What makes Unlocked different
Unlocked is the orientation the others do not include
Kaplan, PrepAgent, and CompuCram teach you to pass the exam. They do not explain how money actually flows through a NY transaction, what an agent's first-year economics look like, what is happening in your market this week, or what to do when a friend asks about buying. Unlocked covers all four parts of becoming a new NY agent: pass the exam, understand the business, see your market, close the first deal.
Same kit before and after the exam
Most exam prep ends at the test. Unlocked includes the working-agent toolkit (Building Report Card, listing fair-housing audit, closing-cost and commission calculators, rent-stabilization pre-screen, Set Your Year planner) the day you sign up. The kit you used to pass is the kit you carry into every deal after.
Carl is a study buddy and a deal companion
Carl is an AI study buddy built on Claude. Not a chatbot. Not a search engine. He explains exam concepts, breaks down wrong answers, and remembers what matters across sessions. After you pass, he becomes the thing you open when a friend asks about buying or the attorney sends the rider at midnight, with the working toolkit one tap away inside the conversation.
Adaptive, not static
Unlocked tracks your performance by topic and brings back what you haven't mastered. Flashcards surface your weak spots. Practice exams sample by official DOS curriculum weights, not arbitrary buckets. You stop wasting time reviewing what you already know.
Built for NY only, and for the people without a relative in the business
Every question, flashcard, and study module is sourced to NY law and mapped to the official NY DOS salesperson curriculum. The market view and working-agent tools are NYC-specific. The whole product is written in plain English, with no insider language and no assumed knowledge, for the people who picked this path without a built-in industry network.
Exam prep is free. The toolkit is $14/month.
All 19 study modules, 596 practice questions, 367 adaptive flashcards, unlimited practice exams, and 10 daily Carl messages are free — no credit card. Unlocked Pro ($14/month, cancel anytime) adds unlimited Carl with the live NYC toolkit, every NY transaction form, all 129 sample documents, unlimited Building Report Card, and the After You Pass post-license track.
How the options compare
Kaplan
$99–$389Strengths: Established brand, classroom and online options, bundled with 77-hour course.
Where it falls short: No AI study buddying, no adaptive study. Practice exams are static. Pricing reflects the brand name more than the study tools.
PrepAgent
$39–$69Strengths: Audio lessons, practice questions, affordable pricing tiers.
Where it falls short: No AI study buddy. No adaptive system that tracks what you know and what you don't. Content is multi-state, not built specifically for NY.
CompuCram
$79–$99Strengths: Vocabulary builder, readiness indicator, structured study path.
Where it falls short: No AI study buddying. No explanation engine for wrong answers. Readiness indicator is based on completion, not demonstrated mastery.
Real Estate Express
$129–$399Strengths: Full 77-hour pre-licensing course, instructor support available.
Where it falls short: Primarily a course provider, not an exam prep tool. Limited practice exams. No AI-powered explanations or adaptive review.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Unlocked | Kaplan | PrepAgent | CompuCram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free exam prep · Pro $14/mo | $99-$389 | $39-$69/mo | $79-$99 |
| Pricing model | Free + optional Pro, cancel anytime | Subscription / package | Subscription | Subscription |
| AI study buddy | Yes — Carl (Claude-based) | No | No | No |
| NY-specific content | 100% — built on NY DOS curriculum | Mostly NY | Multi-state | NY available |
| Practice exams (75-q) | Unlimited | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Adaptive flashcards | 367 cards, spaced repetition | Static | Static | Static |
| Building Report Card (live) | HPD / DOB / zoning lookup | — | — | — |
| Annotated sample documents | 129 — clause-by-clause | — | — | — |
| NY transaction forms | 21 with walkthroughs | — | — | — |
| Field resource directory | 16 (ACRIS, ZoLa, DHCR, FEMA…) | — | — | — |
| Free diagnostic | Yes — 25-q, no signup | Limited demo | Limited demo | Limited demo |
| Useful after license | Yes — working-agent toolkit | No | No | No |
| Mobile-first design | Yes | Mobile site | Yes | Yes |
Comparison reflects publicly listed features as of 2026. Pricing varies by promotion and bundle. Highlighted rows are where Unlocked has no direct equivalent in the other tools.
Who Unlocked is for
Unlocked is exam prep, not a pre-licensing course. If you haven't completed your 77-hour qualifying education, you'll need a school for that (Kaplan and Real Estate Express offer these). Unlocked is what you use alongside or after your course to make sure you actually pass the exam.
If you learn well by reading static textbooks and don't need explanations for wrong answers, a cheaper option like PrepAgent may work fine. Unlocked is for people who want to understand why an answer is right, not just memorize which one it is.
Free to pass. $14/mo when the work begins.
All 19 study modules, 950+ practice questions and flashcards, unlimited practice exams, and 10 daily Carl messages — free. Unlocked Pro adds unlimited Carl with tools, every form, the full sample library, and the After You Pass post-license track. Cancel anytime.