Maxwell CPA Review vs. Universal CPA: 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 Universal CPA I have checked against Universal's own product pages, and where Universal is better I will say so, because a comparison written by a competitor is only useful if it does that.
Of all the courses I compare Maxwell against, Universal CPA is the one where the usual competitor framing breaks down fastest. We are not a system versus a picture book. Both courses teach a repeatable process rather than a list of things to memorize, both were built by CPAs rather than a publishing company, and both cover all six sections. The differences are narrower and more specific than that.
In this comparison
Universal CPA prices and course contents are taken from Universal CPA's own pricing page and were last checked on 9 September 2026. Providers change pricing without notice, so check the current offer before assuming these figures.
What does Universal CPA actually offer?
Three prepaid tiers, all carrying the same course. Every tier includes all three Core sections and all three Discipline sections.
| Package | Price | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $299 | Three months |
| Annual | $699 | Twelve months |
| Lifetime | $999 | No expiry |
Every tier includes 100 plus hours of video lectures, 5,000 plus multiple choice questions, 200 plus task-based simulations, visual study guides in e-book form, and a video explanation attached to every question and simulation. Universal also runs separate live bootcamps for AUD, FAR and REG at $299 each, or $599 for all three, with lifetime access to the recordings. There is a seven-day free trial with full platform access and no credit card required.
Where does Universal CPA beat Maxwell?
Four things, and the last one is a correction to how I have described Universal in the past.
| Universal CPA advantage | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Practice volume | 5,000 plus questions and 200 plus simulations. That is a larger bank than mine, and if volume is what you are after, Universal has more of it. |
| A video explanation on every question | Watching someone work a question you just got wrong, rather than reading a rationale, is a real difference in how you review. I do not do this on every question. |
| Visual teaching | Diagrams and illustration carry the concept. If that is how your head works, a course built that way beats one that is not, and mine is not. |
| A seven-day trial of the whole platform | Full access, no credit card. My free option is CPA 101, which is a genuine course but a smaller slice of the product. |
One thing I want to be accurate about. Universal is not a recognition course and I would not describe it that way. Its stated approach is a repeatable, step-by-step process for working a question, and its own bootcamp copy talks about understanding how audit concepts connect rather than memorizing them. That is the same argument I make. Anyone telling you the choice here is pictures versus thinking is selling you something.
What is the real disagreement?
Not whether to teach a process. Both courses do. The disagreement is about how much material you should have to get through in order to learn one.
Universal's course runs to more than 100 hours of video lectures, plus a video explanation on each of 5,000 plus questions and 200 plus simulations. That is a deep, thorough library, and for a candidate with the time to work through it, more is genuinely more.
Maxwell is 50 hours of video content across all six sections. 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 second difference is who made it. Universal is a founder-led company with CPA founders and content contributors. At Maxwell, every lecture, every page of every textbook and every outline is written by one person, and that person is the one who answers when you email. The advantage is not effort, it is coherence: the explanation you get in the video is the same explanation in the textbook, because there is nobody else to disagree with.
That coherence is also what licenses the selection. Go and look for the published exam scores of the people teaching your lectures. 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 your last attempt failed for the opposite reason, Universal's depth is an asset and you should use it.
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.
| Universal CPA | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Prepaid term, three months to lifetime | $49 per month, billed monthly |
| Entry price | $299 for three months | $49 for the first month |
| All six sections | Included on every tier | Included |
| If you finish early | You have paid for the full term | Cancel anytime, no contract |
| If you take longer | Lifetime tier has no clock | You keep paying monthly |
The crossovers are worth knowing rather than glossing over. At $49 per month, Maxwell costs less than the $699 annual tier for about fourteen months, and less than the $999 lifetime tier for about twenty. After that the prepaid tiers are the cheaper purchase, and I would rather tell you that than have you work it out afterwards. What they ask in return is that you commit up front and stop paying only when the term ends.
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 Universal CPA if | Choose Maxwell if |
|---|---|
| You learn from diagrams and illustration | You learn from worked journal entries and written explanation |
| You want a video walkthrough on every question you get wrong | You want a textbook and outlines written by the person in the videos |
| You want the larger practice bank | You want fewer hours and a decision about which ones matter |
| Your timeline is long and a prepaid term is worth committing to | You expect to finish inside a year or so and want to stop paying |
| You want live bootcamps and a large study community | You want the person who built the course to answer your email |
Best for candidates whose problem is the amount of material rather than how it is illustrated: 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 Universal CPA cost?
$299 for three months, $699 for a year and $999 for lifetime access, each covering all three Core sections and all three Disciplines. Universal also sells live bootcamps for AUD, FAR and REG at $299 each or $599 for all three. Maxwell CPA Review is $49 per month for all six sections, billed monthly with no contract.
How many practice questions does Universal CPA have?
5,000 plus multiple choice questions and 200 plus task-based simulations, each with a video explanation, alongside 100 plus hours of video lectures. That is a larger bank than Maxwell CPA Review, which runs a smaller, curated set across the same six sections.
Does Universal CPA teach a step-by-step method or just visuals?
Both. Universal's approach is built around a repeatable process for working a question, reinforced by illustrated lectures and video explanations. Maxwell also teaches a repeatable process. The difference between the two courses is the volume of material, not whether either teaches a method.
Does Universal CPA offer a free trial?
Yes. Universal offers a seven-day free trial with full platform access and no credit card required. Maxwell CPA Review's free option is CPA 101, which includes all 25 of the 2026 AICPA released MCQs plus a study outline.
Is Universal CPA or Maxwell CPA Review cheaper?
It depends on how long you take. At $49 per month, Maxwell costs less than Universal's $699 annual tier for about fourteen months and less than the $999 lifetime tier for about twenty months. After that the prepaid tiers cost less overall.
Can I use Maxwell CPA Review alongside Universal CPA?
Yes. Maxwell is built to the current AICPA Blueprint and covers the same six sections, so it works alongside anything you already own.
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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