Head to head
Cred Farmer vs CCAFoundations: which should you use?
Cred Farmer scores higher under every reader profile published here, but CCAFoundations still wins on specific criteria listed below.
Cred Farmer publishes this comparison and is one of the two platforms in it. Every figure below links to CCAFoundations's own page and carries the date we read it. The verdict is computed from published weightings, not written by us.
Who wins, by what you need
Each row is that profile's published weighting applied to both platforms' criterion scores. Nothing here is hand-assigned — change the weights and the winners change.
| If you say… | Cred Farmer | CCAFoundations | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced overall | 82 | 63 | Cred Farmer |
| I want one system for all four exams | 84 | 62 | Cred Farmer |
| I only need one exam | 83 | 73 | Cred Farmer |
| I want the best free option | 83 | 77 | Cred Farmer |
| I learn from video or an instructor | 48 | 42 | Cred Farmer |
| My exam is in two weeks | 91 | 73 | Cred Farmer |
| I am preparing a team | 64 | 43 | Cred Farmer |
What each one is better at
Where CCAFoundations is stronger
- The published component counts reconcile exactly. Five domain chapters each carry a 50-question test (250) and the booklet carries five 60-question papers (300), which is precisely the 550 in the engine bank — and the site explains why: "Every question is authored once into a single structured bank; the manual, the booklet, and the engine are generated from it, so print and interactive can never disagree."
- Wrong answers are treated systematically rather than left to an answer key. Every key explains why each distractor fails, and the manual carries a named taxonomy: "Twelve wrong‑answer archetypes, per‑domain signal tables, and twenty‑two fully worked eliminations."
- The free diagnostic is real and completely unwalled, and it was verified in the site's shipped code rather than taken on trust: exactly 20 items across the five domains, each with four options and a written explanation, returning a per-domain breakdown and worked answers with no card, account or email required.
- It declines to sell a prediction it cannot support. The diagnostic's own results screen says "This is a diagnostic, not a prediction", and there are no testimonials, star ratings or pass-rate claims anywhere on the site.
- Hands-on material sits alongside the bank: ten labs with solutions, ten annotated build recipes and six end-to-end scenario playbooks, plus 14-day and 28-day study plans and ninety rapid-recall drills.
- The trust posture is documented: a named UK company (no. 16870376) with an ICO registration reference, a Merchant-of-Record checkout, engine progress that stays local ("Progress stays on your device; nothing is sent anywhere."), and a written refusal to use leaked material — "No leaked content, nothing that breaches the candidate agreement".
Where Cred Farmer is stronger
- Certification coverage: we score 5/5 against their 2/5.
- Diagnostics and personalisation: we score 5/5 against their 2/5.
- Retention system: we score 5/5 against their 3/5.
Feature by feature
Expand any cell to see the words we read and where we read them. If a link no longer says what we quote, the figure is out of date and we want to know.
| Cred Farmer | CCAFoundations | |
|---|---|---|
| Certifications covered | All four: CCAO-F, CCDV-F, CCAR-F and CCAR-P, in one account, with a study guide, question bank, mocks and flashcards for each.Evidence“Study guides mapped to every domain, four full mock exams per certification, spaced-repetition flashcards, and a readiness score that tracks you per domain.” | One certification only: Claude Certified Architect: Foundations, which the site abbreviates CCA-F on every page (the string CCAR-F appears nowhere on the site). The sitemap is five URLs with no per-certification pages, and no second exam, tier or track is offered.Evidence“Serious, independent preparation for Claude Certified Architect: Foundations.” |
| Practice questions | 1,180 across the four banks — 300 CCAO-F, 265 CCDV-F, 300 CCAR-F, 315 CCAR-P. Roughly 300 per exam, which is mid-table here rather than the deepest bank.Evidence“1,180 Practice questions” | 550 questions in the paid engine bank, stated to be original and each with worked reasoning. The published component counts reconcile exactly: five domain chapters each carrying a 50-question test (250) plus five 60-question mock papers (300). Separately, a free 20-question diagnostic that the site says is not drawn from the paid bank.Evidence“550 original scenario questions, every single one with fully worked reasoning, built to the published exam blueprint.” |
| Study material | 119 study sections mapped to the published exam objectives, plus ten written hands-on labs and a 120-card rapid-recall deck per certification. Written material only — no video and no instructor.Evidence“119 Study sections” | A 298-page study manual (PDF) in nine parts plus a separate 153-page mock examination booklet (PDF). The manual carries a foundations primer, five domain chapters each with a 50-question test and worked key, six end-to-end scenario playbooks, ten hands-on labs with solutions, ten annotated build recipes, a distractor compendium of twelve archetypes with twenty-two worked eliminations, 14-day and 28-day study plans, ninety rapid-recall drills, error logs and a glossary.Evidence“You receive: a 298-page study manual (PDF), a 153-page mock examination booklet (PDF), access to the 550-question interactive test engine, and the 150-card interactive flashcard deck.” |
| Full-length timed mocks | 20 full-length timed papers — five per certification, each at the real exam's item count and 120-minute clock (60 / 53 / 60 / 63 items). Four are scenario mock exams and the fifth is an objective mastery challenge at the same length. Note our own pages count these differently: /certifications says "four full mock exams per certification", which counts the mocks and not the mastery paper.Evidence“20 Timed mock exams” | Five full 60-question papers at the stated blueprint weights, with answer grids, keys that explain every distractor, and score-interpretation tables against a 720/1,000 pass band. Delivered both as the 153-page printed booklet and in the test engine's exam mode under a 120-minute clock.Evidence“Five full 60‑question papers at the live blueprint weights, pitched from exam level to hardest‑of‑all, with answer grids, keys that explain every distractor, and score‑interpretation tables against the 720 band.” |
| Flashcards | Yes — a 120-card rapid-recall deck per certification, served through a spaced-repetition drill rather than as a static list.Evidence“Flashcard drills resurface each concept right before you'd forget it.” | 150 cards, shipped both in print (Part 7 of the manual, grouped by domain) and interactively in the test engine, filterable by domain, with flip, shuffle and "know‑it recycling".Evidence“150 cards covering the definitions, defaults, and decision rules that must be instant by exam day, in print in the manual and interactive in the engine with know‑it recycling for the final week.” |
| Spaced repetition | Yes — an SM-2 scheduler, scheduling each card individually from a four-way rating, with lapses requeued inside the same session.Evidence“Study guides mapped to every domain, four full mock exams per certification, spaced-repetition flashcards, and a readiness score that tracks you per domain.” | Not published as spaced repetition. The only related mechanic described is "know‑it recycling" across the 150-card deck for the final week — a knock-out and recycle loop. No review intervals, scheduling algorithm or due-date queue is described anywhere on the public pages. The engine sits behind purchase and sign-in, so only its published feature description could be read.Evidence“Flip, shuffle, and know‑it recycling across all 150 cards, filterable by domain.” |
| Diagnostics | Objective-level mastery tracking with weak-domain routing: a missed question feeds a targeted drill by objective, by domain, or from your own misses, ordered confidently-wrong first.Evidence“Study guides mapped to every domain, four full mock exams per certification, spaced-repetition flashcards, and a readiness score that tracks you per domain.” | A free 20-question diagnostic at /quiz spanning the five exam domains, about fifteen minutes, with no purchase, card or account. Verified in the shipped page bundle: exactly 20 items (q01-q20), split 5/4/4/4/3 across the five domains, each with four options and a written explanation. The results screen returns a raw score out of 20 and a per-domain correct/total breakdown; each domain's blueprint weight (27/18/20/20/15) is displayed beside it as context and is not applied to the score. Worked answers are given for every question.Evidence“Twenty questions across the five exam domains, written specifically for this diagnostic and not drawn from the paid bank. About fifteen minutes. You get a score, a per‑domain breakdown, and worked answers for every question. No purchase required.” |
| Readiness / adaptive path | A per-certification readiness score. Performance is 60% and preparation 40%, but an evidence gate caps the total: if your mock scores sit below the pass mark, preparation cannot lift you past "almost ready" however much you read. Only the first sitting of each distinct paper counts, drills and self-rated confidence are excluded, and a study section is only marked complete when you answer its checkpoint questions correctly — there is no "mark as complete" button.Evidence“Our readiness engine calculates a precise, real-time score based on your study history and mock test performance.” | No adaptive difficulty and no readiness or pass-probability score is published. Exam mode serves a fixed 60-question paper with flag-for-review and a 120-minute clock, returning what the site calls an "indicative scaled score" against the 720 band plus a full worked review, and the free diagnostic's results screen says "This is a diagnostic, not a prediction". The paid engine sits behind purchase and sign-in, so only its published description could be checked.Evidence“Sixty questions at the real weights, flag‑for‑review, a 120‑minute clock, then an indicative scaled score and a full worked review.” |
| Free tier | Everything is free during open beta — all four certifications, every study section, every mock and every drill. An account is required.Evidence“Right now, Cred Farmer is completely free while we are in open beta.” | Two free entry points, neither of which includes any of the 550-question bank: the 20-question diagnostic, which needs no card and no account and where email is optional and only for receiving the breakdown; and a 12-page preview of the study manual at /sample, which redirects straight to the PDF and downloads with no account, cookie or email address supplied. There is no free tier of the test engine itself.Evidence“No card. No account. Optional email for the breakdown.” |
| Price | $0 while in open beta. No paid tier is published, and no pricing is announced for after the beta.Evidence“Free while in open beta.” | GBP 49 launch/introductory price, stated to rise to GBP 79 standard after the launch period; a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, with VAT excluded and added at checkout. The GBP 49 price was live on 2026-09-03: the homepage showed the launch price and its checkout link resolved to a working cart at £49.00.Evidence“Introductory price · standard price £79 after the launch period · one‑time purchase” |
| Account required | Yes for study, practice and mocks — a free account via Google or GitHub sign-in. The blog, the certification guides and this comparison are open with no account.Evidence“To maximize security, we only use OAuth (Google and GitHub).” | Tiered. The 20-question diagnostic requires no account and no card, and the 12-page manual preview downloads without an email address or account. The 550-question test engine and both PDFs require purchase plus an email/password account created against the checkout email: /portal and /portal/engine redirect anonymous visitors to /login?next=/portal. Auth is by Supabase.Evidence“Existing buyer? Sign in below. New buyer? Switch tabs to create your account using the same email you used at checkout.” |
| Team support | Not published | None offered, and excluded rather than merely unmentioned. There is no teams, seats, bulk or organisation page anywhere in the five-URL sitemap, and the terms of sale bind access to a single checkout email for personal study under a non-transferable licence.Evidence“We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the materials for your own preparation. You may not redistribute, resell, or publish the materials, in whole or in part.” |
| States independence from Anthropic | Yes — stated in the footer of every page and repeated on the certification pages.Evidence“Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Anthropic or Pearson VUE.” | Stated repeatedly and prominently. The no-affiliation disclaimer appears in the footer of every page including the legal pages, is repeated as the first FAQ answer, and is restated in clause 7 of the terms of sale. The site also names its legal entity (InfoSecAI Limited, England and Wales company no. 16870376), publishes an ICO registration reference (ZC138138), names Lemon Squeezy as Merchant of Record, and directs candidates to Anthropic's own platform at anthropic.skilljar.com to verify exam details before booking.Evidence“This is an independent study programme by InfoSecAI Limited. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC.” |
Which to choose
Choose CCAFoundations if…
- You are sitting Claude Certified Architect: Foundations and nothing else, and want the deepest bank aimed at that one exam — 550 questions for a single certification is roughly double Cred Farmer's ~300 per exam.
- You want to study on paper or offline. You get a 298-page manual PDF and a 153-page mock booklet PDF you can print and annotate; Cred Farmer is a web application with no downloadable manual.
- You want to test-drive the material before creating any account. The 20-question diagnostic and the 12-page manual extract both work with no signup at all, whereas Cred Farmer requires an account before you can practise.
- You would rather pay once and own the files than depend on a hosted account, or you want your study record to stay in your own browser — engine progress is stated never to leave the device.
Choose Cred Farmer if…
- You expect to sit more than one Claude certification and would rather not rebuild your study setup for each.
- You have booked an exam and want an honest read on whether you would pass, from a score that will not flatter you for reading more.
- You want spaced repetition and objective-level weak-area routing without paying for them.
- You want the full preparation loop — study, timed mocks, retention and diagnosis — in one place rather than assembled from three free sites.
What CCAFoundations does not offer
- Covers exactly one certification. There is no second tier, track or adjacent Claude exam anywhere on the site, so a candidate continuing past Foundations must go elsewhere.
- No team, seat, bulk or organisation offering of any kind, and no admin or cohort reporting. Access is bound to one checkout email under a non-transferable personal licence.
- No spaced-repetition scheduling. The published flashcard mechanics are flip, shuffle, domain filtering and end-of-course "know‑it recycling" — no review intervals, due-date queue or per-item scheduling algorithm is described.
- No cross-device sync and no server-side progress history: "Progress stays on your device; nothing is sent anywhere." Study progress does not follow you between machines or browsers, and there is no longitudinal performance dashboard.
- No adaptive difficulty and no readiness score. Exam mode is a fixed 60-question paper returning an indicative scaled score, and the free diagnostic reports raw correct/total per domain — the blueprint weight is shown beside it as context and is never applied to the score.
- None of the 550-question bank is free. The free diagnostic is 20 separate questions written for that purpose, and the free manual extract is 12 pages of 298.
Observable gaps in what the site publishes, not judgements about quality. We have run no blind review of anyone's questions, including our own, so nothing here compares how good the content is — only what each platform offers.
Sources
- https://ccafoundations.com/ — Homepage: exam covered, 550-question bank, five 60-question mocks, 150-card deck, free diagnostic, launch price and standard price, blueprint weights, and the no-affiliation footer disclaimer.
- https://ccafoundations.com/terms — Terms of sale: clause 3 lists the deliverables (298-page manual, 153-page mock booklet, 550-question engine, 150-card deck), the non-transferable personal licence, and clause 7 restating independence from Anthropic.
- https://ccafoundations.com/quiz — The free 20-question diagnostic and its results screen; the shipped page bundle was parsed to confirm 20 items across five domains and that the per-domain bar is raw correct/total, not blueprint-weighted.
- https://ccafoundations.com/login — Buyer sign-in and account creation against the checkout email; /portal and /portal/engine redirect anonymous visitors here.
- https://ccafoundations.com/sample — The 12-page manual preview, which redirects straight to a 12-page PDF with no account, cookie or email address required.
All read on 3 September 2026. Found something wrong? Email hello@credfarmer.com and it will be corrected.
Common questions
Is CCAFoundations better than Cred Farmer?
Cred Farmer scores higher under every reader profile published here, but CCAFoundations still wins on specific criteria listed below. Under the balanced weighting, CCAFoundations scores 63 and Cred Farmer scores 82 out of 100. The weightings are published and adjustable, so the honest answer depends on which exam you are sitting and what you can spend.
Is this comparison independent?
No. Cred Farmer publishes it and is one of the two platforms in it. That is why the rubric is published, every figure links to CCAFoundations's own pages with the date it was checked, and the verdict above is computed from those published weightings rather than written by us.
Is CCAFoundations an official Anthropic product?
No. Neither is Cred Farmer. Anthropic publishes the exam guides and Pearson VUE delivers the exams; every platform in this comparison is independent of both.
How current are these figures?
Everything here was read on CCAFoundations's own site on 3 September 2026. Prices, question counts and free tiers change without notice — follow the source links before you rely on a figure, and email hello@credfarmer.com if you find one out of date.
Other comparisons
Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Anthropic or Pearson VUE.