FreeFellow vs Coaching Actuaries: 2026 Comparison

Coaching Actuaries (CA) is the default actuarial exam prep provider. Ask any actuarial student studying for the SOA preliminary exams "which platform should I use," and CA is the most common answer. The ADAPT engine is the strongest adaptive-practice tool in the space, the video lessons are well-regarded, and the platform has been refined across all SOA preliminary exams for over 15 years.

I sat for the SOA preliminary exams in college and grad school. I used CA on several of them. I built FreeFellow because I thought there was room for a free alternative for candidates who could not afford the per-exam fees, especially international candidates and self-directed learners on tight budgets. This post is a straight side-by-side.

I am the founder of FreeFellow, Jeffrey Ting, FSA, CFA, and the post is self-interested.

What Each Provider Offers

Coaching Actuaries (2026)

Coaching Actuaries' Exam P pricing page lists the following standard prices for 180 days, with Student Pricing set to No (checked September 7, 2026):

• Exam P Practice: $195 for 180 days of practice access.
• Exam P Learn Complete + Practice: $618 for 180 days, including instruction and practice.
• Other exams: check each exam's pricing page; these Exam P prices do not establish the cost for other exams.

What you get is well-documented: the ADAPT adaptive practice engine that calibrates difficulty per question, the Earned Level (EL) scoring that maps progress to a probability of passing, recorded video lessons by experienced FSAs (Mike Carmody, Coach K, others), full mock exams, and integration across the SOA preliminary exam family.

FreeFellow Actuarial (2026)

FreeFellow has a free tier and two paid tiers. The annual comparison below uses Fellow Plus:

Prices below are in USD. Each FreeFellow subscription covers one credential track. Check pricing for your track and country.

• Free: $0. 1,100-plus Exam P questions, 850-plus FM, 900-plus FAM, 1,000-plus SRM, 850-plus ALTAM, 950-plus ASTAM. Written lessons on each exam, formula sheets, mixed practice, and readiness scoring. Detailed step-by-step solutions.
• Fellow Plus: $199 per year per track. Includes timed full-length practice exams, SM-2 spaced-repetition flashcards, performance analytics with topic-level breakdowns, and a personalized study plan keyed to your exam date. Fellow Plus also includes common traps and AI grading for supported written-answer practice. Fellow costs $39 per month or $79 per quarter per track and includes the mocks, flashcards, analytics, and study plan.

FreeFellow currently covers SOA Exam P, FM, FAM, SRM, PA, ALTAM, and ASTAM, with Exam PA offered as past-exam walkthroughs with free solutions since it is constructed-response. CAS MAS-I is also covered. The CAS-track upper exams and the SOA fellowship-track exams are not yet on FreeFellow.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Where Coaching Actuaries Is Genuinely Better

The ADAPT engine

This is CA's load-bearing strength. ADAPT calibrates difficulty per question off your prior performance and assigns each problem a difficulty level (the Earned Level system). The engine has 15-plus years of refinement behind it, and the EL score is genuinely predictive: candidates who hit a target EL on practice exams pass the real exam at high rates.

FreeFellow's Fellow topic-targeted practice is newer and uses a simpler engine that targets your weakest topics based on prior accuracy. FreeFellow does not match CA on EL-style calibration depth and does not claim to. On calibrated difficulty modeling, CA's engine is better.

Video instruction by experienced FSAs

CA's video library is taught by FSAs with substantial industry experience. Coach Mike Carmody on FAM, Coach K on Exam P, others across the curriculum. The teaching is high-quality and the explanations have been tested across thousands of candidates.

FreeFellow has written lessons but no video. If you learn well from video and want a chalkboard derivation of MGFs or a worked example of the Wilkie investment model, CA is better.

Coverage breadth

CA covers every SOA preliminary exam (P, FM, FAM, SRM, PA, ALTAM, ASTAM) plus the SOA fellowship-track exams (FSA modules and case studies). FreeFellow covers the preliminaries but not the upper FSA exams.

Track record and brand

CA has 15-plus years of actuarial-specific track record. The community knowledge on the actuarial outpost, the alumni network, the well-trodden paths through each exam all reference CA. FreeFellow's actuarial coverage launched recently.

Question bank size

CA's Exam P bank runs roughly 3,000-plus questions, with similar depth on other exams. FreeFellow has 1,100-plus on Exam P. CA has more raw volume.

Where FreeFellow Is Genuinely Better

Free question volume

FreeFellow gives you 1,100-plus Exam P questions for $0 with no trial period and no credit card. CA does have a free trial, but it is much narrower. If you want to start drilling questions before you decide what to buy, FreeFellow is the lower-friction starting point.

Cost

FreeFellow Fellow Plus is $199 per year per track. Coaching Actuaries' Exam P pricing page lists Practice at $195 and Learn Complete + Practice at $618 for 180 days at standard pricing (checked September 7, 2026). The $199 Fellow Plus annual plan covers the actuarial track for a year. The practice-only Exam P package costs slightly less upfront; the products cover different exams and access periods.

The free tier is $0. For international candidates or students on tight budgets, that is the load-bearing difference.

Multi-exam coverage on one platform

FreeFellow covers Exam P, FM, FAM, SRM, PA, ALTAM, and ASTAM on one platform. Working through the preliminary exams in sequence, you study them all on the same surface. CA also covers all of them but charges per exam.

Mobile-first design

FreeFellow was built for mobile and tablet study. CA's interface is more desktop-oriented (although improving).

What FreeFellow does not have

FreeFellow does not have ADAPT-style EL calibration, video lessons by experienced FSAs, or 15-plus years of track record, and topic-targeted adaptive practice is not a substitute for the ADAPT engine.

Prices and Access Periods

Coaching Actuaries sells access by exam and duration. The Exam P prices below come from its pricing page, checked September 7, 2026. FreeFellow sells one subscription for the actuarial track.

For a multi-exam plan, add the CA packages you actually intend to buy. FreeFellow needs another annual payment if your study plan extends into a second year.

Recommendation by Candidate Type

Actuarial intern with employer reimbursement

CA Learn + ADAPT bundle. Take the reimbursement. The ADAPT engine is the best in the space and the video lessons are well-regarded. Use FreeFellow free for additional question volume.

Out-of-pocket student, first exam (Exam P)

FreeFellow Fellow Plus ($199 per year per track) plus the SOA's free 654 official sample questions. If you want to validate your readiness with EL-style scoring, check CA's current practice packages and access periods before buying additional practice for the final month.

International student or candidate on tight budget

FreeFellow free plus the SOA's free sample questions plus Paul's Online Math Notes for calculus refreshers. The free tier is enough to pass Exam P with discipline and consistent practice volume.

Strong probability background, self-directed learner

FreeFellow free is sufficient. You can self-teach from text and lean on the question volume.

Career changer from a non-quantitative background

CA Learn + ADAPT bundle. The video lessons and ADAPT calibration matter more when you are learning probability concepts cold.

Repeat taker who failed by a small margin

FreeFellow Fellow Plus plus selective use of CA's ADAPT engine for the final two weeks of EL-style mock practice. You already know the material. What you need is more question volume and calibrated mock simulation.

Working through multiple preliminaries (P then FM then FAM)

FreeFellow Fellow Plus covers all six preliminary exams on one platform for $199 per year per track. Hitting multiple exams in a year, compare that subscription with the specific CA packages and durations you would need. If you specifically want ADAPT calibration on one of them, check the practice package and access period for that exam.

What the Actuarial Community Says

Anecdata, but useful. The recurring patterns on the actuarial outpost and r/actuary over the last 18 months:

• "CA's ADAPT engine is genuinely the gold standard for actuarial prep." (consistent positive)
• "Coach Mike Carmody on FAM is excellent." (consistent on the higher exams)
• "You can pass Exam P with just SOA samples and Paul's Online Math Notes." (recurring counterpoint)
• "CA is expensive when you stack it across multiple exams." (recurring)

For FreeFellow specifically, the community feedback I have seen is positive on free question volume across all six preliminary exams, though FreeFellow does not match CA's ADAPT calibration.

The broader pattern: candidates who pass tend to do 1,000-plus practice problems per exam and take timed mock exams under realistic conditions. The provider matters less than the discipline and the volume.

What I Would Pick If I Were Sitting Today

If I were sitting Exam P or FM as my first actuarial exam: FreeFellow free for the question bank (1,100-plus questions on P, 850-plus on FM is more than enough volume) plus the SOA's 654 free official samples. If my readiness felt uncertain in the final two weeks, I would check CA's current practice packages for additional calibrated mock practice. The FreeFellow bank stays free; any CA purchase adds its own package cost.

If I were sitting FAM, SRM, ALTAM, or ASTAM (more abstract material, more candidates struggling with the curriculum): FreeFellow Fellow Plus ($199) for the structured study plan and analytics, plus selective CA Learn + ADAPT supplementation if my video-instruction need was real. Total: $199 per year for Fellow Plus, plus any additional CA package.

If my employer were paying, I would buy CA Learn + ADAPT for every exam without hesitation. The ADAPT engine is worth it when someone else is footing the bill.

There is no single right answer. There is a right answer for your background, your learning style, and your budget.

Start Today

FreeFellow's Exam P practice page has open samples, with all 1,100-plus questions and written lessons free with an account. Exam FM, FAM, SRM, ALTAM, and ASTAM are all free at the question-bank tier. Exam PA also has past-exam walkthroughs with free solutions; Fellow Plus includes AI grading for written-answer practice. The Fellow Plus tier (timed practice exams, flashcards, analytics, study plan) is on the pricing page.

FreeFellow LLC is independent of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). SOA and CAS are trademarks of their respective owners.