What is the cheapest accredited nursing CE?

It depends on how your hours fall across the renewal cycle, which most comparisons skip. Subscriptions are billed per year and most licenses renew every two years: CEUfast is $39.99 a year unlimited, so finishing your hours inside one subscription year is the cheapest paid route we track, but spreading them across a two-year cycle costs $79.98. A one-time state package has no second year, so Renew Now CE at $35 to $49 for a full cycle comes in under two subscription years, and its $35 Florida package undercuts even a single one. Free CE still beats both: start with our verified free catalog and use a paid provider only when free courses can't fill a mandatory topic or your total hours.

Do I have to pay for nursing CE?

No. Most nurses can meet renewal with free, accredited CE. Paid providers matter only when a mandatory topic isn't offered free in your state or you need more hours than the free catalog covers. That is exactly when this comparison is useful.

Which CE providers report completions to CE Broker automatically?

6 of the providers here auto-report to CE Broker in the states that use it: CEUfast, Renew Now CE, NetCE, Wild Iris Medical Education, Elite Learning, Nurse.com. The rest require you to self-submit your certificate. Auto-reporting saves a step in CE Broker states but is never required for the CE itself to count.

Paid CE compared

When Free CE Isn't an Option

Free always comes first. Start with our verified free CE catalog. But some mandatory topics aren't offered free, and a few states need more hours than free courses cover. When that's you, here's where the major paid providers stand: sourced pricing, how their accreditation holds up, and which is cheapest for your situation. Not sure a provider is trustworthy? How to verify a CE provider is legit.

RenewRN earns nothing from any provider on this page. None of them run a publisher program we can join, so every link here is a plain editorial link, and the ranking is ours alone.

Which is actually cheapest

It turns on timing, not the sticker price. Subscriptions bill per year, and most licenses renew every two.

Finishing inside one year? CEUfast at $39.99 unlimited is the cheapest paid route we track.
Hours spread across the cycle? That subscription renews to $79.98. A one-time package like Renew Now CE ($35 to $49 for a full cycle) costs less, and its $35 Florida package beats even a single subscription year.

Holding licenses in several states tips it back to unlimited access.

Compare paid CE providers

Provider	Price	Accreditation	CE Broker
CEUfast	$39.99/year unlimited	ANCC	Auto-reports
Renew Now CE	Per course, from about $10	ANCC (Provider #P0557, held directly, through July 31 2029), California BRN CEP17292, California BVNPT VNCEP15132, CE Broker provider #18921, written 50-18921, the identifier behind its Florida, Michigan and Georgia board listings, Florida Boards of Pharmacy, Physical Therapy and Respiratory Care, Michigan Board of Pharmacy	Auto-reports
NetCE	$85/year All Access	ANCC, Florida Board of Nursing	Auto-reports
Wild Iris Medical Education	$18–$49 per course	ANCC	Auto-reports
Lippincott NursingCenter	$13–$22 per activity	ANCC	Not confirmed
Elite Learning	$39–$60 per state bundle	ANCC	Auto-reports
Nurse.com	$49.99 Standard / $149.99 Premium / single courses ~$20–$43	ANCC	Auto-reports
Medscape Nursing CE	Free with registration	ANCC	Self-submit

Prices are per-provider sourced figures, last verified on each provider's review page. "Auto-reports" applies only in the states that use CE Broker.

Read the full reviews

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest accredited nursing CE?: It depends on how your hours fall across the renewal cycle, which most comparisons skip. Subscriptions are billed per year and most licenses renew every two years: CEUfast is $39.99 a year unlimited, so finishing your hours inside one subscription year is the cheapest paid route we track, but spreading them across a two-year cycle costs $79.98. A one-time state package has no second year, so Renew Now CE at $35 to $49 for a full cycle comes in under two subscription years, and its $35 Florida package undercuts even a single one. Free CE still beats both: start with our verified free catalog and use a paid provider only when free courses can't fill a mandatory topic or your total hours.
Do I have to pay for nursing CE?: No. Most nurses can meet renewal with free, accredited CE. Paid providers matter only when a mandatory topic isn't offered free in your state or you need more hours than the free catalog covers. That is exactly when this comparison is useful.
Which CE providers report completions to CE Broker automatically?: 6 of the providers here auto-report to CE Broker in the states that use it: CEUfast, Renew Now CE, NetCE, Wild Iris Medical Education, Elite Learning, Nurse.com. The rest require you to self-submit your certificate. Auto-reporting saves a step in CE Broker states but is never required for the CE itself to count.

Whichever provider you pick, track it in one place, free

Log your CE against your state's requirements and get renewal reminders so nothing lapses. Free forever for one credential. Setup takes 60 seconds.

Start free Browse free CE first

When Free CE Isn't an Option

RenewRN earns nothing from any provider on this page. None of them run a publisher program we can join, so every link here is a plain editorial link, and the ranking is ours alone.

Provider

Price

Accreditation

CE Broker

CEUfast

$39.99/year unlimited

ANCC

Auto-reports

Renew Now CE

Per course, from about $10

ANCC (Provider #P0557, held directly, through July 31 2029), California BRN CEP17292, California BVNPT VNCEP15132, CE Broker provider #18921, written 50-18921, the identifier behind its Florida, Michigan and Georgia board listings, Florida Boards of Pharmacy, Physical Therapy and Respiratory Care, Michigan Board of Pharmacy

Auto-reports

NetCE

$85/year All Access

ANCC, Florida Board of Nursing

Auto-reports

Wild Iris Medical Education

$18–$49 per course

ANCC

Auto-reports

Lippincott NursingCenter

$13–$22 per activity

ANCC