FreeFellow vs Becker CPA: 2026 Comparison

Becker's CPA course page lists its Advantage package at $2,499 for four sections with 24 months of access, and Premium at $3,099 (both checked September 7, 2026). FreeFellow's CPA question banks are free with an account, including 1,440 FAR questions and 35 FAR lessons, and Fellow Plus is $199 a year for the whole CPA track. Becker has far more simulations, video lectures and a track record going back to 1957. FreeFellow costs far less and has no video.

Becker is the default name in CPA prep, and a lot of firms pay for it. Becker's course page says more than 2,900 organizations trust it (checked October 3, 2026). I built FreeFellow for candidates who don't have that reimbursement, want to start studying before they commit to a full course, or want CPA practice in the real exam's format for a fraction of the price. I'm the founder, Jeffrey Ting, FSA, CFA, so I have a stake in this comparison.

What each one includes

Becker's CPA course page lists these packages (checked September 7, 2026):

• Single sections: sold separately; check the current section offer.
• Full 4-Section (Advantage): $2,499 with 24 months of access for FAR, AUD, REG, plus one Discipline: BAR, ISC, or TCP.
• Full 4-Section (Premium): $3,099 for all four sections; check the package page for included support.

Becker's Premium package lists 900-plus video lectures, 8,000-plus multiple-choice questions, 400-plus task-based simulations and eight full simulated exams, plus printed textbooks, Adapt2U personalized practice tests and a mobile app (course page, checked October 3, 2026). Advantage gives you 24 months of access, and Premium and the higher tiers list unlimited access. The higher tiers also add live classes, tutoring or coaching.

FreeFellow has a free tier and two paid tiers. Prices are in USD, and each subscription covers one credential track, so one CPA subscription covers all six sections. Check pricing for your track and country.

• Free: 1,440 FAR multiple-choice questions plus banks for AUD, REG, BAR, ISC and TCP, 35 written FAR lessons, the formula sheet, mixed practice, the readiness score and step-by-step solutions.
• Fellow, $39 a month or $79 a quarter: task-based simulations with cell-fill grading (more than 200 across all six sections as of October 2026, 46 of them on FAR), timed mock exams, spaced-repetition flashcards, performance analytics and a study plan built around your exam date.
• Fellow Plus, $199 a year: everything in Fellow, plus lesson audio, Common traps, the readiness deep-dive and debriefs for supported mock exams.

To compare the same length of access, 24 months of Fellow Plus is two annual payments of $199 at the current price for all six sections, against $2,499 (Advantage, 24 months) or $3,099 (Premium, which the course page lists with unlimited access) for Becker's. The free tier is $0, with practice usage limits.

How they compare

What Becker does better

Simulations are the big one. Becker's Premium package lists more than 400 task-based simulations. FreeFellow has more than 200 across all six sections as of October 2026 (46 on FAR), graded cell by cell the way the real exam grades them, but they're cell-fill and dropdown worksheets. The real exam also uses document review and journal entry formats, and I haven't published those yet. If simulation depth and format coverage are your top priority, Becker is the better product today.

Becker's recorded lectures cover the whole AICPA Blueprint for every section, which helps most on topics you've never seen, like governmental accounting on FAR or specialized ERP audit procedures on ISC. FreeFellow has written lessons and no video.

Reimbursement is the other big factor. A lot of firms pay for Becker, and if yours does, the price question mostly goes away. Becker has also been around since 1957, which is reassuring when you're about to spend months on a four-section exam. The bank is bigger too, at 8,000-plus multiple-choice questions on Premium against FreeFellow's 1,440 on FAR plus similar banks on the other sections. The higher tiers add live classes and tutoring, which FreeFellow doesn't offer.

What FreeFellow does better

The main difference is cost. If nobody's reimbursing you, $199 a year against $2,499 is what matters most. The free tier also has the full bank, 1,440 FAR questions plus the AUD, REG, BAR, ISC and TCP banks, with no trial period and no credit card, where Becker's free trial is a small sample.

On Fellow, focus practice goes after your weakest topics based on how you've done so far (free accounts get one focus drill a week), and the analytics break down your accuracy by topic, AICPA Blueprint learning objective and difficulty. Becker has personalized practice tests too (Adapt2U), and a mobile app, so the difference there is mostly price.

The simulation gap is also narrower than it used to be, and 200-plus AICPA-format simulations with tolerance bands is a lot of practice for $199 a year. But if video is how you learn, 35 written FAR lessons won't replace Becker's library, and that matters more than the price difference.

Which one to pick

Four things decide this: whether your employer pays, how much simulation practice you want, whether you learn from video, and how long you'll need access. Here's how I'd match that to your situation:

• Big Four or large-firm associate with reimbursement: take Becker and the reimbursement, since its simulation bank is much bigger than FreeFellow's, and use FreeFellow's free bank on the side for extra multiple-choice practice.
• Paying out of pocket, first attempt: get Fellow Plus for the CPA track ($199 a year) and use AICPA's free sample tutorial to get used to the simulation interface. If you need more simulation depth on one section, check the access terms for extra Surgent or Becker material on just that section.
• Career changer without an accounting background: go with Becker for the structured video, since lectures help most when you're learning the concepts from scratch, and add FreeFellow's free bank for more practice.
• Repeat taker who missed by 5 to 10 points: use Fellow, monthly or quarterly, and AICPA's free sample simulations. You already know the material, so what you need is more practice, more timed mocks and analytics that show where you lost points last time.
• International candidate on a tight budget: use FreeFellow's free tier plus the AICPA Blueprints. It gives you a full multiple-choice bank for every section at no cost, and you can add Fellow later if you want the simulations.
• Strong accounting background: get Fellow for the months you're studying. You don't need video instruction, just question volume, mocks and analytics, and monthly or quarterly billing fits a single section.
• Long or uncertain timeline (working full time, a likely retake): look hard at access terms. Becker Advantage runs 24 months and Premium lists unlimited access. FreeFellow's free tier doesn't expire, and Fellow Plus is the cheaper way to keep the paid features for a full year.

Whichever you buy, work through all of it: the full multiple-choice bank for each section, timed simulations, and a review of every miss before you move on. Do AICPA's free sample tutorial before test day either way, so the interface isn't new.

FreeFellow's CPA FAR practice page has open samples, and all 1,440 FAR questions and 35 written lessons are free with an account. AUD, REG, BAR, ISC and TCP have their own free banks, and Fellow Plus (simulations, mocks, flashcards, analytics, study plan) is on the pricing page.

FreeFellow LLC is independent of AICPA and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). AICPA, CPA, and Uniform CPA Examination are trademarks of their respective owners.