Kaplan vs PrepScholar SAT Review – Which Is Better?

In this Kaplan vs PrepScholar SAT review I compare the two courses head to head – price, practice volume, video quality, live classes and score guarantees – and pick a winner in each category. Both changed materially in 2026, so it’s important that you know the differences.

Kaplan SAT prep

Kaplan is the biggest name in test prep, hands down – millions of students have been through their programs. They hold a 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot across more than 6,200 reviews, a far bigger sample than anyone else in this comparison.

Kaplan SAT pros:

• Unparalleled video quality
• Excellent books
• Premier instructors
• On Demand course from $199, half the price of PrepScholar

Kaplan SAT cons:

• No mobile app
• Far fewer practice questions and tests – 500+ and 2, against PrepScholar’s 4,100+ and 8

PrepScholar SAT

Two Harvard graduates created PrepScholar. It rates 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot, though across only 301 reviews – a higher score than Kaplan on a twentieth of the sample.

PrepScholar pros:

• Generous number of practice questions and tests
• Adaptive diagnostic and weekly study plan, plus an AI tutor on the $495 tier
• 8 official College Board practice tests – more than any rival at this price
• 12 months of access, double Kaplan’s six

PrepScholar cons:

• No books
• No mobile app

Features Face to Face

When testing out these prep courses, I like to break it out into specific categories that may cover what you’re prioritizing in your ACT and SAT prep. These are price, practice, quality, books, user experience, live classes, and score guarantees. 

Over years of advising students on ACT and SAT prep, I’ve learned that no single course is best for everyone. I choose a winner per category and provide my overall top pick, but understand that this is not prescriptive and that you need to take all of your individual priorities into account when deciding the best prep for you. For example, one student may have a tight budget, while another student is really struggling with math. The course recommendations for each is going to differ based on their specific needs. 

Price

Here’s how the cheapest and most expensive options from each provider compare.

Kaplan’s entry point is genuinely cheap: the On Demand SAT course starts around $199 for six months. PrepScholar has no equivalent budget tier – $397 is the front door, and it buys twelve months rather than six.

Above that the ladders diverge. Kaplan’s Live Online course runs about $800 and their Unlimited Prep package, which bundles SAT, ACT, PSAT and AP prep with unlimited live classes, is around $3,500 at full retail. PrepScholar tops out at $895 for live classes before you get into tutoring, and adds an AI Learning Assistant tier at $495 between the two.

Category winner: Kaplan, on entry price alone. If $199 versus $397 is the deciding factor, this is a short comparison. Just know what the gap buys you, which is the next section.

Practice questions and tests

This is where the two courses stop being comparable. Kaplan’s On Demand SAT course comes with roughly 500 practice questions and 2 practice tests. PrepScholar gives you 4,100+ practice questions and 8 official College Board practice tests.

That is eight times the question bank and four times the practice tests, and the tests are the real thing rather than imitations. For a student who needs volume – and most students chasing a big score jump do – that gap is hard to argue past.

Both platforms explain their answers properly rather than just marking them right or wrong, and PrepScholar’s quiz generator lets you build your own drills on the skills you keep missing.

Category winner: PrepScholar, and not narrowly.

Quality of class material and instruction

I’ve reviewed dozens of Kaplan prep courses and, like the others, their lessons are well-organized and flow nicely from topic to topic. Kaplan uses a “learn it, drill it, prove it” model for its lessons which involves video instruction first (“learn it”), followed by drills (“drill it”), followed by quizzes to demonstrate content retention (“prove it”).  PrepScholar does something similar with its “learn, practice, review” mantra.

But one thing that PrepScholar offers that Kaplan lacks is a super-smart algorithm that optimizes the study materials presented to you throughout the course. On an ongoing basis, the software assesses your strengths and weaknesses and then modifies your study materials accordingly.

As far as video quality goes, Kaplan beats out PrepScholar both in terms of production value and the engagement/attention-holding factor (an important consideration for any teenager in the age of attention spans shortened by TikTok).

Aside from the differences in production value between Kaplan and PrepScholar, they are also notably different in their tone and style. I found Kaplan’s video style laid-back and more informal, whereas PrepScholar’s videos are more businesslike (as pictured above). I imagine most high school students would appreciate the former approach rather than the dry, academic one from PrepScholar.

Above is a Kaplan SAT video, which has a bit more of a fun, classroom feel and instructor personality

Both companies also feature illustrative graphics to complement their written materials, and both are excellent. This one below is from PrepScholar, which I would give a slight edge to in terms of quality over Kaplan.

Learning Experience and Platform

Kaplan’s platform is simply superior to PrepScholar’s. When I was testing out the platform, I found it intuitive and easy to navigate. The design is sleek. Clearly, a lot of thought and planning went into developing Kaplan’s digital resources, as I have noticed a similar, seamless experience in all of the Kaplan courseware I’ve tried out. 

Whenever you log in Kaplan, you’re directed to your Study Plan page, which tracks your progress as you work through the lessons.

Both companies, in fact, offer superb study plans that keep you on the road to success by charting out your accomplishments. These are excellent tools for those among us who require a little more external structure. 

I would give the edge here to PrepScholar, though, because at the beginning of the course the system prompts you to enter lots of information regarding your goals, availability, etc. which the software uses to generate an individualized study plan rather than a boilerplate one.

Live Classes

This comparison has reversed since I last updated this review, so it’s worth reading carefully if you looked at an older version.

Kaplan’s Live Online SAT course runs about $800 and includes 18 hours of live class time, delivered alongside the On Demand materials and hardcopy books. PrepScholar’s Classes package is $895 and now includes up to 36 hours of live instruction in groups of up to nine, with the $495 AI Learning Assistant tier folded in at no extra cost.

So for roughly the same money, PrepScholar now offers up to double the face time in smaller groups. Kaplan’s instructors are excellent and the books are a genuine extra, but the hours argument that used to favour Kaplan now runs the other way.

Category winner: PrepScholar, on hours per dollar. Kaplan still wins if you want printed material to work from.

Score Guarantees and Refunds

Kaplan’s Higher Score Guarantee promises an improvement on your baseline or your money back. PrepScholar is more specific: 160+ points on the SAT, or a full refund of the course.

There is fine print on the PrepScholar side worth knowing. The 160-point promise applies if you started below 1370; at 1370 or above you have to reach 1530 instead. You also have to complete the assigned lessons and practice tests for it to stand.

Category winner: PrepScholar, on specificity. A number you can hold them to beats a promise of “improvement”.

Standout features

Now that I’ve ranked these courses based on specific factors, I’m going to share a few more standout features that I found while looking at the Kaplan and PrepScholar SAT and ACT courses. 

Free trials

You can access a 7-day free trial to pilot their on-demand prep programs, as well as other free odds and ends like SAT On Demand practice test.

PrepScholar allows for a five-day trial period but you do have to enter your credit card info first.

Student support

PrepScholar communicates with customers via email and phone: “email us or call us at 1 (866) 811-5546.”

Kaplan, in contrast, offers many more ways to get in touch via their contact page. Their staff is generally more responsive in my experience.

Payment plans

Kaplan and PrepScholar each use a third-party company called Affirm for student financing, through which you can break your payments up into monthly chunks.

Prep apps

The only major criticism of both Kaplan and PrepScholar regarding the user experience and platform is the lack of any mobile application. Other prep companies have developed mobile apps, but Kaplan and PrepScholar haven’t for whatever reason.

The Bottom Line on PrepScholar vs Kaplan SAT Prep

Let’s recap.

Choose Kaplan if you:

• Want the cheapest way in – On Demand starts around $199
• Learn best from video, and want production quality and personality
• Would like hardcopy books to work from (included with Live Online)
• Value a more polished, better-designed platform

Choose PrepScholar if you:

• Want the maximum amount of practice – 4,100+ questions and 8 official College Board tests
• Want a specific score guarantee you can hold them to (160+ points)
• Need twelve months of access rather than six
• Want the most live class hours per dollar – up to 36 for $895
• Study alone and want a diagnostic-driven weekly plan rather than a library

My Final Verdict

There isn’t a clean winner here any more, and I’d be doing you a disservice to pretend otherwise. The two courses are good at different things, and which one suits you comes down to a single question: do you need material or do you need polish?

PrepScholar wins on substance. 4,100+ practice questions against roughly 500. Eight official College Board practice tests against two. Twelve months of access against six. Up to 36 hours of live class time against 18, for about the same money. If you are chasing a meaningful score increase and you will actually work through the material, that is the course with enough in it to get you there.

Kaplan wins on craft and price of entry. Their video production is better – more engaging, more personality, easier to sit through as a teenager. The platform is more polished. You get hardcopy books with the Live Online course. And at around $199 the On Demand tier is half of PrepScholar’s front door, which matters if budget is the constraint.

My pick for most students aiming at a real score jump is PrepScholar, because volume of quality practice is what moves SAT scores and the gap here is enormous. But if you know you learn best from video, want books in your hands, or simply can’t justify $397, Kaplan is a perfectly defensible choice and the cheaper way in.

Kaplan vs Prep Scholar FAQs

Let us explore a handful of frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding Kaplan and Prep Scholar prep courses.