Maxwell CPA Review vs. i-75: 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 i-75 I have checked against i-75's own course pages, and where i-75 is better I will say so, because a comparison written by a competitor is only useful if it does that.
These two courses have more in common than either has with Becker or UWorld. Both are built and taught by one CPA rather than a committee. Both are priced within reach of someone paying out of pocket. Both give you the instructor's own email address. The differences are narrower than the marketing on either side suggests, and they are worth getting right.
In this comparison
i-75 prices and course contents are taken from i-75's own course pages and were last checked on 9 September 2026. i-75 runs promotional bundles from time to time, so check the current offer before assuming the standard price.
What does i-75 actually offer?
i-75 is Darius Clark's course, and it presents itself as a complete review rather than an add-on. The structure is consistent across sections: a video explaining a concept, then a video working multiple choice questions on that same concept, repeated through the syllabus, then narrated video simulations and a final review chapter of testlets. Each section also includes an Amazon e-book of 75 "Must Know" questions.
It is not a small course. The Audit section alone runs to fifteen chapters and several hundred individual lectures.
| How you buy it | Price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| One section, monthly | $139/month | Recurring, cancel anytime. Priced per section. |
| Six-section bundle | $1,199 | One-time payment, 36 months of access. Non-refundable once paid. |
| REG cram course | $129 | One-time. |
On the promotional bundles. i-75 periodically offers the six-section bundle below the standard $1,199, including a 30-month version at $999. Those offers come and go. The table carries the standard price so it stays accurate between promotions.
Where does i-75 beat Maxwell?
Four things, and the first one is the one most comparison articles get wrong, including an earlier version of this one.
| i-75 advantage | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Depth of explanation on hard topics | Darius takes his time. If your problem is that a concept has never been explained slowly enough, a longer treatment is the right medicine and I do not offer one. |
| Narrated video simulations | Worked simulations on video, in volume, are a real strength and candidates consistently say so. |
| 36 months of access on the bundle | One payment and a three-year runway. A monthly subscription cannot match that if your campaign stretches or stalls. |
| Direct access to the instructor | This is not a differentiator between us. i-75's own course pages tell students to email Darius directly or reach him on Facebook or LinkedIn. Both courses give you the person who built them. |
If what you need is a topic explained at greater length than your current course managed, buy i-75. Everything below assumes that is not what you need.
What is the real disagreement?
Not teaching quality, and not access to the teacher. It is a disagreement about what a candidate is short of.
i-75's answer is more explanation. Take the topic slowly, work through it on video, then work questions on it on video, and keep going until it lands. For a candidate who has been rushed through material by a large course, that is exactly right.
Maxwell's answer is less material and better selection. Every other course in this category answers a shortage. More practice questions, longer explanations, better visuals. Maxwell answers a surplus. 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 test I would apply. Ask what actually went wrong last time. If you understood the material but never got to the end of it, more explanation makes the problem worse rather than better, because the constraint was hours and you have just added hours. If you got to the end of the material and still could not do the questions, more explanation is precisely what you need and I am not the right course.
Most candidates do not fail because they were given too little. They run out of time before they run out of material. But that is a description of most, not all, and the exceptions matter more than the average here.
How do the two price structures work?
Both courses are within reach of someone paying for themselves, so this is a comparison of structures rather than a claim that one is inexpensive and the other is not.
| i-75 | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly option | $139 per month, one section | $49 per month, all six sections |
| One-time option | $1,199 for six sections, 36 months | None |
| Cancel anytime | Yes, on the monthly subscription | Yes |
| Refundable | The bundle is non-refundable once paid | No commitment to refund |
The honest version of the monthly comparison: $139 buys you one section at a time, and a candidate working through sections sequentially cancels one and starts the next rather than paying six subscriptions at once. The $49 subscription gives you all six simultaneously, which matters mainly if you want to look ahead, revisit a passed section, or study two at once.
The crossover is worth knowing rather than glossing over. At $49 per month, Maxwell costs less than the $1,199 bundle for about twenty-four months and more after that. If you expect a campaign of two years or more and you are confident you will finish it, the bundle is the cheaper purchase and I would rather tell you that than have you work it out afterwards. What the bundle asks in return is that you commit up front, since it is non-refundable once paid.
What do you get to read?
This is the clearest product difference between the two, and it is a genuine difference rather than a rhetorical one.
i-75 centres its course on video: concept videos, question videos and narrated simulations, supported by its 75 "Must Know" Questions e-book for each section.
Maxwell pairs the video with a full written layer. Every section includes a textbook and a set of study outlines, both written by me, so the thing you watched and the thing you read are the same explanation in two formats. If you are someone who learns by reading and annotating rather than by watching, that layer is the reason to look at Maxwell.
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 i-75 if | Choose Maxwell if |
|---|---|
| A concept has never been explained slowly enough for you | You understood the material but never got to the end of it |
| You learn best by watching someone work through it | You want a textbook and outlines alongside the video |
| You want narrated simulations in volume | You want the material selected before it reaches you |
| Your timeline is long and a three-year runway is worth committing to up front | You expect to finish inside a year or so and want to stop paying |
| You are studying one section at a time and want the deepest possible treatment of it | You want all six sections open at once at one price |
Best for candidates whose problem is the amount of material rather than the depth of the explanation: 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 i-75 CPA Review cost?
$139 per month for a single section on a recurring subscription that can be cancelled at any time, or $1,199 one time for the six-section bundle with 36 months of access. The bundle is non-refundable once paid. i-75 also runs promotional bundles below the standard price from time to time.
Is the i-75 monthly price for all six sections?
No. The $139 monthly price is per section. A candidate studying one section at a time would typically subscribe, finish, cancel, then subscribe to the next. Maxwell CPA Review is $49 per month for all six sections at once.
Does i-75 give you direct access to the instructor?
Yes. i-75's course pages tell students to email Darius Clark directly or contact him on Facebook or LinkedIn. Both i-75 and Maxwell CPA Review are taught and supported by the person who built them, so instructor access is not a point of difference between the two.
Does i-75 include a textbook?
i-75 includes an Amazon e-book of 75 "Must Know" questions for each section alongside its videos, question videos and narrated simulations. Maxwell CPA Review includes a full textbook and a set of study outlines for every section, written by the same instructor who records the lessons.
Is i-75 or Maxwell CPA Review cheaper?
It depends on how long you take. At $49 per month, Maxwell costs less than i-75's $1,199 bundle for about twenty-four months and more after that. For a campaign of two years or more, the bundle is the cheaper purchase, though it is non-refundable once paid.
Can I use Maxwell CPA Review alongside i-75?
Yes. Maxwell is built to the current AICPA Blueprint and covers the same sections. The usual reason to add it is the written layer, using the textbook and outlines to review material you have already watched.
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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