Credential comparison
ICAgile vs Scrum Alliance
Scrum Alliance certifies Scrum roles. ICAgile certifies agile competencies across 27 certifications, from coaching and delivery to product, leadership, HR, marketing and AI, all framework-neutral and all lifetime. Choosing between them is really choosing between certifying a role in one framework and certifying a capability you keep for a career.
Side by side
| ICAgile | Scrum Alliance | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | 27 certifications across coaching, delivery, product, leadership, business agility, HR, marketing and AI | Scrum roles: Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developer, plus advanced tiers |
| Framework position | Framework-neutral: applies to Scrum, Kanban, Lean or mixed environments | Scrum specifically |
| Renewal | Lifetime credentials, no renewal fees, no continuing education requirement | Two-year renewal cycle with fees and continuing education |
| Assessment | Competency-based through accredited live training, no exam for professional-level certifications | Course plus test for entry level; practice-based at advanced tiers |
| Depth path | Tracks lead to expert credentials such as ICE-AC and ICE-EC | CSM to A-CSM to CSP-SM ladder |
Our take
If your organisation runs textbook Scrum and wants role labels, Scrum Alliance does that well. If you want credentials that survive a framework change, cover the full range of modern capabilities including AI, and never bill you again, that is the ICAgile model, and it is why we built our whole catalogue on it.
Do ICAgile certifications expire?
No. Every ICAgile certification is a lifetime credential with no renewal fees. Scrum Alliance certifications renew roughly every two years with a fee.
Is ICAgile recognised as widely as Scrum Alliance?
Both are established international bodies. ICAgile accredits member organisations in dozens of countries and its certifications are held by practitioners across major banks, telcos and government teams worldwide.
Can I hold certifications from both?
Yes, and many practitioners do: a Scrum Alliance role certification from early in their career, then ICAgile tracks as their scope grows beyond one framework.