Short answer: If Barbri's $2,399 (Premium) to $3,399 (Elite) sale prices are more than you want to spend, you have two routes:
- A cheaper full course. Themis is $1,895, Kaplan Complete $1,549 and Helix NextGen $1,199 plus shipping.
- Practice-first prep, if you can build your own schedule. NCBE's official NextGen practice is $325, and question banks cost $99 to $495.
What you give up by leaving Barbri is structure, lectures and graded writing, not the law itself. Every price below was read on the provider's own site on October 22, 2026.
What Barbri costs, for comparison
| Barbri 2027 (self-pay) | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | $2,399 sale (list $2,999) | Lectures, adaptive study plan, print and digital materials, 4+ months, personalized feedback on NextGen written assignments |
| Elite | $3,399 sale (list $3,999) | Premium plus AdaptiBar's MCQ Simulator and Writing Guide, CriticalPass cards and Quimbee SideBar videos |
Premium and Elite come with one free Premium retake in the same jurisdiction if you don't pass. If you would qualify for that, it's worth something, so read the guarantee terms before you price anything else.
Cheaper full courses
| Course | Price (October 22, 2026) | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Themis | $1,895 paid in full, or $2,095 with $25 down (list $2,995) | Includes UWorld's MBE QBank. Four months of access (November–February for the February exam). One free repeat for first-time Themis users |
| Kaplan Complete | $1,549 (list $1,999). Ultimate $2,249 | Customizable study plans, unlimited writing-assignment grading with an instant option, on-demand classes with live seminars. One free repeat for first-time bar takers who complete its requirements |
| Helix NextGen | $1,199 plus shipping | From the nonprofit AccessLex Institute. One free repeat for first-time users who complete 75% or more of the course |
All three are full courses with a calendar, lessons and practice, like Barbri. The four-way comparison goes through their NextGen practice and grading in detail.
Practice-first alternatives (you supply the structure)
| Option | Price (October 22, 2026) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| NCBE NextGen Study Aids: Complete Bundle | $325 | The official test-maker's practice. Six practice sets, each with 40 multiple-choice questions, 2 integrated question sets and 1 performance task, plus three extra question banks |
| NCBE Simulated Exam 1 or 2 | $110 | Three practice sets arranged in the exam's 9-hour format |
| NCBE Sourcebooks | $45 each | Doctrine in NCBE's scope. NCBE notes your school's law library may give free access through West Academic |
| BARGO | $29 for one month, $99 for lifetime access | 2,900+ questions in both NextGen multiple-choice formats, 30 integrated question sets and 15 performance tasks with model answers and rubrics, plus notes and flashcards |
| AdaptiBar MCQ Simulator | $495 | Adaptive multiple-choice practice for the MBE or the NextGen exam |
| UWorld MBE QBank | $449 for February 2027 | 1,900+ MBE questions, 1,150+ of them NCBE-licensed. Multiple choice only |
| JD Advising NextGen outlines | $149.99 to $999.99 | Condensed outlines for NCBE's NextGen scope |
| Studicata memberships | $29 a month (videos, outlines, study tools) or $99 a month with essay grading | Studicata says it covers every NextGen subject using MEE-style questions |
NCBE's free materials cost nothing: its Content Scope Outlines, sample questions and exam software preview. Our guide to them shows how to use each one.
Three budget stacks, from cheapest
- About $424: NCBE's $325 Complete Bundle for the official question styles, plus BARGO's $99 lifetime access for volume in all three formats. Add the free Content Scope Outlines and a free study plan for the calendar.
- About $1,200 to $1,550: Helix NextGen or Kaplan Complete if you want lessons and a built-in schedule, with NCBE's free materials alongside.
- About $1,900: Themis paid in full, if you want UWorld's MBE QBank in the course and a free repeat as insurance.
When Barbri is still the right call
The longer answer is in is Barbri worth it?; in short:
- Your firm pays. Use the course, and add a NextGen-format bank only if its practice falls short.
- You need someone to impose the schedule. A $99 bank doesn't open itself every morning.
- You want human feedback on your writing and will actually submit the assignments. On NextGen, integrated question sets (21%) and performance tasks (30%) carry just over half the score.
If none of those fits, the cheaper routes above cover the same law. The supplement guide covers what to add if you already own a course, and is a $99 bank enough? answers the question for NextGen.
Sources
Prices and terms read on each provider's own site on October 22, 2026:
- Barbri, 2027 pricing and guarantee
- Themis, pricing and enrollment policies
- Kaplan, NextGen bar prep and pass guarantee
- Helix Bar Review, Helix NextGen
- NCBE, NextGen UBE study aids
- AdaptiBar, pricing
- UWorld Legal, MBE QBank
- JD Advising, NextGen bar exam outlines
- Studicata, pricing
