UWorld vs Archer for the NCLEX: prices, rationales and what users say
UWorld costs more and has deeper rationales. Archer is cheaper and feels closer to the exam, users say. Prices checked on 6 October 2026.
- UWorld: US$139 for 30 days, US$229 for 90 days.
- Archer Q-Bank + CAT: US$79 for 1 month, US$129 for 3 months.
- Users say UWorld explains more and Archer feels closer to the exam.
- Medibara is a third option: short lessons and questions on your phone, free to start.
UWorld costs more and explains more. Archer costs less, and people who have used both say its questions feel closer to the wording of the exam. Either one covers the NCLEX-RN, so the choice comes down to how you learn and what you can spend.
Medibara, our own app, is a third option. It teaches each topic in a short lesson on your phone and then asks questions on it, and it is free to start. You can use it next to either question bank or on its own.
Sources checked 6 October 2026.
UWorld and Archer side by side
We read these prices and features on each vendor's own NCLEX-RN page on 6 October 2026. Both sites showed some prices as discounts from a higher struck-through price. We list the price you would pay that day. Prices change, so check the vendor before you buy.
| Feature | UWorld NCLEX-RN | Archer Q-Bank + CAT |
|---|---|---|
| About one month | US$139 for 30 days | US$79 for 1 month |
| About three months | US$229 for 90 days | US$129 for 3 months |
| Questions | 2,600+ on the 30-day plan, 2,800+ on the 90-day plan | 3,100+ |
| Practice assessments | 1 self-assessment on 30 days, 3 on 90 days, plus adaptive (CAT) tests | 30+ readiness assessments and CAT exams |
| AI help | UAsk, capped at 250 prompts on 30 days and 1,000 on 90 days | None listed on the page |
| Pass guarantee | None stated on the page | Only on the Sure PASS plan, from US$159 for 1 month |
| Free trial | 7 days, 50 questions | None listed on the page |
Sources: UWorld NCLEX-RN and Archer Review NCLEX-RN. Archer also sells plans with videos and live review at higher prices.
A third option: Medibara, for short sessions on your phone
Medibara is ours, so read this section with that in mind. It prepares you for NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN and REx-PN, and it is built for a phone. UWorld and Archer start from a large bank of questions. Medibara starts from the lesson: you learn one topic, then you answer questions on it.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Lessons | A short video on one topic that gives you the mechanism, the nursing action and the signs to watch for. The app calls a lesson a round. |
| Questions | They follow each lesson, in your exam's format. Every answer comes with a rationale that says why each option is right or wrong. |
| Ask Cappy | The tutor. It answers from the lesson you are on and shows where the answer comes from, so you can check it. |
| Mock exams | A quick mock, a topic mock and a full adaptive mock. They run under exam rules: answers lock when you move on, and rationales wait until the end. |
| Progress | How you do in each area of your exam's test plan, with the weakest areas marked "Focus next". |
| Price | Free: lessons, questions and mock exams, a few Ask Cappy questions a day, and one ad between lessons. The Plus plan removes the ads and the Ask Cappy limit. |
Medibara does not publish a question count, and we do not claim a larger bank than UWorld's 2,600+ or Archer's 3,100+. If you want thousands of questions, buy one of those. There are two ways to use Medibara with that in mind.
- Next to a question bank. Do the Medibara lesson on a topic first, then that topic's questions in UWorld or Archer. When a rationale there leaves you unsure, go back to the lesson and ask Cappy.
- On its own. If a paid bank is out of reach, or your study time comes in short gaps, the lessons, questions and mock exams on the free plan cover the same exam.
What people who used both say
The r/PassNclex thread "Archer vs UWorld" ranks first for this search. It has 21 comments. These are individual opinions. Both products change, so a comment may describe an earlier version.
- UWorld's rationales go deeper. Several replies say so, including people who prefer Archer overall.
- Archer's rationales are shorter and get to the point. One person who switched found UWorld's volume of content hard to stay motivated through.
- Archer's questions feel more like the exam. Two replies say its question format and tone matched what they saw on the day.
- Archer is cheaper. One reply adds that how you use a question bank matters as much as which one you buy.
- Several replies skip the question and recommend Bootcamp. One says they passed with UWorld and Mark Klimek's lectures.
When UWorld fits better
- You learn from long explanations and want to know why each wrong option is wrong.
- Your content knowledge has gaps, and you want the question bank to teach as well as test.
- You want a free trial before paying.
When Archer fits better
- Your budget is tight. Three months of Archer costs US$100 less than 90 days of UWorld at the prices above.
- You already know the content and mainly need volume and exam-style practice.
- Short rationales keep you moving, and long ones wear you down.
When Medibara fits better
- You study on your phone, in short sessions between shifts or on the way to work.
- You want a topic explained before you are tested on it.
- You want to ask why a rationale says what it says and get an answer that points back to the lesson.
- You are not ready to pay for a question bank yet.
Start learning on Medibara. Sign-in is with Google.
About the pass rates each one advertises
Both vendors publish a pass rate near 98%. Each figure covers a group the vendor chose: UWorld's is for users who completed at least 75% of the question bank, and Archer's is attached to its Sure PASS plan. Neither figure is checked by anyone outside the company, so we do not use them to rank the two.
The same goes for readiness scores. A "high" or "very high" result is the vendor's estimate. It is not a result from NCSBN.
Medibara publishes no pass rate and offers no pass guarantee. Its progress screen shows how you do in each area of the test plan. That is our estimate from your answers, and it is not a result from NCSBN either.
To put whichever you choose on a calendar, use the study plan builder. If you are retaking, the retake date checker gives your earliest date. For a wider list of products, see what test takers recommend.