Maxwell CPA Review vs. Becker: Which CPA Course Should You Buy in 2026?
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
I run one of these two courses, so read the judgments here as mine. The facts about Becker I have checked against Becker's own product pages, and where Becker is better I will say so, because a comparison written by a competitor is only useful if it does that.
Becker is the most widely bought CPA review course in the country and the default at most large firms. Nothing in this article argues that it is a bad course. It argues that it is a lot of course, and that the amount is the thing you should actually be deciding about.
In this comparison
Becker prices and features are taken from Becker's published product pages and were last checked on 9 September 2026. Becker discounts frequently and heavily, so the table below carries list prices rather than sale prices. Check Becker's site for the current offer.
What does Becker actually offer?
Five tiers, and the differences between them are mostly about access length, live support and how many Discipline sections you get.
| Package | List price | Access | Disciplines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantage | $2,499 | 24 months | One |
| Premium | $3,099 | Unlimited | One |
| Pro | $3,845 | Unlimited | One |
| Pro plus | $4,044 | Unlimited | One |
| Concierge | $6,349 | Unlimited | All three |
On the sale prices you will probably see. Becker runs promotions on Pro, Pro plus and Concierge most of the year. During the sale that ran into September 2026, Pro was $2,499, Pro plus was $2,698 and Concierge was $4,999. Advantage is normally sold at its list price. Those numbers move, which is exactly why the table above uses the list price instead.
The course itself is large. Becker's Pro package advertises more than 9,500 multiple choice questions, over 500 task-based simulations, and more than 1,000 lecture videos totalling over 190 hours, along with Adapt2U adaptive practice tests, the Newt AI study assistant, 1,500 plus digital flashcards, and two simulated exams and three mini exams per section. Pro and above add LiveOnline classes, printed textbooks, a Final Review capstone and a Pass Guarantee.
Where does Becker beat Maxwell?
Five things, and I would not try to argue you out of any of them.
| Becker advantage | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Firm and employer sponsorship | Becker says more than 2,900 organizations use it, including top accounting firms, Fortune 500 companies and universities. If your employer is paying, that settles the question and you should take it. |
| Practice volume | 9,500 plus MCQs and 500 plus simulations. My question bank is smaller. If raw volume is your deciding factor, Becker, Gleim and UWorld are all ahead of me. |
| Unlimited access on the higher tiers | Premium and above have no clock. One payment carries you until you pass. A monthly subscription cannot match that if your campaign stretches or stalls. |
| Live classes and scheduled coaching | Pro and Pro plus include five Success Coaching sessions and five one-to-one tutoring sessions. Concierge expands that substantially. |
| Pass Guarantee | Included on Pro and above. I do not offer one. |
If your firm is buying, buy Becker. If you want maximum depth and maximum practice volume and you know from experience that you work well inside a large course, buy Becker. Everything below assumes neither of those is true.
What is the real disagreement?
It is not quality. Becker's material is well made and its instructors are good at their jobs. The disagreement is about what a review course is supposed to decide for you.
Becker's design goal is coverage. Its promise is that everything the Blueprint could test is in there somewhere, taught thoroughly, with enough practice behind it. That is a real promise and Becker keeps it. The cost is that 190 plus hours of lecture arrives without a strong signal about which of it decides your score, so the sorting is left to you at exactly the moment you have the least information to do it with.
Maxwell's design goal is selection. On a high-yield topic like leases we work the journal entries from commencement through to the end of the lease life. On a low-yield topic we cover the rule quickly in case it appears, then get back to the material that matters. That is the Max Yield Method, and it is built on the approach I used to score 90 or above on every section.
The way I think about it. A large course is a gym with a hundred machines and no trainer. Every machine looks equally important, you cannot get to them all, and you leave each session further behind. Maxwell is the twenty machines that mattered, in the order I used them to score a 95 on FAR.
That framing only works if the person doing the sorting has sat the exam and scored well on it. Go and look for the published exam scores of the people teaching your lectures. You will not find them. Mine are at the top of this page, and they are what qualifies me to tell you what to skip.
Most candidates do not fail because they were given too little. They run out of time before they run out of material. If that is not your problem, Becker's depth is an asset rather than a burden and you should use it.
Already own Becker? Can you use Maxwell alongside it?
Yes. Maxwell CPA Review is built to the current AICPA Blueprint and covers the same sections, so nothing you already paid for goes to waste. Use it as your primary course. Use it to retake a section you failed. Use it alongside what you already bought.
Some students come to Maxwell already holding a Becker license, watch the lessons to make a topic click, then use whichever question bank they prefer for the repetitions. Two examples in their own words:
I LOVE the way everything is broken down. I watch the Maxwell videos and do MCQs, then supplement it with Becker. They pair very well together.
Maxwell student
Kyle explains concepts way better than Becker. I used Becker before and got a 62 on FAR. After using Kyle's program, I jumped my score to a 75.
Maxwell student
Individual results. Score improvements vary by candidate, preparation time and starting point.
How many Discipline sections do you get for the price?
This is the cleanest structural difference between the two courses, and it is worth working out before you buy rather than after.
Becker's Advantage, Premium, Pro and Pro plus packages include the three Core sections plus one Discipline. All three Disciplines are included only with Concierge. A current Becker student who wants access to a different Discipline after selecting one can purchase it at a discounted $299 by calling Becker's sales team.
Maxwell CPA Review includes BAR, ISC and TCP in the standard $49 per month subscription. If you are undecided, or you change your mind after starting, nothing about your price changes.
| Becker | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Disciplines at the entry tier | One | All three |
| All three Disciplines | Concierge only | Standard |
| Changing Discipline later | $299 to add access | No charge |
| Price | $2,499 to $6,349 list | $49/month |
Price is not the reason to choose Maxwell, and I would rather you did not pick a course on price at all. The point of the table is the flexibility, not the arithmetic: your Discipline choice is a decision you may want to revisit, and one of these two courses charges you for revisiting it.
What is in Maxwell, section by section?
Exact figures, not ranges.
| Section | Video | MCQs | TBS | Textbook | Outlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAR | 7 hrs | 800 | 36 | 233 pgs | 74 pgs |
| AUD | 6 hrs | 750 | 32 | 190 pgs | 60 pgs |
| REG | 8 hrs | 750 | 35 | 120 pgs | 80 pgs |
| BAR | 5 hrs | 700 | 15 | 150 pgs | 45 pgs |
| ISC | 4.5 hrs | 602 | 8 | 140 pgs | 40 pgs |
| TCP | 5 hrs | 700 | 15 | 160 pgs | 50 pgs |
FAR also includes a baseline assessment, final review, mock exam and ten interactive apps. AUD includes a final review and a full simulated exam. REG includes a final review and six mini exams. Every section includes the textbook, study outlines and answer explanations built around worked examples.
Start free with CPA 101
Before you decide, try the teaching. Practice all 25 of the 2026 AICPA released MCQs, plus a free study outline. FAR, AUD and REG tracks available. No credit card required.
Which should you choose?
| Choose Becker if | Choose Maxwell if |
|---|---|
| Your firm or employer is paying for it | You are buying it yourself |
| You want the largest practice bank and the deepest lecture library | You want the material selected before it reaches you |
| Your timeline is long or uncertain and unlimited access is worth paying for | You expect to finish inside a year or so and want to stop paying |
| You want live classes, scheduled coaching and a Pass Guarantee | You want to talk to the person who wrote the lesson you are stuck on |
| You are confident in your Discipline choice | You want all three Disciplines without a decision or an upcharge |
Best for candidates whose problem is the amount of material rather than the amount of practice: Maxwell CPA Review, with bite-sized lessons focused on the concepts that matter most, at $49 per month, billed monthly, cancel anytime.
Use it as your primary course. Use it to retake a section you failed. Use it alongside what you already bought.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Becker CPA Review cost?
List prices run from $2,499 for Advantage to $6,349 for Concierge, with Premium at $3,099, Pro at $3,845 and Pro plus at $4,044. Becker discounts Pro, Pro plus and Concierge for much of the year, so the price you see may be considerably lower.
Does Becker include all three Discipline sections?
No. Only the Concierge package includes all three. Advantage, Premium, Pro and Pro plus include the three Core sections plus one Discipline, and a current student who wants a different one can purchase access at a discounted $299. Maxwell CPA Review includes all six sections at $49 per month.
Does Becker include one-to-one coaching?
Yes, on the higher tiers. Pro and Pro plus each include five Success Coaching sessions and five one-to-one tutoring sessions, and Concierge expands that substantially. At Maxwell, direct instructor access is included with the standard $49 per month course.
Can I use Maxwell CPA Review as a supplement to Becker?
Yes. It is built to the current AICPA Blueprint and covers the same sections, so it works alongside anything you already own. The common pattern is watching the Maxwell lesson to understand a topic, then returning to your existing question bank for repetitions.
Do I need to cancel Becker to use Maxwell?
No. Many students keep both, and Maxwell is billed monthly with no contract, so adding it does not commit you to anything.
Is Maxwell CPA Review a complete course on its own?
Yes. All six sections, with video lessons, a textbook, study outlines, multiple choice questions and task-based simulations. It is the course you pass with, not an add-on.
Try the teaching before you decide
Start with the 2026 AICPA released questions and the free study outline. No credit card, and you will know within an evening whether the explanations work for you.
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA scored 90 or above on every section of the CPA exam in 2019, including a 95 on FAR. He is the founder and sole instructor of Maxwell CPA Review, where he creates every lecture, textbook and study outline himself.
See also the full comparison of every major CPA review course.
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