Kaplan vs Knopman Marks
Side-by-side comparison for securities licensing candidates: features, pricing, and CHART scores from the published rubric.
At a glance
| Feature | Kaplan | Knopman Marks |
|---|---|---|
| CHART score | 3.0/ 4 | 2.9/ 4 |
| Price range | $59 to $319 per exam (Basic through Premium Live Online) | $200 to $1,110 per exam (Gold through Diamond) |
| Exams covered | SIE, Series 7, Series 63, Series 65, Series 66 | SIE, Series 7, Series 63, Series 65, Series 66 |
| Practice questions | SecuritiesPro QBank (official per-exam counts not published; Series 65 users report 4,000+ questions) | Not published per exam (the free SIE demo exposes a 288-question sample) |
| Pass guarantee | None for securities: PassProtection gives Live Online enrollees a class retake; Kaplan's money-back program covers insurance licensing only | None at any tier |
| Mobile app | No native securities app; responsive web | Native iOS companion app for enrolled students (offline lectures and flashcards); Android unclear |
| Free trial | SIE free trial (Unit 1 content and a 137-question QBank sample) | Free SIE demo course on their training platform: sample units, the full quiz builder, and flashcards; textbook locked |
| Full review | Kaplan review → | Knopman Marks review → |
Exam-by-exam breakdown
How Kaplan and Knopman Marks stack up for each exam, from our research dossiers and the published CHART scores.
Both are firm-training staples. Kaplan's SIE entry price is a fraction of Knopman's, which self-funded candidates should notice first. Knopman offers the free SIE demo and faculty access at every tier; Kaplan reserves its live layer for the upper tiers.
Series 7
All Series 7 prep courses →The premium fight. Knopman's 7 program is the market's most support-heavy: reachable faculty, unlimited live classes on upper tiers, weekly one-on-ones at the top. Kaplan counters with the reference question bank and a far lower entry point. Firm-sponsored candidates choose by their firm's culture; self-funded ones usually can't justify Knopman's ceiling.
Series 63
All Series 63 prep courses →Kaplan's entry tier is the cheapest 63 prep we track; Knopman's cheapest is several times that. Unless you're bundled into Knopman through your firm, Kaplan wins this one on arithmetic.
Series 65
All Series 65 prep courses →Kaplan is far cheaper at entry, but this is the series where its practice realism gets second-guessed while Knopman's draws praise. Budget-bound advisors still lean Kaplan; candidates who want practice that feels like the real 65 plus a faculty line lean Knopman.
Series 66
All Series 66 prep courses →Same tension as the 65: Kaplan on price and bank depth, Knopman on realism reputation and support. The corequisite with the 7 favors whichever one already has your Series 7 business.
About the author
Brennan KolarSenior Financial Analyst · Founder & Lead Researcher
Brennan Kolar is a Senior Financial Analyst and the founder of the Atlas Index family of research sites, including Atlas CPA Index and Atlas Securities Index. He built the CHART methodology to make exam-prep comparisons transparent: every score traces to a published rubric, and every factual claim carries a source.
Full bio & editorial standards →