Best AI and machine learning certifications in 2026, from beginner to LLM engineer: 15 compared
Vendor facts checked · 15 optionsThe short answer
For beginners, AWS Certified AI Practitioner ($100) or Google’s Generative AI Leader ($99) prove AI literacy. Engineers deploying models take Google’s Professional ML Engineer ($200) or AWS ML Engineer – Associate ($150); LLM builders look at Databricks or NVIDIA. Free skills courses (fast.ai, Hugging Face) give no credential. Bodhih’s three levels run from no-code to an evaluated LLM capstone.
AI and ML credentials fall into three groups: cloud-vendor exams that prove you can use one platform (Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft, Databricks, NVIDIA), course certificates that prove completion (Coursera, IBM), and assessed programmes or degrees that prove you built something (Stanford, IIT Madras, Bodhih). Several vendor exams changed in 2025-26, so check versions before you study.
Facts below come from providers’ own pages, checked on 24 October 2026. Exam fees exclude tax; Microsoft prices vary by country and are not shown.
How we built this list
- Included: AI, machine learning and generative-AI certifications and programmes an individual can take online today.
- Checked for each: the facts in the table, from the provider’s own pages; anything a provider does not publish is marked as such rather than estimated.
- Order: Bodhih’s product is ours, so it is listed first and labelled. The rest are alphabetical by provider. This is a shortlist with facts, not a ranking.
Disclosure: Bodhih publishes this guide and sells the product marked “Our product”. We receive nothing from the other providers listed, and links to them are not affiliate links.
Comparison at a glance
| # | Name | Level | Format | Cost | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodhih AI/ML certification (Levels 1-3) (our product) | Beginner to LLM engineer | Online; projects, viva and exams | ₹9,999-₹64,999 + GST ($100-$650) | No expiry stated |
| 2 | AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) | Beginner | Proctored exam | $100 | 3 years |
| 3 | AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate | Associate | Proctored exam | $150 | 3 years |
| 4 | Databricks Certified Generative AI Engineer Associate | Associate | Proctored exam | $200 | 2 years |
| 5 | Deep Learning Specialization | Intermediate | Course certificate | Coursera subscription | No expiry |
| 6 | Practical Deep Learning for Coders | Beginner (coders) | Free course | Free | No credential |
| 7 | Generative AI Leader | Beginner (business) | Proctored exam | $99 | 3 years |
| 8 | Professional Machine Learning Engineer | Professional | Proctored exam | $200 | Renew every 2 years |
| 9 | LLM Course | Intermediate | Free course | Free | No credential |
| 10 | AI Engineering Professional Certificate | Intermediate | Course certificate | Coursera subscription | No expiry |
| 11 | BS in Data Science and Applications (Foundation and Diploma exits) | Beginner to degree | Online degree | From ₹48,000 | No expiry |
| 12 | Machine Learning Specialization | Beginner | Course certificate | $49/month | No expiry |
| 13 | Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (AI-103) | Associate | Proctored exam | Varies by country | 1 year (free renewal) |
| 14 | NVIDIA-Certified Associate: Generative AI LLMs | Associate | Proctored exam | $125 | 2 years |
| 15 | Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate | Graduate | Graded university courses | $21,086-$25,952 | No expiry |
- Our product · Bodhih Training Solutions (Bengaluru, India)
1. Bodhih AI/ML certification (Levels 1-3)
Best for: Professionals and engineers who want a vendor-neutral path from AI literacy to an evaluated LLM engineering capstone, priced for India.
Watch out for: Not a cloud-vendor credential, so it does not certify you on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud specifically, and it is new.
Level 1: AI/ML Foundations No coding; about 12 hours over 28 days; 60-question exam under exam conditions; ₹9,999 + GST ($100) Level 2: Applied AI/ML Practitioner Python; about 35 hours over 8 weeks; labs, an expert-reviewed applied project and an exam; ₹29,999 + GST ($300) Level 3: LLM Engineering About 45 hours over 10 weeks; retrieval, agents, evaluation, production, governance; six-week capstone, recorded viva with two evaluators and an exam; ₹64,999 + GST ($650) Credential Verifiable credential, also an Open Badge 2.0 See Bodhih AI/ML certification (Levels 1-3) on Bodhih · Sources: bodhih.org, bodhih.org, bodhih.org
- Amazon Web Services
2. AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01)
Best for: Non-engineers and early-career staff who want a recognised entry-level AI credential.
Watch out for: Foundational: it does not require you to build AI solutions.
Format Proctored exam, 65 questions, 90 minutes Cost $100 Validity 3 years Prerequisites None Amazon Web Services website · Source: aws.amazon.com
- Amazon Web Services
3. AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate
Best for: Engineers who put ML models into production on AWS.
Watch out for: The exam is changing version (C01 to C02); match your study material to the version you book.
Format Proctored exam (MLA-C02 beta from 29 Sep 2026: 85 questions, 170 minutes) Cost $150 (MLA-C01); $75 beta price for MLA-C02 Validity 3 years Experience About 1 year with SageMaker AI and 1 year on AWS recommended Amazon Web Services website · Source: aws.amazon.com
- Databricks
4. Databricks Certified Generative AI Engineer Associate
Best for: Engineers building RAG and LLM applications on Databricks.
Watch out for: Tied to the Databricks stack.
Format Proctored exam, 90 minutes Cost $200 Validity 2 years Experience 6+ months hands-on generative AI recommended Databricks website · Source: databricks.com
- DeepLearning.AI (on Coursera)
5. Deep Learning Specialization
Best for: Learners after an intro ML course who want grounding in neural networks and transformers.
Watch out for: Pre-dates today’s LLM tooling; pair it with an LLM course.
Format 5 courses, completion certificate Time About 3 months at 10 hours a week Cost Coursera subscription Prerequisites Intermediate Python, basic linear algebra DeepLearning.AI (on Coursera) website · Source: coursera.org
- fast.ai
6. Practical Deep Learning for Coders
Best for: Programmers who learn by building models from day one, at no cost.
Watch out for: The current Part 1 dates from 2022 and gives no credential.
Format 9 free video lessons with notebooks Time About 13.5 hours of video plus practice Cost Free Prerequisites About a year of coding fast.ai website · Source: course.fast.ai
- Google Cloud
7. Generative AI Leader
Best for: Managers and consultants who lead generative-AI projects without coding.
Watch out for: Non-technical and Google-focused.
Format Proctored exam, 90 minutes Cost $99 Validity 3 years Prerequisites None; no technical experience needed Google Cloud website · Source: cloud.google.com
- Google Cloud
8. Professional Machine Learning Engineer
Best for: ML practitioners who build and run models on Google Cloud (Vertex AI).
Watch out for: Scenario-based and tied to Google Cloud services.
Format Proctored exam, 2 hours Cost $200 Renewal Renewal exam, adds 2 years Experience 3+ years in industry, 1+ on Google Cloud recommended Google Cloud website · Source: cloud.google.com
- Hugging Face
9. LLM Course
Best for: Developers who want free hands-on practice with transformers and fine-tuning.
Watch out for: No certificate is offered for the course.
Format Free self-paced course Time 12 chapters, about a week each Cost Free Credential None offered currently Hugging Face website · Source: huggingface.co
- IBM (on Coursera)
10. AI Engineering Professional Certificate
Best for: Learners who want a structured route from ML to deep learning and LLM basics with PyTorch and LangChain.
Watch out for: Its page contradicts itself on the number of courses; check the syllabus.
Format Self-paced course series, completion certificate Time About 4 months at 10 hours a week Cost Coursera subscription Prerequisites Python and Jupyter IBM (on Coursera) website · Source: coursera.org
- IIT Madras
11. BS in Data Science and Applications (Foundation and Diploma exits)
Best for: Indian learners who want a stackable IIT credential; ML starts at Diploma level.
Watch out for: A long-term academic programme, not a quick certification.
Format Online degree programme with exams at each level; entry via qualifier Time Foundation 1-3 years; Diplomas 1-2 years each Cost ₹48,000 (Foundation); ₹1,29,000 (Foundation + one Diploma); ₹3,86,000-4,50,000 (BS) Credential IIT Madras academic credential IIT Madras website · Source: study.iitm.ac.in
- DeepLearning.AI and Stanford Online (on Coursera)
12. Machine Learning Specialization
Best for: Complete beginners who want a well-regarded foundation in classic ML.
Watch out for: Covers classic ML, not LLM engineering, and is a completion certificate.
Format 3 self-paced courses, completion certificate Time About 2 months at 10 hours a week Cost $49 a month (Coursera) Prerequisites Basic coding and school maths DeepLearning.AI and Stanford Online (on Coursera) website · Source: coursera.org
- Microsoft
13. Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (AI-103)
Best for: Developers building generative-AI apps and agents on Azure.
Watch out for: Marked beta when checked, so results are not immediate; AI-102 material is out of date.
Format Proctored exam, 120 minutes Cost Varies by country Validity 1 year, free online renewal Note Replaces the retired Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102) Microsoft website · Source: learn.microsoft.com
- NVIDIA
14. NVIDIA-Certified Associate: Generative AI LLMs
Best for: Developers who want a short vendor-backed check of LLM concepts.
Watch out for: A short multiple-choice test with no hands-on build.
Format Proctored online exam, 1 hour Cost $125 Validity 2 years Prerequisites Basic understanding of generative AI and LLMs NVIDIA website · Source: nvidia.com
- Stanford Online
15. Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate
Best for: Strong-maths professionals who want graduate-level AI study with university credit.
Watch out for: Expensive and academically demanding.
Format 4 graduate courses, graded; application required Time Usually 1-2 years Cost $21,086-$25,952 for the programme Prerequisites Bachelor’s with GPA 3.0+, calculus, linear algebra, probability, programming Stanford Online website · Source: online.stanford.edu
How to choose
Pick by the job you want
Match the credential to the work, then to the cloud your employer uses.
| Goal | Look at |
|---|---|
| AI literacy for a non-technical role | AWS AI Practitioner; Google Generative AI Leader; Bodhih Level 1 |
| Deploy ML models in production | Google Professional ML Engineer; AWS ML Engineer – Associate |
| Build LLM / RAG / agent applications | Databricks Generative AI Engineer; NVIDIA; Microsoft AI-103; Bodhih LLM Engineering |
| Learn the foundations first | Machine Learning Specialization; fast.ai; Hugging Face |
| An academic credential | Stanford graduate certificate; IIT Madras |
Questions people ask next
Which AI certification is best for beginners?
AWS Certified AI Practitioner ($100) and Google Cloud Generative AI Leader ($99) need no technical background. For a free start without a credential, try fast.ai or Hugging Face; Bodhih’s no-code Level 1 is ₹9,999 + GST in India.
Were any AI certifications retired in 2026?
Yes. AWS Machine Learning – Specialty had its last exam date on 31 March 2026, and Microsoft replaced AI-102 with AI-103 and AI-900 with AI-901. Check exam codes before buying study material.
Which certification is best for LLM engineering?
Vendor options include Databricks Generative AI Engineer Associate ($200) and NVIDIA’s Generative AI LLMs certifications ($125 associate, $200 professional). Bodhih’s Level 3 LLM Engineering adds a six-week capstone and a viva.
Why is Bodhih listed first?
Because it is our product and we say so. The rest are listed alphabetically, facts come from their own pages, and every entry has a “watch out for” line.