WebCPE
Pro
Con
Verdict
WebCPE provides an incredibly affordable option if you’re looking for the most basic CPE available. While they offer no live webinars, the unlimited course package includes over 100 on-demand text-based courses. There are no ratings or reviews of any kind, and there seems to be no way to interact with instructors. Overall, a ‘bare bones’ CPE platform if you just need the basics and don’t mind reading all of your CPE.
Intro
WebCPE is a bare bones CPE platform that offers basic courses and a couple dozen state-specific ethics options.
Courses/CPE – Very limited
The platform currently has less than 150 on-demand courses available. All courses are traditional PDF reading style with up to hundreds of pages to read prior to taking the exam. These PDFs can be read directly on your device or printed out (which isn’t exactly environmentally friendly). There are no live webinars offered, all learning is on-demand only. It doesn’t appear that they offer any sort of live experiences or anything beyond the most basic courses, though they do offer a modest variety of CPE for CPA and EA, including ethics courses for state-specific needs.
Platform/Features – Outdated
The platform is fairly outdated. There’s a simple list of courses, but no way to filter or sort them. The website does offer separate lists broken down by category: Accounting, Ethics, Tax. There are no third-party or onsite ratings and reviews available, and no option for direct instructor Q&A. There are also no instructor bios, so you don't know what kind of credentials or experience the person who created the course has. The courses themselves are very basic PDF style learning, though you do get to look at the questions for the final exams before you take it, which gives you a better chance of passing the first time. Tests are graded and scores posted immediately. There is not a CPE compliance tracking option and no micro-certifications available. The platform and the website are not mobile friendly, so plan on using your desktop for this one.There is no free trial option, not even one free course. It would be nice to have a limited option to try before you buy the full package.
UX - Functional
The phrase learning platform doesn’t quite apply for WebCPE, as the only things you can actually do on their platform are complete the review questions and take the final test. To learn the material, you must download the study material and either read it on your device or print it out. It is fairly easy to access your courses, both those in progress and completed, but be prepared to enter your user ID multiple times as you access the pages. We’re not sure if it’s a glitch in the system or just how it was set up, but the WebCPE platform doesn’t seem to keep you logged in for long.
Cost - A Bargain?
The platform offers the ability to buy courses a la carte or as an annual unlimited on-demand course package for $149. This sounds like a great deal until you realize that ethics courses (which make up around 20% of all available courses) are not included and the $149 only buys you a small library, begging the question “is it really a bargain?” For an additional $49, you can add the ethics package. Still, for only $198 you get over 100 courses and perhaps your state’s CPE ethics, making it one of the cheapest platforms out there.
Team/Firm Capability – None
The platform appears to offer no team/firm options, not even reduced price group plans. There are clearly no options for things like corporate LMS integration and SSO (single sign-on), user management or reporting, or custom user groups. It also doesn’t mention offering custom curriculum, internal (client) course creation and CPE, or creation and calendaring of internal CPE events/webinars, or not that we could find any mention of on the site.
Summary
WebCPE is a bare bones CPE platform that offers the most basic courses and user experience for an affordable price. With no micro-certifications, no compliance tracker, and limited features, it’s one of the most basic platforms we’ve seen. But if price is your only consideration, WebCPE might be the right choice for you.
