PrepScholar vs. Princeton Review ACT Prep: Which Is Better in 2026?

When it comes to preparing for the ACT, you can’t beat the comprehensiveness, personalization, and quality of a professional ACT prep program. Earning top scores is crucial if you want to get into your dream college, and working with experts is one of the best ways to ensure you’ll hit your score goals.

If you’re familiar with PrepScholar and Princeton Review, you already know that they’re two of the leading providers of ACT prep today. But there are some significant differences between these two ACT prep programs, and figuring out how they work is the first step to deciding which one is the right fit for you and your ACT score goals.

Keep reading to find out which ACT prep program comes out on top–and which one has what it takes to help you achieve your ACT score goals!

Section 1: Rationale

Section 2: The Best ACT Prep Winner

Section 3: Comparison of Core Offerings

Section 4: PrepScholar vs. Princeton Review Comparison Table

Section 5: Comparison Point 1 - Instruction Quality and Feedback

Section 6: Comparison Point 2 - Personalization and Adaptive Learning

Section 7: Comparison Point 3 - Test Updates and Alignment

Section 8: Comparison Point 4 - Value

Section 9: Overall Pros and Cons

Section 10: FAQs

How We Picked Our ACT Prep Winners

We’ve spent hours researching, testing, and reviewing real student feedback on both PrepScholar and Princeton Review’s ACT program offerings to give you a thorough comparison of what they have to offer.

As a test taker, you need to know that the core features of your ACT prep program will create a prep experience that fits your needs and guarantees your success on the real exam. To help you find the best program for you, we reviewed both ACT prep companies’ based on the following features and offerings:

• Value
• Offerings and Update
• Price
• Score guarantee
• Variety of products
• Real student reviews

Knowing what you’re buying before you commit is the key to choosing an ACT prep program that gets you the results you’re looking for. Keep reading to find out which ACT prep program is the winner for the kind of student you are!

Princeton Review vs. PrepScholar: Which Has the Best ACT Prep?

For its adaptive, personalized prep, expert 99th percentile ACT scoring tutors, and 4 point improvement guarantee, we rank PrepScholar as the top provider of ACT prep.

Overall Winner: PrepScholar

PrepScholar delivers quality experiences and consistent results that are carefully tailored to the needs and goals of each student. Built on adaptive tech, PrepScholar’s programs provide personalized study plans in a suite of self-paced courses to one-on-one tutoring, offering customization for every student that’s backed by one consistent score guarantee for all of its ACT prep programs.

While Princeton Review provides quality ACT prep, PrepScholar’s commitment to tailoring comprehensive, cutting-edge prep to each student’s needs makes it the overall winner.

Best for Students Looking for Cutting-Edge Prep: PrepScholar

When the new Enhanced ACT was announced several years ago, PrepScholar didn’t just update their ACT prep programs. They revamped their entire suite, redesigning their practice questions, drills, and assessments from the ground up to bring students a prep experience that’s fully aligned with the new ACT. Students who are seeking the most cutting edge, comprehensive prep on the market will be in good hands with PrepScholar’s ACT prep.

Best for Students Who Are Focused on ACT Science: Princeton Review

While Princeton Review hasn’t done a full overhaul of their ACT Prep materials to align with the new, Enhanced ACT, they have recently come out with six new live ACT Science sessions. Since ACT Science is optional, these sessions won’t apply to all students, but for those who are eager to do well on the science section, Princeton Review’s new live lessons are an excellent resource.

Comparing Core ACT Prep Options

Your ACT prep program should provide you with a quality, engaging experience that helps you meet your score goals. While there are several quality ACT prep programs available, they approach ACT prep in different ways, which means it’s important to understand exactly what each ACT prep program provides.

To help you get a sense of what both of these ACT prep companies provide, we’ll walk you through the core offerings of PrepScholar’s and Princeton Review’s ACT prep programs. You’ll have all of the information you need to make an informed decision about which program is right for you!

PrepScholar ACT Prep Overview

PrepScholar provides four digital ACT prep options that are designed to meet every kind of learning need: Complete Online ACT Prep, Complete Online ACT Prep + Admissions Bootcamp, Live Instructor Led Classes, and 1-on-1 Online Tutoring.

PrepScholar’s most popular course, Complete Online ACT Prep, is a self-paced adaptive program that includes a smart diagnostic test, more than 50 skill lessons, 2800+ practice questions with explanations, and four official ACT exams to take as practice. This program comes with a year of full access to all included prep materials.

There’s also Complete Online ACT Prep + Admissions Bootcamp, which comes with everything that’s included in the Complete Online package, with the addition of Admissions Bootcamp lessons that take you through every step of the admissions process, from curating your college list, making your application stand out, how to write the perfect essay, how and when to submit your applications, and even financial aid.

PrepScholar’s Live Instructor Led Classes give you up to 36 hours of expert-led classes in a live, online classroom. You’ll get to learn in a small group of up to nine other students and get feedback and answers to your questions in real-time. This program includes everything in the Complete Online ACT Prep program as well as the Admissions Bootcamp, both at no additional cost.

With the 1-on-1 Tutoring program, you can get 4, 10, 18, or 32 one-on-one tutoring hours with a 99th percentile-scoring tutor. You’ll pick the tutoring package that best fits your schedule, needs, and goals, and receive a fully personalized prep experience.

Each of PrepScholar’s ACT prep programs include a 4-point guarantee, customized weekly prep plans, and 60+ hours of prep content.

Princeton Review ACT Prep Overview

Princeton Review offers self-paced, online, live, and in-person ACT prep courses. Their ACT prep programs are as follows: ACT Self-Paced, ACT Essentials course, ACT 31+ Course, ACT 34+ Tutoring, and private tutoring packages.

ACT Self-Paced is an online program that students complete independently on their own time. This program includes 365 days of access to five Enhanced ACT practice exams, thousands of practice questions and drills, and online videos with bite-sized content lessons. You’ll also get a detailed score analysis for each practice ACT you take.

Then there’s the ACT Essentials package, which comes with 18 hours of structured lessons covering ACT strategies and content, ACT Advantage live sessions, where students can drop in for expert guidance on topics they’re struggling with, six new ACT Science Advantage sections for students taking ACT Science. This program also comes with everything that’s included in ACT Self-Paced.

The ACT 31+ Course comes with everything that you get from the ACT Self-Paced course, plus 36 hours of classroom instruction, live make-up classes, ACT Advantage Live Sessions, including six sessions focused on ACT Science, and 24/7 on-demand tutoring. You’ll also get access to the SAT Self-Paced course for free.

ACT 34+ Tutoring includes 18 hours of expert tutoring designed for top ACT scorers. You’ll also get all of the content and materials that are included in ACT Self-Prep, the Princeton Review’s ACT Practice Questions Review Book, ACT Advantage Live Sessions, and bonus SAT prep.

Finally, students can also choose from a 10 hour and 18 hour private tutoring package. These tutoring packages include all of the ACT prep materials and content included in lower tier programs, plus bonus SAT prep.

Princeton Review’s prep ACT prep courses all come with a score guarantee, but the requirements differ for each program. Some course and tutoring options are also administered in an in-person format, but you’ll need to check and see if these are available in your area.

PrepScholar vs. Princeton Review Comparison Table

Below, check out our side-by-side comparison of the ACT prep services offered by PrepScholar and Princeton Review.

Comparison Point 1 – Instruction Quality and Feedback

Quality instruction does more than teach you a bunch of concepts to memorize. It helps you develop an ACT strategy that targets areas where you need growth so you can actually boost your score! Here’s how PrepScholar and Princeton Review approach ACT instruction and the feedback they give students. 

PrepScholar

All of PrepScholar’s ACT prep programs are guided by the idea that customized, strategic practice is the key to mastering the ACT. That’s why their curriculum and instruction practices focus on helping students understand how the ACT works and teaching them strategies to outsmart the exam’s tricks, which is key to score improvement.

PrepScholar ACT prep programs include over 60 hours of instructional content and 50+ skill lessons that cover the most crucial skills and content on the ACT. Lessons combine video explainers and text-based instruction into short, digestible chunks. Following each lesson, students take quizzes that reinforce what they’ve learned and identify gaps in their understanding for further practice going forward.

Where PrepScholar really shines is in their approach to addressing mistakes and wrong answers. All 2,800+ practice questions included in the prep platform are accompanied by a full breakdown of why each incorrect answer is wrong, how it was trying to trick you, and how to approach similar questions in the future. These explanations are crucial, not just for learning, but for making improvements that translate to real score gains.

PrepScholar also provides four official ACT practice tests sourced directly from the Official ACT Prep Guide. While some test prep companies design their own practice tests, PrepScholar subscribes to the idea that official ACT practice tests are the most effective form of prep a student can get for the real exam. After taking official practice tests, students receive feedback that’s designed to help them track progress over time and continuously focus on skills that need the most work.

For students in need of more structured guidance, PrepScholar’s tutoring program provides one-on-one, personalized prep. All PrepScholar tutors are experienced, 99th percentile ACT scorers who have been trained to equip students with an individualized test prep strategy and guide them through customized sessions that target their weak areas and eliminate wrong answers.  

Princeton Review

Princeton Review has spent years refining their test prep philosophy, known as “cracking the test,” which focuses on equipping students with the strategic tools they need to outsmart the exam.

Princeton Review courses include over 140 video lessons, 137 drills, and 1,200+ practice questions, though your level of access to these materials depends on the specific prep program you choose. The Essentials and ACT 31+ courses add live class hours on top of these self-paced materials, providing an opportunity for real-time instruction and feedback. All Princeton Review instructors are required to pass a qualifying exam and complete a minimum of 37 hours of training.

In the self-guided curriculum, students receive prerecorded video lessons that feature an instructor onscreen delivering lessons in front of a digital whiteboard, where notes and practice problems materialize around them as they teach. These lessons are typically less than 10 minutes, and many students find the short duration and interactivity of the video instruction to be particularly engaging.

While the practice questions that students receive to accompany Princeton Review ACT lessons aren’t custom-built for the new Enhanced ACT, they do represent the types of questions students are likely to see on the real ACT.

Princeton Review provides answer feedback and explanations after students take quizzes and practice tests, but their feedback doesn’t compare to PrepScholar’s. Princeton Review’s explanations tend to be brief and text-only, with no accompanying video walkthrough. This can make it difficult for students to fully grasp their areas for improvement going forward.

Winner: PrepScholar

There’s no doubt that Princeton Review’s video lessons and live instruction are high quality. But answer explanations are arguably the most important part of test prep–and PrepScholar’s approach to answer explanations is what really makes them stand out.

PrepScholar treats answer explanations like mini-lessons that guide you through your wrong answers and the mistakes that caused them, which is the most effective way to boost your ACT scores. This focus on teaching students why answers are wrong is unique, and it’s the factor that pushes PrepScholar ahead of other companies when it comes to instruction and feedback.

Comparison Point 2 — Personalization and Adaptive Learning

The best ACT prep programs adapt based on your performance to give you a highly personalized experience–and the best chance of boosting your scores. Read on to find out how PrepScholar and Princeton Review compare on personalization and adaptive learning.

PrepScholar

Personalization and adaptiveness are at the core of PrepScholar’s ACT prep philosophy. Their programs use a skill-by-skill approach to learning that adapts to each student individually, allowing them to focus on areas where they need the most improvement.

When students sign up, they complete an initial smart diagnostic assessment that evaluates their performance across every skill that pops up on the ACT. PrepScholar then uses the results from the diagnostic to generate a fully personalized weekly study plan that’s tailored to the skills, content, and practice a student needs based on their current performance. The study plan is adapted week by week to ensure that students are focusing on the areas where they need the most improvement, which is the best use of your prep time.

PrepScholar’s adaptive technology adjusts to the student’s performance with each question, which allows you to make more progress in less time. As you complete quizzes and practice tests, your weekly study plan continually updates to keep you focused on the skills and content that will help you progress quickly.

Students who enroll in PrepScholar’s one-on-one tutoring receive an additional layer of personalization. Using diagnostic data from students’ ongoing performance on drills and practice exams, PrepScholar connects students with a tutor who’s an expert in their weak areas. Tutors build each session around the student’s progress and adjust the study plan to provide targeted practice from one week to the next.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review uses custom-built technology to include personalization features in each of its ACT prep programs. However, the level of personalization varies from one program tier to the next, with higher tier programs providing the most individualized prep.

At the beginning of all Princeton Review programs, students take a diagnostic assessment to establish their baseline performance, which is used to design their study plan. As students work through learning modules, the plan is adjusted based on their performance on drills and practice tests.

Students receive a full score report after each full-length practice test. These reports provide feedback and recommendations on what skills and content students should prioritize to make the best use of their time going forward. These reports also provide what Princeton Review calls “quick wins,” which are skills where small improvements can lead to meaningful score gains.

Princeton Review’s higher tier courses and tutoring offer the highest degree of personalization. Live courses allow students to interact with instructors, ask questions in real time, and receive feedback that addresses their strengths and weaknesses. Students can also access 24/7 on-demand tutoring to receive guidance the moment they need it.

While Princeton Review’s ACT prep programs are adaptive on a more surface level, adaptiveness isn’t built into the foundation of their test prep platform. Princeton Review makes customized recommendations based on practice test results and performance on learning modules, rather than adjusting study plans on a question-by-question, continuous basis.

Winner: PrepScholar

Princeton Review and PrepScholar offer personalized study plans, with more customization provided in higher-tier courses and tutoring packages. Both platforms provided one-on-one guidance that’s tailored to students’ performance and goals, but when it comes to adaptivity, PrepScholar can’t be beat.

Princeton Review’s adaptivity is mostly isolated to updating student prep plans after they take practice exams and complete entire learning modules. In contrast, PrepScholar’s programs adapt lesson by lesson, recalibrating in order to meet the unique learning needs and goals of each student. Because of its purpose-built adaptivity algorithm that’s the cornerstone of all of its ACT prep, PrepScholar is the undeniable winner.

Comparison Point 3 — Test Updates and Alignment

The ACT changes periodically, and has changed as recently as 2026 with the introduction of the new, Enhanced ACT. In order to provide up-to-date, quality prep, test prep companies must reevaluate and revamp their offerings each time the ACT changes. Here’s how PrepScholar and Princeton Review compare on test updates and alignment.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar’s ACT Prep has been fully redesigned to reflect the new, Enhanced ACT that came out in 2026. While many other test prep companies have simply tweaked their programs, PrepScholar has rebuilt their ACT prep from the ground up, redesigning lessons, practice questions, and their entire interface to give students the most realistic experience possible.

This ACT prep program update comes with 50 refreshed skill lessons that align with the skills tested on the Enhanced ACT, new strategy lessons that target the structure and tricks of the ACT, expanded coverage of skills that weren’t emphasized in English, Math, and Reading on the old ACT. You’ll also have the option to opt out of Science prep if you don’t plan to take that optional section of the ACT.

Additionally, the updated ACT prep program includes 2800+ brand new practice questions, Math questions that have been fully rewritten for the ACT’s new four answer choice format, and a refresh to the prep interface that aligns it more closely with the ACT’s new section lengths and pacing.

PrepScholar recognizes that the ACT is still in transition. That’s why their redesigned ACT prep program continues to cover both paper-and-pencil and digital exam delivery formats.

Thanks to these updates, PrepScholar is able to provide a fully emulated Enhanced ACT prep experience, with an interface that’s designed to mirror the ACT’s new format and design, so students can get an authentic feel for what it’ll be like on exam day.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review releases a new, updated edition of their ACT prep books annually. Each new edition covers recent changes to ACT content and format. Princeton Review strongly encourages students to use the current edition in order to receive accurate, up-to-date prep.

Princeton Review also updates its ACT prep programs when there are significant changes made to the ACT itself. Because the ACT has recently undergone a shift from paper-and-pencil to a digital format, Princeton Review has again updated its ACT prep materials and online testing software to reflect the content and format change of the new Enhanced ACT. However, rather than develop a new bank of practice questions that are tailored specifically to the Enhanced ACT, it appears that Princeton Review has simply tweaked its existing questions to more accurately reflect the new ACT.

Winner: PrepScholar

Princeton Review and PrepScholar have created a highly realistic emulation of what the new Enhanced ACT exam environment looks like through their online practice and testing systems. But because Princeton Review’s ACT prep materials have been tweaked rather than overhauled, PrepScholar’s fully redesigned ACT prep programs take the lead on this one.

Comparison Point 4 — Value

Before you choose an ACT prep program, you need to know exactly what features you’ll get in return for the hundreds or even thousands of dollars you’ll pay. We’ll go over how Princeton Review and PrepScholar’s programs compare in terms of cost and value.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar’s ACT program offers are as follows: Complete Online ACT Prep, Complete Online + Admissions Bootcamp, Live Instructor Led Classes, and One-on-One Tutoring. Higher-tier programs offer more personalization and customization, and they increase in cost accordingly.

PrepScholar’s core program is its self-paced course, Complete Online ACT Prep. With this program, you’ll get full online access to PrepScholar’s premium ACT prep content, which includes a smart diagnostic test, 2,800+ practice questions, drills, lessons, four practice exams, and feedback and answer explanations. Complete Online adapts your study plan continuously based on your performance on assessments, but you won’t receive live or one-on-one instruction during this self-paced program.

All PrepScholar ACT programs include full access to the materials and content that come with Complete Online ACT Prep. In addition to these prep materials, each higher tier ACT prep program layers more personalization on top of the adaptivity that’s baked into the core Complete Online ACT program. All higher tier programs include PrepScholar’s Admissions Bootcamp for free, and students can easily bundle SAT prep with ACT prep.

To meet the needs of every type of learner, PrepScholar’s Live and One-on-One Tutoring packages offer a range of options for program hours, difficulty, and cost. Live Instruction packages range from 4 to 32+ hours and offer Beginner, Essentials, and Advanced courses that vary in difficulty and are built to help students achieve specific ACT scores. If you go with one-on-one tutoring, you’ll have the choice of 4, 10, 18, or 32 hour packages.

PrepScholar packs an impressive degree of personalization into every program tier thanks to their proprietary, built-in adaptive technology. That personalization translates to more value. When an ACT prep program is meticulously tailored to your learning needs and goals, it’s going to do an excellent job of helping you achieve your score goals quickly and efficiently, bringing you maximum value for every dollar you spend.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review offers five core ACT program options: ACT Self-Paced, ACT Essentials, ACT 31+ Course, ACT 34+ Tutoring, and customizable tutoring packages. Prices range widely from the lowest tier to the highest tier, with the most personalized tutoring packages running up to $7,000.

Princeton Review’s self-paced ACT course is priced at a comparatively affordable $299, but this course is essentially a recording of past live instruction sessions. As a general, multipurpose prep course, ACT Self-Paced provides little personalization. Students who are seeking individualized coaching and more customization will need to opt for a higher tier program at a higher price point, like the 1400+ Course or one-on-one tutoring.

Princeton Review’s ACT programs are comprehensive representations of the content, format, and difficulty of the real ACT. Their focus on teaching students a strategy for outsmarting the ACT’s tricks and traps is effective for many students, bringing relatability and clear purpose to the curriculum.

However, the time commitment, scheduling, and format may be too much for some students. In order to reap the benefits of live instruction, students need to attend all class sessions. But the live instruction courses provide little flexibility, with sessions lasting up to three hours scheduled for multiple times a week.

The process of bundling multiple courses and programs, like SAT and ACT prep or self-paced and one-on-one tutoring, is quick and simple. For students who plan to take the optional ACT Science section, Princeton Review’s new suite of ACT Science modules can easily be added onto the other ACT prep programs.

While Princeton Review provides score guarantees for all of its programs, some reviewers note that these guarantees can be difficult to navigate. Not only do the score guarantees vary from one program to another, but the stipulations for qualifying for a refund or course re-do are not consistent across programs. That’s why it’s important to read the fine print on all Princeton Review score guarantees and understand that all requirements must be met in order to qualify for a refund.

Winner: Princeton Review (Premium Content), PrepScholar (Affordability)

Princeton Review’s programs stand out for students who have clear, set score goals–and are willing to pay a premium for comprehensive prep that can be easily bundled to pack a bigger punch. For students seeking a program that adapts to their needs at every tier and price point, PrepScholar is the best choice.

Overall Pros and Cons

Both PrepScholar and Princeton Review offer quality ACT prep programs. But every test prep program has flaws. Before you choose one, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of both programs so you can pick the one that’s the best fit for you.