CertFlash vs. Pocket Prep
CertFlash and Pocket Prep IT & Cybersecurity are both free to download, and both put most of their content behind a purchase. They are not the same kind of tool: CertFlash is a flashcard deck built on spaced repetition, and Pocket Prep is a practice-question bank with mock exams. This comparison is built from what each developer publishes — App Store listings and Pocket Prep’s own exam pages — with every claim sourced and anything unverifiable listed as such. CertFlash is published by Fogarty Holdings LLC, which also operates AppMatchup; see the disclosure below.
Everything below comes from published sources, checked on 2026-08-09 and linked in each section. Where the sources don’t answer a question, it’s listed under What we couldn’t verify rather than guessed at.
CertFlash
A CompTIA flashcard app built on spaced repetition, free on its first deck with a single purchase unlocking the rest.
Published by Fogarty Holdings LLC, which operates AppMatchup.
Pocket Prep
A practice-question bank with mock exams and analytics, covering IT and cybersecurity certifications from several vendors, sold as a subscription.
These are different tools more than they are rivals. If you want mock exams, performance analytics and coverage across many certification vendors, Pocket Prep is far broader and charges accordingly. If you want spaced-repetition drilling on CompTIA material with no subscription, that is the narrower thing CertFlash does.
At a glance
| Field | CertFlash | Pocket Prep |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Fogarty Holdings LLC | Pocket Prep, Inc. |
| Price | Free to download; a $5.99 one-time in-app purchase unlocks the remaining decks | Free to download; Premium $20.99/month, $49.99 for three months, or $124.99/year, per Pocket Prep’s exam pages on 2026-08-09 |
| App Store rating | 5.00 from 3 ratings | 4.80 from 5,035 ratings |
| Current version | 1.6.1, updated 2026-08-08 | 3.28.1, updated 2026-08-04 |
| First released | 2026-04-09 | 2020-04-20 |
| Install size | 5.5 MB | 91.8 MB |
| Minimum iOS | 17.0 | 18.0 |
| iPad support | Yes | Yes |
Pulled from the App Store on 2026-08-09. Prices, versions, ratings, install sizes and OS requirements change — check the current App Store listing before relying on any of these values.
Feature comparison
| Field | CertFlash | Pocket Prep |
|---|---|---|
| Differs: Pricing model | A single in-app purchase of $5.99 unlocks the remaining decks permanently, with future decks included at no extra cost. No subscription | A subscription — $20.99 monthly, $49.99 for three months, or $124.99 annually, per Pocket Prep’s exam pages |
| Differs: Free tier | The full CompTIA A+ deck of 150 cards, with no account required, plus three sample cards previewable from each locked deck | Its listing states 30 to 60 free practice questions, marked with a footnote the listing does not expand |
| Differs: Study format | Flashcards rated Again, Hard, Good or Easy, with the next review scheduled from that rating | Multiple-choice practice questions with written explanations and textbook references, plus full-length mock exams |
| Differs: Exams covered | Seven CompTIA exams — A+, Network+, Security+, CySA+, Linux+, Cloud+ and PenTest+ | 26 IT and cybersecurity exams across CompTIA, Cisco, ISC2, ISACA, AWS, EC-Council and CyberAB |
| Content volume | 150 cards per deck, 1,050 across all seven | More than 25,000 practice questions across all 26 exams |
| Study modes | Spaced repetition, a Quick Quiz of 10, 20 or 50 random questions, search across all cards, and favourites synced by iCloud | Quick 10, Level Up and Weakest Subject modes, plus full-length mock exams |
| Progress tracking | Per-deck progress with a Due for Review system, study streaks and daily reminders | Performance analytics identifying weak areas, with scores compared against other users |
| Offline use | Fully offline after download, per its App Store description | Not stated on the App Store listing |
| Account required | None. Its listing states no account and no sign-up | Not stated on the App Store listing |
Sources for this section: CertFlash App Store listing, Pocket Prep IT & Cybersecurity App Store listing, and Pocket Prep CompTIA Security+ exam page. All three were checked on 2026-08-09. Published feature lists change — check the current pages before relying on any row above. A heavier amber rule marks a row where the two apps meaningfully differ.
Where each one fits
CertFlash is a single $5.99 unlock rather than a subscription, its free tier is a complete deck rather than a sample, it requires no account, it works fully offline after download, and it installs at 5.5 MB. The limits are plain. It covers seven CompTIA exams where Pocket Prep covers 26 across several vendors. It holds 1,050 cards against more than 25,000 practice questions. It offers no mock exams and no analytics. And it is a far newer and far less used app — the rating counts in the table above show the gap.
Pocket Prep is the broader tool by a wide margin: mock exams, performance analytics, peer score comparison, and 26 exams across CompTIA, Cisco, ISC2, ISACA, AWS and others, from a developer whose listing says professionals have relied on it since 2011. Against that, it is a recurring subscription at $124.99 a year even for a single exam, its free tier is 30 to 60 practice questions rather than a complete deck, and it requires iOS 18.0 where CertFlash runs on 17.0.
What we couldn’t verify
These are questions the published sources do not answer. They are listed here unresolved rather than guessed at.
- How many free practice questions Pocket Prep gives per exam; its listing says 30 to 60 with a footnote it does not expand
- Whether Pocket Prep’s in-app subscription price matches the figures on its website, which App Store listings do not show
- What Pocket Prep’s peer score comparison measures, or who the comparison group is
- Whether either app’s content is revised when CompTIA updates an exam’s objectives, which neither listing states
- How well either app’s material maps to current exam objectives, which no published source establishes
Ownership disclosure
AppMatchup is operated by Fogarty Holdings LLC.
CertFlash, one of the two apps on this page, is published by Fogarty Holdings LLC. Pocket Prep IT & Cybersecurity is published by Pocket Prep, Inc., which has no connection to Fogarty Holdings LLC. This page compares an app we publish against one we don’t, and you should read it with that in mind.
Every claim above is sourced to a published page, listed under the tables. Where the sources don’t answer a question, it’s listed under What we couldn’t verify rather than resolved in our own favour.