AI-103 vs AIP-C01: Azure AI Apps and Agents or AWS GenAI Developer Pro?
By Kyle Tice · Updated October 19, 2026 · Facts checked against official exam pages
Pick AI-103 if you build on Azure, want a broader AI developer exam that also covers vision, speech and document extraction, and like the idea of free annual renewal. Pick AIP-C01 if you build LLM applications on AWS and want a harder, GenAI-only professional credential that lasts three years. Your employer’s cloud should usually decide this; the two exams test similar skills on different platforms, at different levels.
| AI-103 | AIP-C01 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft | AWS |
| Code | AI-103 | AIP-C01 |
| Level | associate | professional |
| Cost | $165 | $300 |
| Format | Proctored exam | Proctored exam |
| Questions | — | 75 |
| Duration | 120 min | 180 min |
| Validity | 1 yr | 3 yrs |
| Prerequisites | None | Recommended 2+ yrs building on AWS and 1 yr hands-on GenAI |
| Study time | 80–120 h | 80–120 h |
| Difficulty | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Employer demand | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Atlas score | 93/100 | 80/100 |
| Status | active | active |
Associate versus professional
The table hides the most important difference. AI-103 is a Microsoft associate exam. AIP-C01 is an AWS professional exam.
- AWS recommends 2+ years building production applications on AWS or open-source stacks, plus 1 year of hands-on GenAI work, before AIP-C01. The passing score is 750 out of 1,000, higher than the 700 most AWS exams use.
- Microsoft asks for experience developing apps in Python and familiarity with generative AI and Azure services. You need 700 to pass.
So AIP-C01 is not the AWS twin of AI-103. A closer AWS match by level would be the ML Engineer – Associate, but that one is about training and operating models, not building apps. For “I build GenAI apps and agents,” these two really are each vendor’s main answer.
Content and domains
AI-103 skills measured (as of April 16, 2026):
| Area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Plan and manage an Azure AI solution | 25–30% |
| Implement generative AI and agentic solutions | 30–35% |
| Implement computer vision solutions | 10–15% |
| Implement text analysis solutions | 10–15% |
| Implement information extraction solutions | 10–15% |
AIP-C01 content domains:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Foundation model integration, data management and compliance | 31% |
| Implementation and integration | 26% |
| AI safety, security and governance | 20% |
| Operational efficiency and optimization | 12% |
| Testing, validation and troubleshooting | 11% |
What this means in practice:
- AI-103 is broader. Up to 45% of it is outside pure LLM work: image and video generation, multimodal understanding, speech, translation, OCR and Content Understanding pipelines. If your job includes document processing or call-centre AI, that is a plus. If you only build chat and agents, it is extra study.
- AIP-C01 is deeper on production GenAI. All five domains are about LLM applications. A fifth of the exam is safety, security and governance (guardrails, data protection, responsible AI), and almost a quarter is cost, performance, testing and troubleshooting. AWS explicitly lists model training and feature engineering as out of scope.
- Both test agents. AI-103 has a full section on building agents in Foundry, including multi-agent orchestration and approval controls. AIP-C01 lists agentic AI solutions among its core tasks, built with Bedrock and its agent tooling.
Difficulty
We rate both 4 out of 5, but the difficulty comes from different places.
AIP-C01 is long (75 questions, 65 scored, in 180 minutes) and the answers often differ only in cost, latency or operational burden. You need real experience to see why one Bedrock design is better than another.
AI-103 is 120 minutes and may include interactive components. It is wide rather than deep: many Foundry services, many configuration details, and new features arriving quickly. Microsoft says the exam may include preview features if they are commonly used.
Cost and validity
As of October 2026:
| AI-103 | AIP-C01 | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fee (US) | $165 (varies by country) | $300 |
| Validity | 1 year | 3 years |
| Renewal | Free online assessment each year | Retake |
| Cost per year | $165 once, then free if you renew | $100 |
On paper AI-103 expires fastest. In practice it is the cheapest to keep: Microsoft associate certifications renew through a free, unproctored online assessment on Microsoft Learn. If you renew on time every year, you pay $165 once. AIP-C01 costs $300 every three years.
The trade-off is discipline. Miss the AI-103 renewal window and you pay for the full exam again. Set a calendar reminder for six months after you pass, which is when the renewal opens.
Employer recognition
We rate AI-103 at 5 out of 5 for employer demand and AIP-C01 at 4.
AI-103 replaced AI-102 on June 30, 2026, and AI-102 was one of the most requested Microsoft certifications in AI job posts. Many listings still say AI-102; AI-103 is the current equivalent, and it is worth saying so in your CV. Microsoft’s large enterprise base, plus Azure’s partnership with OpenAI, keeps demand high.
AIP-C01 launched in 2026 and is still building name recognition. Its professional level helps: it signals seniority in a way an associate cert cannot. Expect it to be valued most at AWS partners and at companies building on Bedrock.
Either way, what gets you hired is a working RAG or agent project with evaluation. See AI portfolio projects.
Study effort
- AI-103: 80–120 hours. Microsoft Learn’s self-paced paths and the free practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator are the core. MeasureUp sells the official practice tests. Build at least one RAG app and one multi-agent flow in Foundry.
- AIP-C01: 80–120 hours, assuming you meet the experience bar. AWS Skill Builder has official prep. Tutorials Dojo’s AIP-C01 practice exams include a free 30-question sampler. Spend time with Bedrock Knowledge Bases, Guardrails and model evaluation.
Who should take both
- Engineers at consultancies that build GenAI for clients on both clouds.
- Platform teams in multi-cloud companies that want one person who can compare Foundry and Bedrock designs.
The concepts carry over almost completely: RAG, chunking, embeddings, tool calling, guardrails, evaluation. If you pass one, the second is mostly a platform study. Do AI-103 first if you are earlier in your career, since its associate level is more forgiving.
Who should skip
If you do not write code, neither exam fits. Look at AI-901 or AIF-C01. If you build with Claude directly rather than through a cloud, compare Claude Architect vs AWS GenAI Developer.
FAQ
Is AI-103 the same as AI-102?
No. AI-103 replaced AI-102, which retired on June 30, 2026. AI-103 is built around Microsoft Foundry and puts more weight on generative AI and agents.
Which exam is harder?
AIP-C01 is generally harder because it is a professional exam with a higher passing score and a three-hour length. AI-103 covers more services but at associate depth.
How does AI-103 renewal work?
Microsoft associate certifications expire after a year. You can renew for free by passing an online assessment on Microsoft Learn, which opens six months before expiry.
Do I need AIF-C01 before AIP-C01?
No. AWS has no prerequisite exam. It does recommend substantial hands-on experience.
See both on /rankings/, or check the cost calculator.