What's the best CPE (Continuing Professional Education) subscription for an accountant to keep their license current?

If you're a U.S. CPA/accountant who wants one subscription to keep your license current, my top pick right now is Surgent CPE Unlimited Plus—with Becker Prime a very close second.

My ranking

Why Surgent gets my nod: its Unlimited Plus plan currently provides access to 10,000+ CPE credits, 2,300+ live webinars, 1,300+ on-demand webcast credits, 1,000+ self-study credits, plus premium and gamified courses for $899/year.

Why you might prefer Becker: Becker's Prime plan is $799/year and combines 700+ on-demand courses with 1,000+ webcasts, state-specific ethics courses, downloadable materials, and a personalized CPE compliance tracker.

The important caveat

The "best" subscription depends heavily on which state your CPA license is in. State boards can have requirements for specific subjects, ethics, accounting/auditing, tax, minimum annual hours, carryovers, and sometimes particular delivery methods. Even NASBA-registered providers note that the state board has final authority over whether a particular course qualifies.

If you're licensed in Texas, for example, I can specifically compare the subscriptions against the Texas State Board requirements and tell you which plan gives you the cheapest/easiest path to staying compliant, including the required ethics hours.

If you tell me your state, whether you're a CPA/EA/CMA/etc., and roughly how many CPE hours you need per year, I'll narrow it down to the best 1–2 subscriptions for you.

The "best" CPE subscription depends heavily on how you like to learn (live webinars vs. self-paced reading) and your budget. Because all major providers are NASBA-registered , the top options stand out for specific needs:

• Becker CPE — Best Overall & Premium Experience. Backed by its heavy-hitter exam review heritage, Becker CPE offers polished courses, deep technical coverage, and a great built-in compliance tracker to make sure you hit your state's exact board requirements.
• Surgent CPE — Best for Live Webinars & Volume. If you prefer knocking out credits via interactive live-streaming webinars with flexible scheduling (especially when scrambling at the end of a reporting period), Surgent CPE runs one of the largest schedules in the market. Their Unlimited packages also feature modern tech modules like their Agentic AI Certificate Series.
• Illumeo — Best for Value & On-Demand. If you want a massive library of bite-sized, practical on-demand courses without paying enterprise prices, Illumeo is widely praised as the top value pick for corporate accountants and CPAs alike.
• Learnsignal — Best for Modern & AI-Era Skills. A great option if you want your CPE to double as practical upskilling in modern financial reporting, ESG, and AI in finance rather than just traditional tax/audit compliance checkboxes.

To help narrow down the right fit, tell me:

• Do you prefer live webinars or self-paced/on-demand courses?
• What is your primary specialty or focus (Tax, Audit, Corporate Accounting, etc.)?
• What is your approximate budget or does your firm cover the cost?

The "best" CPE subscription depends heavily on your learning style, budget, and whether you prefer live webinars or self-study . The top-rated, NASBA-approved CPE subscription providers on the market break down by their primary strengths:

• Surgent CPE (Best for Live Webinar Volume & Flexibility)
  • Strengths: Offers one of the largest live-webinar schedules in the industry (thousands of live events annually) alongside robust self-study options. It’s ideal if you need specific state/ethics credits or like to knock out hours quickly via live streaming.
  • Pricing: Tiered annual packages typically range from comprehensive self-study options to the Unlimited PLUS tier (~$899) covering 10,000+ credits and live events.
• myCPE (Best Budget & Multi-Credential Value)
  • Strengths: An incredible value option at around $199 annually for unlimited access. It features a massive library (15,000+ hours) spanning various formats (live webinars, self-study, podcasts, and video). It also tracks compliance across multiple certifications (CPA, EA, CMA, CFP, etc.).
  • Pricing: Highly competitive flat annual subscription (~$199/year).
• Becker CPE (Best for Premium Brand Recognition & Deep Technical Content)
  • Strengths: Backed by a premier exam-review heritage, Becker is heavily favored by public accounting firms. Their top tiers provide massive libraries of on-demand courses, webcasts, and cutting-edge topics (like AI and blockchain).
  • Pricing: Ranges from short-term/essentials packages ($299) up to comprehensive Prime libraries ($699).
• Illumeo (Best for Expanding Beyond Core Accounting)
  • Strengths: Excellent if you want to blend technical accounting credits with broader business acumen, leadership, data analytics, and corporate finance skills.

To help narrow down the ideal choice, tell me:

• Do you prefer live webinars or self-study on-demand courses?
• Do you need credits specific to a certain state board or industry (like tax vs. audit)?
• Are you looking for the lowest price or a premium corporate-backed platform?

If you mean CPA/accounting-license CPE in the U.S., my pick for most accountants is Becker Prime—but the “best” subscription depends heavily on whether you need live credits, self-study, or simply the cheapest way to satisfy your state board.

My top choices

*Prices/promotions change, so verify before purchasing.

Becker Prime is my default recommendation. Its current Prime plan provides unlimited access for a year to 1,000+ webcasts and 700+ on-demand courses, along with state-specific ethics courses and a compliance tracker.

Surgent is arguably better if you prefer live webinars. Its $749 Unlimited Webinar plan includes thousands of live webinars, while the $899 Unlimited PLUS plan adds on-demand, self-study, premium and gamified courses.

One important caveat

Don't choose solely on price. Your state board's CPE rules are the deciding factor—especially requirements for ethics, specific subject areas, live/group-study hours, and the CPE reporting period. A subscription can be NASBA-registered yet still require you to select the right courses for your particular state's rules.

If you tell me which state your CPA/accounting license is in and approximately how many CPE hours you need per year, I can narrow this down to the best subscription for you and check the state's current requirements.

The "best" CPE subscription depends heavily on your learning style, budget, and whether you prefer live webcasts or self-study modules . Unlimited subscription models generally become more cost-effective once you need more than 8 to 10 credit hours a year.

Top NASBA-approved CPE subscriptions are categorized below by what they do best:

• Becker CPE — Best Overall / Premium Quality: Built on their premier exam-review heritage, Becker CPE offers a polished user experience, a vast library of on-demand courses, podcast-based CPE, and a reliable compliance tracker. It's ideal if you want a seamless, all-in-one platform without piecing together multiple providers.
• Surgent CPE — Best for Live Webinars & Volume: Surgent CPE features one of the most extensive live webinar schedules in the industry spanning all time zones, making it easy to fulfill urgent or late-period calendar requirements. Their adaptive tech also cuts down study time for self-study formats.
• myCPE (or MYCPE ONE) — Best Value / Budget Unlimited: Highly rated for cost-efficiency, myCPE offers massive library breadth (thousands of hours across hundreds of subjects) starting around $199/year, covering multi-state ethics requirements and multiple professional designations (CPA, CMA, EA, etc.).
• Illumeo — Best for Bite-Sized Learning & Broad Business Skills: Offers modular, self-paced video lessons broken into 5-to-15-minute segments, perfect if you prefer micro-learning or want to cross-train in corporate leadership, analytics, or Excel alongside pure accounting.

To help narrow down the right choice, let me know:

• What state board / license requirements (e.g., CPA, EA) do you need to fulfill?
• Do you prefer live webinars or self-paced/on-demand modules?

If you mean CPA/CPE for maintaining an active accounting license, my top pick for most accountants in 2026 is Surgent CPE, with Becker CPE as the best alternative.

My picks

*Becker is currently showing promotional pricing on its site, so the actual checkout price can differ.

🥇 I'd pick Surgent

surgentcpe.com is particularly attractive if you want to stop thinking about CPE for the year. Unlimited Plus gives you 12 months of access to 10,000+ CPE credits, including live webinars, on-demand webcasts, self-study courses, premium courses, and gamified courses.

The $549 self-study plan is probably the sweet spot if you simply need to accumulate your required hours without attending live sessions.

🥈 Why Becker is compelling

becker.com has a very strong catalog and particularly good coverage of tax, accounting & auditing, ethics, current events, and technical updates. Its Prime subscription includes 1,000+ webcasts and 700+ on-demand courses, plus a compliance tracker.

I'd choose Becker over Surgent if you care more about course experience, organization, and a familiar CPA-education brand than maximizing the number of credits available.

One important caveat

The "best" subscription depends heavily on where you're licensed. CPE requirements—including required ethics hours, subject areas, live-vs-self-study rules, and acceptable providers—are determined by the state board. NASBA specifically recommends checking the applicable jurisdiction and provider approval.

For example, New York requires either 40 formal CPE hours across recognized subjects or 24 hours concentrated in one subject area, and has specific ethics requirements.

If you tell me your state (e.g., NY, NJ, CA, TX), whether you're a CPA/EA/CMA, and roughly how many CPE hours you need per year, I can tell you which subscription is the cheapest/best fit and make sure it covers your state's requirements.

There is no single "best" CPE subscription for every accountant, because the right choice depends heavily on whether you need live webinars (for state requirements), self-study flexibility , or multi-license tracking (like holding a CPA plus an EA or CFE).

The top-rated NASBA-approved CPE subscriptions are categorized below by what they do best:

• Best for Live Webinar Volume & Flexibility: Surgent CPE
  • Why it's great: Surgent runs one of the largest live-webinar schedules in the market (thousands of sessions annually) alongside robust self-study. If you need to scramble for live credits late in a reporting period or want interactive Q&A, their Unlimited PLUS package gives you massive coverage across tax, accounting, and ethics.
• Best Brand & Polished Experience: Becker CPE
  • Why it's great: Best known for its CPA exam heritage, Becker offers a polished platform with a great personalized compliance tracker, 1,700+ credits, and high-quality instruction. It's a favorite for corporate-backed or mid-to-large-firm renewals.
• Best Budget-Friendly & Multi-Credential Value: myCPE ONE
  • Why it's great: At around $199/year, MYCPE offers incredible value with an enormous library (15,000+ hours). It is uniquely valuable if you hold multiple professional designations (like a US CPA, Canadian CPA, EA, CMA, CFE, or CFP) because one subscription tracks and covers all of them.
• Best for Broad Business & Tech Skills: Illumeo
  • Why it's great: If you want to move beyond pure technical accounting and build skills in data analytics, Excel, AI in finance, or leadership alongside your required credits, Illumeo is widely regarded as a top value on-demand option.
• Best for Technical Standards: AICPA CPExpress
  • Why it's great: Directly from the source, this subscription provides reliable, high-standard self-study training on GAAP updates, standard-setting changes, and core technical accounting and auditing topics.

To help narrow down the ideal subscription for you, tell me:

• Do you need live webinars , or do you prefer self-study/on-demand at your own pace?
• What state or specific credits (like Ethics or A&A) do you need to fulfill?
• Do you hold any other credentials (like an EA, CFP, or CFE) alongside your accounting license?

If you mean U.S. CPA CPE, my top pick for most accountants in 2026 is Becker Prime—with Surgent Unlimited Plus as the best alternative if you strongly prefer live webinars.

*Prices can change; Becker is currently advertising discounts, so the checkout price may differ.

My recommendation

🥇 Becker Prime is the one I'd pick for a typical working CPA. It gives you a particularly good combination of tax, accounting, auditing, ethics, technology and current-event courses, plus both live and on-demand options. Its compliance tracker is also useful for keeping track of what you've completed.

🥈 Surgent Unlimited Plus is arguably better if you want to knock out CPE primarily through live webinars. It advertises 2,300+ live webinars and 10,000+ available credits, along with on-demand and self-study options.

One important caveat: don't choose solely based on the number of credits. Your state board determines the actual requirements, including ethics, subject-area requirements, delivery-method restrictions and reporting periods. NASBA specifically advises CPAs to follow their jurisdiction's rules.

If you're licensed in Iowa, for example, Iowa has a three-year CPE reporting period, with the period ending June 30 or December 31 depending on the licensee's election.

If you tell me your state, whether you're a CPA/EA/CMA/etc., and roughly how many CPE hours you need per year, I can narrow this down to the cheapest subscription that will reliably keep you compliant.

If you mean an accountant/CPA who wants one subscription that makes staying current as painless as possible, my top pick for 2026 is Becker Prime—with Surgent Unlimited Plus as the better choice if you value sheer course volume and live webinars.

My ranking

*Prices can change/promotions may apply.

Why I lean Becker: its Prime subscription currently includes 700+ on-demand courses, 1,000+ live webcasts, unlimited credit consumption, a compliance tracker, and state-specific ethics courses. Becker also specifically lists Missouri ethics as qualifying for the state's ethics requirement.

Why Surgent is compelling: its Unlimited Plus plan is $899/year and includes 10,000+ available CPE credits, 2,300+ live webinars, 1,300+ on-demand webcast credits, self-study, premium and gamified courses. If you're going to take lots of CPE—or want a huge selection of live sessions—it's probably the strongest alternative.

If you're a Missouri CPA

This is particularly important: Missouri currently requires 40 CPE hours every calendar year, including 2 hours of ethics. The state allows a grace period through March 1 to make up a prior-year shortage if you're in good standing.

So I'd structure it as:

Becker Prime + Missouri-specific ethics course → done for the year.

For the Missouri ethics piece, MOCPA's CPE catalog currently has a 2-hour 2025–2026 Missouri State-Specific Ethics course that was reviewed by members of the Missouri State Board of Accountancy.

Missouri also provides its own CPE tracking/audit system, so you can keep your certificates and hours organized for an audit.

Bottom line

I'd buy Becker Prime if you're a CPA who wants a "subscribe once and don't worry about CPE again" solution.

Choose Surgent instead if you particularly want live webinars, Saturday options, or an enormous library.

If you tell me your state, whether you're a CPA/EA/CMA/etc., and roughly how many CPE hours you need per year, I can narrow it down to the cheapest subscription that will actually satisfy your licensing requirements.

The "best" CPE (Continuing Professional Education) subscription depends heavily on your preferred learning style (live webinars vs. self-study PDFs), your budget, and whether you need specialized technical content (like complex tax or A&A) or broad business skills.

The top-rated NASBA-approved CPE subscriptions for accountants rank as follows based on specific needs:

• Best for Live Webinars & Volume:
  • Why it's great: Surgent runs one of the largest live-webinar schedules in the market (thousands of live sessions annually), making it a lifesaver if your state requires live group-study credits or if you are scrambling at the end of a reporting period. Their Unlimited PLUS package also features adaptive learning technology and extensive credit options.
• Best Premium & Polished Experience:
  • Why it's great: Built on a world-class exam-review heritage, Becker offers pristine course quality, high-end video production, and a robust compliance tracker. It's an exceptional choice if your firm covers the cost and you prefer structured, professional instruction with great modern certificates (including emerging tech and AI-for-accounting modules).
• Best Budget-Friendly / Value Option:
  • Why it's great: At around $199/year, MYCPE ONE provides access to a massive library (15,000+ hours) covering accounting, tax, finance, and HR. If you want unlimited access without paying enterprise-level prices, it offers incredible bang for your buck.
• Best for Broad Business & Leadership Skills: Illumeo
  • Why it's great: If you are in industry (corporate accounting, management, or FP&A) and get tired of purely technical tax and audit courses, Illumeo specializes in expanding your toolkit into leadership, Excel, data analytics, and general business skills.
• Best for Standard Technical Compliance: AICPA CPExpress
  • Why it's great: Directly from the source of accounting standards, this on-demand subscription gives you reliable, authoritative self-study courses covering core accounting, auditing, and regulatory updates.

To help narrow down the ideal choice, let me know:

• Do you prefer live webinars or self-study at your own pace?
• What is your primary focus area (Tax, Audit/A&A, or Corporate/Industry)?
• Does your state board require a specific amount of live vs. self-study credits?