I ‘ll cut to the chase, I think the iPEC Coaching Program is significantly overpriced. With an astonishing price tag of $11,950 USD, this program isn’t accessible to the average person.
I believe there are equivalent programs out there for 1/3 of the price.
After thoroughly reviewing their program without actually having gone through it myself, I cannot justify the hefty price tag when compared with competing coaching programs.
If I cannot justify the price tag, what’s to think others can’t either?
iPEC recently reached out to me, asking to promote their program for a financial benefit. Now, if I had no integrity or care for my readers, I would have blindly jumped all over this opportunity, without question. Where do I sign?
But, that’s not me. Instead, I had questions, which unfortunately never got answered.
Email Correspondence With IPEC
iPEC Initial Message
Hello Rob,
My name is Johnnathan and I manage the iPEC Life Coaching affiliate program. I’m reaching out to you because you have a high-ranking post on google titled Compare 6 Unique Online Life Coach Certifications (2021) and we would like some information on how we could be featured in this post or future posts like this one. I look forward to hearing back from you and exploring a mutually beneficial partnership.
My Reply
Hi Johnnathan
Thanks for taking the time to reach out
I checked out your website and coaching programs. The programs look well-developed and complete.
I’m open to including your coaching certification in the post.
I have just one lingering curiosity:
What makes iPEC worth 3x the price of a program like Coach Training Alliance? I’m unable to make this distinction for myself just from gathering info from your website. Leading me to believe others probably wonder the same thing.
For me, this is a huge distinction I’d need to clarify and justify to my readers in order to make sense including it into the post.
I look forward to hearing back
iPEC Reply
Hey Rob,
I hope you’re doing well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll discuss your question with the team and get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.
And that was the last I heard from them.
iPEC Alternative
One of the best iPEC Coaching Certification alternatives I’ve come across is Coach Training Alliance.
They offer much of the same as iPEC Coaching for 1/3 of the cost. This includes a live learning environment, mentorship, live coaching practice with feedback, live webinars, student community etc.
Below is a comparison of the two programs.
 |  |
|
| School | iPEC | Coach Training Alliance |
| Visit Website | Visit Website | |
| Certifications | Certified Professional Coach, Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, COR.E Dynamics Specialist | Coach Certification |
| Help you stand out from the competition | ✔ | ✔ |
| Start Anytime | ✔ | No - several coaches run cohorts. Spots fill 3-4 weeks in advance usually |
| ICF Accredited | ✔ | ✔ |
| ICF CCE Hours | 200 | 60 |
| Guaranteed To Achieve Paying Clients | ✔ | |
| Program Length | 10-12 months | 6 months |
| Hours/Week | 4 hrs | 5 hrs |
| Niche Specific Training Options | ✔ | |
| Offers In-Person Learning | ✔ | |
| Live All Day Intensives | ✔ | |
| Live Virtual Classes | ✔ | |
| Teleclasses | ✔ | ✔ |
| Live Coaching Practice | ✔ | ✔ |
| Coursework Feedback | ✔ | ✔ |
| Informational Live and Recorded Webinars | ✔ | |
| PDF Downloads For Modules | ✔ | ✔ |
| Audio Downloads For Modules | ✔ | ✔ |
| Video Content For Modules | ✔ | ✔ |
| Lifetime Access To Resources | ✔ | ✔ |
| Learn How To Start Your Own Coaching Business | ✔ | ✔ |
| Learn How To Market Yourself | ✔ | ✔ |
| Learn How to Build Your Own Website | ✔ | ✔ |
| Free Website & Server Hosting | ✔ | ✔ |
| Private Facebook Group | ✔ | ✔ |
| Investment (if paid in full) | $11950 | $3547 |
| Payment Plan Options | Available upon request | $432 x 9 $556 x 7 $1232 x 3 |
| Coupons | Sign up to their email list, they send out discounts sporadically | |
| Visit Website | Visit Website | |
| Read Review | ||
| Free Workshop |
The Biggest Differences – Are They Worth It?
Cost
iPEC: $11950
Coach Training Alliance: $3547
In-Person Learning
iPEC: Yes
Coach Training Alliance: No
Is in-person learning superior to virtual? I think in most cases, in-personal learning is superior to virtual. Nothing compares to that human-to-human connection you get when present with others.
Will one learn more by learning in person? The short answer, no. Coaching is one of those professions that doesn’t need an in-person application or hands-on learning to understand the material. If one can run a successful virtual coaching business with clients then one can successfully learn coaching virtually as well.
Is having an in-person option worth an extra $7000 fee? To each their own but I’d say absolutely not.
ICF Accreditatuion Hours
iPEC: 200 hours
Coach Training Alliance: 60 hours
What does 200 accreditation hours get you? This will allow one to apply for the Master Certified Coach designation through the ICF. This is their highest coaching level available.
What does 60 accreditation hours get you? This is allow one to apply for the Associate Certified Coach designation through the ICF. This is their entry coaching level.
Do designations matter? If you’re looking to work for a corporation, they may require an ICF-based designation. Otherwise, if you’re lookng to start a private practice, neither matters much. Clients don’t know who the ICF is, and they rarely ask for specific designations. Even if they do, they won’t know the difference between one coaching program and another, only you do. What they care about is you getting them results.
Niche Specific Training
iPEC: Yes
Coach Training Alliance: No
Is niche specific training important? Yes, finding your niche is essential to your success.
What niche specific training does iPEC offer? Keep in mind, the niche they offer are very broad and would still benefits from being niched down further.
- Life Purpose Coaching
- Relationship Coaching
- Transition Coaching
- Group Coaching
- Couples Coaching
- Parents and Teens Coaching
- Health and Wellness Coaching
- Sports Performance Coaching
- Small Business and Professional Coaching
- Leadership Executive and Management Coaching
What type of coaching does Coach Training Alliance teach? They teach more of a life coaching based model, which is a very broad scope. This gives you the opportunity to niche down. For example: you may choose to work with overworked doctors looking for balance in their life or successful business owners who still don’t feel fulfilled inside.
It’s disappointing to hear IPEC couldn’t find a suitable answer to your question. How can you be expected to pay $11,950 when the owners of the program don’t know why it is worth that much? I’m very disappointed that they couldn’t find 10 minutes to explain why their product is better than anything else. Also, why aren’t they offering clear payment plan options? Why do you have to ask for this? It’s clear that most people won’t afford to pay almost $12,000 in one go, isn’t it?
Anyway, Coach Training Alliance looks and even feels like the right thing at a reasonable cost.