a project lead qualifies for the ACP and not the PMP. A project manager with four years running plan-driven projects and a bachelor's degree qualifies for the PMP and not, on agile experience alone, the ACP. Both exams cover agile: the PMP includes agile and hybrid scenarios, and the ACP is built entirely around agile mindset, leadership, product and delivery.
Course and exam totals for each
Each total adds the non-member exam fee ($675 PMP, $495 PMI-ACP) to the published course price. None of these courses includes the exam, because PMI collects it after accepting your application.
| Credential | Course | Course price | With the exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMP | PMI PMP Exam Prep Course, self-paced, 35 hours | $799 ($699 members) | $1,474 ($1,124 as a member) |
| PMP | New Horizons, 4 days live online | $1,995 | $2,670 |
| PMP | ONLC, 5 days live | $2,995 | $3,670 |
| PMP | Learning Tree, 5 days live | $3,350 | $4,025 |
| PMI-ACP | Florida Atlantic University, self-paced online, 21 PDUs | $1,495 | $1,990 ($1,930 as a member) |
| PMI-ACP | New Horizons, 3 days live online | $1,695 | $2,190 |
| PMI-ACP | Project Management Academy, 3 days live online | $1,695 | $2,190 |
The PMP has the cheaper entry point only because PMI's own self-paced PMP course is priced at $799; PMI's shop pages for its own ACP prep did not load for us, so that price is missing from the ACP rows. Membership saves $250 on the PMP exam but only $60 on the ACP exam, so it is worth checking PMI's current dues against the saving for the exam you are taking. PMI has published one rule for the PMP that our PMI-ACP sources do not mention: from December 1, 2026, live training counts toward the PMP's 35 hours only from a PMI Authorized Training Partner, a China Registered Education Provider or an eligible accredited academic program, while self-paced courses from any organization still count; ask PMI whether it also applies to ACP training.
Which PMI exam fits your situation
- Scrum master or product owner, two years on agile teams. PMI-ACP. You meet the experience rule; the PMP would need years of project leadership you do not have yet.
- One year in agile plus a Scrum certification earned over a year ago. PMI-ACP, through the third-party certification route.
- Project manager with three or more years leading projects and a degree. PMP. It recognizes project leadership in any method, and its exam already includes agile and hybrid scenarios.
- PMP holder whose organization is moving to agile. Add the PMI-ACP: the active PMP covers the experience rule, leaving the 21 hours and the exam.
- New to project work. Neither yet. The CAPM needs no experience, and an active CAPM later counts in place of the PMP's 35 training hours.
Holding both, and in what order
PMP first, then the PMI-ACP, is the shorter path to both: once you hold an active PMP you skip documenting agile experience for the ACP. Going the other way, PMI's PMP requirements name no exemption for PMI-ACP holders, so you still need the years of project leadership and the 35 hours (or an active CAPM). Renewal adds up too: holding both means earning 60 PDUs for the PMP and 30 for the PMI-ACP in each three-year cycle.
Common questions
- Which exam costs less?
- For non-members, the PMI-ACP: $495 against $675 for the PMP, as of November 2026. For PMI members the two are almost level, $425 for the PMP and $435 for the ACP.
- Is the PMI-ACP a step toward the PMP?
- Not formally. PMI's PMP requirements, checked November 5, 2026, name no exemption for ACP holders; only an active CAPM replaces the 35 hours.
- Does the PMP cover agile at all?
- Yes. PMI's PMP exam includes agile and hybrid scenarios alongside predictive project work.
- How long is each exam?
- PMP: 180 questions in 240 minutes. PMI-ACP: 120 items in 3 hours.
Full cost guides: PMP and PMI-ACP.
Next step
Ask which PMI exam your experience fits
Sources
- PMI: Project Management Professional (PMP) certification (fees, format, eligibility, renewal), checked November 5, 2026
- PMI: 2026 PMP exam update and live-training rule from December 1, 2026, checked November 5, 2026
- PMI: PMI-ACP certification page (exam fee, format, eligibility), checked November 5, 2026
- PMI: PMI-ACP Examination Content Outline, March 2026 (eligibility, domains, retakes, renewal), checked November 5, 2026
- PMI: membership, checked November 5, 2026
Prices are published list prices we recorded on the dates shown, not quotes. How we research.
Course prices come from the named providers, as listed and dated on the certification pages linked above.