What Are the Best CPE Providers for CPAs | A 2026 Comparison

Key Takeaway

This page compares eleven leading CPE providers for CPAs across course library size, format options, accreditation, starting price, and customer ratings to help CPAs choose a sponsor.

• Compares eleven CPE providers, including CPEThink.com, Surgent CPE, Western CPE, CPE Online, Becker, MyCPE, CPECredit.com, Earmark CPE, MasterCPE, CCH CPELink, and Sequoia CPE, on positioning, library size, formats, accreditation, starting price, and rating.
• Shows that CPEThink.com starts at $69.95 with unlimited access to over 800 self study courses, ethics courses included in every subscription plan, and a 100 day money back guarantee.
• Explains the key qualities CPAs should look for in a provider, including affordable pricing, ethics access, industry experience, strong third party ratings, and a solid money back guarantee.
• Breaks down what makes CPE prices vary among providers, including access to live webinars, inclusion of ethics courses, premium content restrictions, course count, and subscription duration.

What Are the Best CPE Providers for CPAs | A 2026 Comparison: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which CPE providers does this comparison cover for CPAs?

This comparison covers eleven CPE providers for CPAs, including CPEThink.com, Surgent CPE, Western CPE, CPE Online, Becker, MyCPE, CPECredit.com, Earmark CPE, MasterCPE, CCH CPELink, and Sequoia CPE.

What does CPEThink.com offer at its starting subscription price?

CPEThink.com starts at $69.95 and includes unlimited access to over 800 self study courses, even under its lowest subscription plan, plus a 100 day money back guarantee.

What qualities should CPAs look for in a leading CPE provider?

CPAs should look for affordable pricing, ethics courses included in every plan, significant industry experience, and high third party ratings such as those on Trustpilot and Shopper Approved, along with a solid money back guarantee.

Why do CPE prices vary so much between providers?

CPE prices vary mainly based on whether a plan includes live webinars, ethics courses, premium content, and the number of available courses, along with the length of the subscription.

How does CPEThink.com compare on customer ratings?

CPEThink.com holds ratings between 4.8 and 4.9 out of 5.0 on Trustpilot and Shopper Approved, among the highest of the eleven providers compared on this page.

When it comes to CPE, joining a credible provider is paramount. To help you out, this page compares the best CPE providers based on their programs' applicability, the number of available courses, learning format options, starting price, and overall ratings. Continue reading for a comprehensive comparison of the best CPE providers for CPAs and to make a prudent decision.

See this table for a quick understanding of what 11 leading CPE sponsors come equipped with.

Still trying to figure out what the best online CPE providers for CPAs are? These pieces of information should make it easier.

CPEThink.com:

With unlimited access to more than 800 self-study courses even under the lowest subscription plan, CPEThink.com has established itself as one of the best online CPE providers. Their flexibility through multiple learning formats and excellent ratings on Trustpilot and Shopper Approved speak for themselves. And they give you a 100-day, 100% money-back guarantee on whatever you purchase.

Surgent CPE:

While Surgent CPE lets you choose from 10,000+ CPE credits, you must buy the Unlimited Plus available at $899. The annual unlimited self-study package gives access to over 250 downloadable courses and allows you to choose from 1,000+ credits. However, their 3.2/5 rating on Trustpilot is a deterrent to many learners.

Western CPE:

Western CPE has seven plans in total, and the price shown in the table is for the 10-credit package (the minimum is the 6-credit package available at $192). All packages give access to their premium content and ethics courses. Note that they don't currently have any Trustpilot profile or rating available, meaning it's almost impossible to judge their courses' quality.

CPE Online:

With an annual count of 14,000+ live sessions, CPE Online is ideal for learners who prefer live webinars to improve knowledge and skills. But $399 to access only 100+ webinars seems quite expensive. Plus, their 3.4 rating (as CPE Inc.) on Trustpilot isn't very encouraging.

Becker:

The 90-day Essentials package you get for $329 covers multiple formats, but you can't access ethics and other important courses. For such courses, you must purchase a higher-tier package. Additionally, the 4.6/5 rating on Trustpilot primarily comes from their CPA exam review product, which means you can't evaluate their CPE's quality from it.

MyCPE / MyCPE One:

For $199, they give you access to content covering over 100 subject areas developed by experts and industry leaders. A broad variety of delivery formats also makes it easy to complete CPE as per your preferences. Their high rating and 685 reviews on Trustpilot indicate that they offer some of the best CPE courses for CPAs.

CPECredit.com:

While the homepage shows they provide 1,300+ courses, their NASBA bio page and FAQ mention that they have 300+ courses and 400+ webinars per year respectively, which leads to confusion. To access their entire course catalog, you need to purchase the most expensive package, which is available at $499.

Earmark CPE:

Join them if you want to meet your CPE requirements only through podcast-based courses. Their free tier provides free credits each week.

MasterCPE:

You get unlimited access to hundreds of self-study courses, but the subscription doesn't include ethics courses, which means you have to purchase them separately. Although affordable, the absence of live webinars may discourage professionals who prefer them. Their poor rating on Trustpilot, based on 437 reviews, indicates that they haven't been able to satisfy a lot of users.

CCH CPELink:

Two different course counts on their own website lead to confusion about how many self-study courses you can actually access by paying $299 annually. Apart from individual packages, they have three premium packages that give you access to premium content and priority access to new content. Their Trustpilot rating is primarily tied to Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, so it doesn't help much in determining their CPE quality.

Sequoia CPE:

While Sequoia CPE's subscription plans are quite affordable, the CPA membership doesn't include state-specific ethics courses, which means you have to buy them separately. They primarily offer self-study courses, so if you desire to attend live, interactive sessions, they don't meet your requirements.

These providers are approved as sponsors as noted. Always check with NASBA and the IRS if you are not sure.

Want to learn more about how CPEThink.com compares with the best online CPE providers? Read Surgent vs. CPEThink, Western CPE vs. CPEThink, CPE Online vs. CPEThink, CPE Becker vs. CPEThink, and CPE Credit vs. CPEThink.

What Are the Key Qualities of a Leading Provider?

Irrespective of your learning objectives, your provider should:

• Have affordable subscription packages that include a good number of courses. CPEThink.com's minimum plan starts at just $69.95 and gives you access to 800+ self-study courses.
• Let you access ethics courses using any subscription. While some of the best CPE providers mentioned above don't allow this, CPEThink.com gives unlimited access to all ethics courses, no matter which subscription you buy.
• Have considerable industry experience as CPEThink.com was founded in 2004 and was the 5th online CPE provider worldwide.
• Have high ratings on third-party review websites such as Trustpilot and Shopper Approved. CPEThink.com's ratings on those platforms range from 4.8 to 4.9 out of 5.0.
• Provide a solid money-back guarantee to ensure you get your money back easily. CPEThink.com has a 100-day, 100% money-back guarantee on all purchases, which is the industry's best.

What Makes Prices Vary Significantly Among Providers?

Prices vary primarily because of these factors:

• Self-study vs live webinars: Packages that only cover self-study courses cost significantly less than those that give access to live webinars, mainly because the latter requires more resources.
• Standard topics vs. inclusion of ethics courses: CPE Subscriptions that exclude ethics courses usually cost less than those that include ethics topics. But this entirely depends on the provider. As shown above, CPEThink.com allows you to access its entire course catalog including ethics, even under the minimum plan.
• Access to premium content: Unlike CPEThink.com, some providers block access to specialized content using standard subscriptions. You must buy high-end plans for them.
• Course count: Usually, the higher the number of courses a subscription lets you access, the more it costs.
• Subscription duration: The more the duration of a subscription, the more you need to pay.

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