Kaplan and Colibri (formerly Real Estate Express) are two of the most popular online schools for aspiring real estate professionals. In this article, we analyze the pros and cons of each company so you can figure out which one is the better fit for your budget and learning style. That way, you can complete the necessary credit hours, and pass your state exam on your first attempt.
Given that this is a lengthy, detailed comparison, we’ve included jump-to links above for your convenience.
In the video above, John from the TPI team compares the real estate pre-licensing courses and exam prep materials from Kaplan and Colibri. For more detail, continue reading our full, written comparison below.
There are four major, overarching similarities between these two real estate schools.
First, both Colibri and Kaplan offer live class options for students, which is fairly unusual in the online real estate education industry. For example, AceableAgent and The CE Shop (two of their major competitors) do not offer any live class options whatsoever.
Next, both Kaplan and Colibri offer weekly live Q&A sessions with real estate experts so that you can connect with other students, and get your questions answered on a regular basis.
The third similarly between Kaplan and Colibri is that both offer tools that allow you to bookmark and take notes directly within their learning platforms, which is super convenient and helpful. Most other online real estate schools force students to take notes themselves offline.
Lastly, both companies unfortunately do not offer mobile apps for students to study on-the-go, which is obviously disappointing.
Now that we have covered the similarities, let’s shift gears and focus on the big differences between these two real estate schools, and where our team sees each of them having an advantage over the other, and let’s start with Kaplan.
The first advantage in favor of Kaplan has to do with learning style. Unlike Colibri, Kaplan’s curriculum is primarily video-based. Their lessons consist of short videos followed by quizzes to ensure you are grasping the material (somewhat similar to AceableAgent).
As such, if you’re more of a visual learner – you process information most efficiently through interaction with visual elements such as video or graphics – then Kaplan is likely the better option for you (same with The CE Shop).
The next advantage are Kaplan’s instructors, and obviously the company sort of gets the win here by default since their on-demand content is delivered through video, whereas Colibri takes a text-based approach. Even so, our team was still super impressed by Kaplan’s instructors.
At first glance, the Kaplan instructors look boring. They are all on the older side, and sort of remind you of that monotone professor you had in college.
However, in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. All of Kaplan’s instructors were energetic and spirited, and you could tell they weren’t just reading off a script. The Kaplan instructors are authentic, passionate, and do a good job making otherwise boring material easily digestible.
The last advantage for Kaplan has to do with their exam prep. More specifically, their custom quiz generator, which we think is super helpful for students.
How it works is that Kaplan basically allows you to create your own practice question sets, and the best part is that you can pick the topics you want to focus on, the number and types of questions to answer, whether you want to time yourself, etc. It’s just a great tool to help students really zero in and improve in the areas where they are weaker or just don’t feel as confident.
➡️Want more detail? Read our Kaplan Real Estate Review
Now that we have discussed the advantages of going with Kaplan, let’s turn the tables here and talk about Colibri. Our team has them winning in three categories as well.
The first advantage in Colibri’s favor is cost, and obviously pricing for both companies varies by state and the number of credit hours required, but for the most part, the Colibri courses seem to more affordable than Kaplan’s.
For example, in California, Colibri’s Exam Prep Plus course costs around $370, and their Live Online course costs around $500, whereas the comparable courses from Kaplan cost around $400 and $750, respectively.
Therefore, using California as an example, you’re looking at savings in the ballpark of $30 to $250 by choosing to go with Colibri for your real estate education needs.
The next highlight may or may not be an advantage depending on how you like to learn. With Colibri, their curriculum is primarily text-based.
In other words, their lessons require a lot of reading, so if that’s your preferred learning method (i.e. you find reading and writing notes as the most effective means of processing and synthesizing information, then great, Colibri should work out well for you.
➡️Also Worth Reading: Colibri vs The CE Shop
Lastly, Colibri clearly wins when it comes to guarantees. If you purchase one of their courses and complete all of the required hours and study materials, and you still somehow do not pass your national or state exam, then the company will refund your money in full (similar to AceableAgent).
On the other hand, Kaplan does not offer a pass guarantee for some reason. The company only offers what they call a “PassProtection Retake Policy”, meaning if you do not pass your exam, you can retake the course, but you will not receive your money back.
➡️Want more detail? Read our Colibri Real Estate Review
Time to answer the question you’ve been waiting for – should you go with Kaplan or Colibri to help you get your real estate license?
Well, after using and reviewing both company’s courses, our team agrees that Kaplan is the superior choice. As we mentioned earlier in this comparison though, the two companies do overlap in several respects, so the decision does depend on your budget and learning style to a certain extent.
For example, if money is your chief concern, and you want to save every dollar possible, then Colibri will likely be the cheaper option for you (although it does sort of depend on which state you’re in). From there, the decision goes to your learning style – if you’re more of a text-based learner, once again go with Colibri.
However, if you’re more of a visual learner, and you are looking for some high-quality, engaging instructors to hold your attention, then Kaplan is the ticket. Overall, our team just prefers Kaplan’s courses and exam prep materials over Colibri’s.
➡️READ NEXT: Colibri vs AceableAgent
The primary difference between Colibri and Kaplan is lesson format. The Colibri Real Estate lessons are primarily text-based, whereas the Kaplan lessons take a video-based approach.
After testing and evaluating the courses from both real estate schools, our team gives Kaplan the win. Read our full comparison for more detail.
Yes, on average, the pre-licensing courses and exam prep materials from Colibri are slightly more affordable than those from Kaplan. However, keep in mind that pricing does vary by state.