Trelos vs Kaplan: SIE & Series 7 Prep Compared (2026)

What Kaplan is

Kaplan Financial Education has been a fixture in securities exam prep for decades, and Investopedia has named its packages best for learning materials. The model is comprehensive and traditional: its License Exam Manual is a genuinely well-written, FINRA-aligned textbook that anchors the course, supported by on-demand video lessons, the SecuritiesPro QBank (build custom quizzes, unlimited randomized exams, in-depth rationales), realistic Practice and Mastery Exams, a Performance Tracker, and a personalized Study Plan. Its Premium tier adds scheduled Live Online or OnDemand instructor classes and direct access to content experts, and it recently added an AI Tutor for on-the-spot help. Pricing spans roughly $99 (basic, on-demand) to about $599 (premium with live classes), with Series 7 packages higher and a 5-month access window. It's a proven, thorough choice — especially when an employer is footing the bill.

What Trelos is

Trelos is a complete prep engine built around retention science. Instead of a textbook plus a question bank you work through on your own, it teaches each concept, drills it with guess-first questions, and then schedules your reviews using spaced repetition — bringing each concept back right as you're about to forget it. It layers hypercorrection (re-teaching confident wrong answers immediately), interleaving, and confidence calibration on top. The aim is durable recall across the SIE and Series 7 with the review orchestration handled for you, mobile-first, in short sessions on a phone.

Side by side

Who each is best for

Choose Kaplan if you learn well from a comprehensive textbook, you want the option of live instructor classes, your employer reimburses prep costs (which makes the premium tier an easy call), or you're already using Kaplan for other securities exams and want one vendor. Its materials are thorough and its brand is trusted across the industry.

Choose Trelos if you want retention handled for you — a system that teaches, quizzes, and automatically resurfaces each concept at the right time — and you'd rather study in short bursts on your phone than work through a textbook and a QBank manually. For a self-funded candidate facing the dense Series 7, automated retention at a lower price is a strong argument.

The honest recommendation

Kaplan is a genuinely good, comprehensive course, and for candidates who want live instruction or whose firms are paying, it's a safe, proven choice. Its main gap is modern learning science: the QBank relies on manual topic filtering rather than scheduling your reviews around forgetting, so retention is left to your own discipline. Trelos closes exactly that gap, and does it at a lower price for self-funders. If you value a textbook and a live instructor, Kaplan earns its reputation; if you value automated retention and mobile-first study, Trelos is built for that. It's also worth comparing both against Achievable, another modern, lower-cost option.

Trelos vs Kaplan FAQ

Is Trelos or Kaplan better for the SIE and Series 7?

Both prepare you for FINRA exams, but through different models. Kaplan is the long-established, comprehensive course — a well-regarded License Exam Manual textbook, video lessons, a large question bank, practice exams, and optional live instructor classes. Trelos is a modern retention engine that teaches each concept and automatically schedules spaced review so it sticks. Kaplan suits textbook learners and those who want live instruction; Trelos suits those who want durable recall built for them, mobile-first.

Does Kaplan use spaced repetition?

No. Kaplan's question bank lets you filter and drill questions by topic, but it does not automatically schedule reviews based on how well you know each concept — it has no native spaced-repetition engine. Trelos is built around spaced repetition plus hypercorrection and interleaving, so what you review and when is handled for you rather than left to manual filtering.

How much does Kaplan cost compared to Trelos?

Kaplan is one of the pricier options: SIE packages run from about $99 (basic, on-demand) up to around $599 (premium, with live classes), and Series 7 packages are higher, with a 5-month access window. Trelos is free to start and then an annual subscription. Kaplan's top tiers are often reimbursed by employers; if you are self-funding, Trelos and other modern tools are considerably cheaper. Check current pricing with each.

Does Kaplan offer live classes?

Yes — live instruction is one of Kaplan's genuine strengths. Its Premium tier includes scheduled Live Online or OnDemand instructor-led classes and the ability to message content experts. Trelos is a self-paced retention engine and does not offer live classes, so if you want a real instructor and scheduled sessions, Kaplan has the edge there.

What does Trelos do that Kaplan does not?

Trelos automates retention. Rather than working through a textbook and filtering a question bank yourself, you are taught each concept, quizzed on it with guess-first retrieval, and shown it again right as you are about to forget it, with confident wrong answers re-taught immediately. Kaplan provides comprehensive materials and strong practice, but you manage your own review schedule.

Is Kaplan worth it for the Series 7?

Kaplan's Series 7 course is comprehensive and its License Exam Manual is well-written and FINRA-aligned, so it can absolutely get you there — especially if your employer is paying or you want live instruction. If you are self-funding and want the most retention per study hour on a dense exam like the Series 7, a modern retention engine like Trelos, or a lower-cost adaptive tool, is worth weighing against Kaplan's price.

Read the full SIE guide and Series 7 guide, or see Trelos vs Achievable.