The affordable, all-in-one Boson alternative
Boson makes excellent practice exams — but you buy ExSim-Max one exam at a time, and its NetSim lab simulator is a separate purchase. CrushCert puts adaptive practice, hands-on labs, and full mock exams for 15 Cisco, CompTIA, and AWS certs into one subscription from $10/month. Here's an honest side-by-side.
7 days free · No card required · All exams included
CrushCert vs Boson at a glance
| CrushCert | Boson | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Month-to-month from $10 (one exam) · $19–24 all-access · cancel the day you pass | Per exam, ~$99 per year, auto-renews (ExSim-Max) |
| Hands-on labs | Included in every plan | Separate purchase (NetSim, ~$179/yr) |
| Mock exams scored to the real exam's passing cutoff | Yes — pass/fail uses each exam's actual cutoff | Raw percentage |
| Certifications | 15 — Cisco, CompTIA & AWS in one plan | Many, bought individually |
| Adaptive practice (targets weak spots) | Yes | Practice exams (fixed pools) |
| Live readiness score | Yes | — |
| Quizzes, flashcards & mock exams in one | Yes | Focused on practice exams |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial | Limited demo |
| Best known for | All-in-one value & included labs | Exam realism & detailed rationales (esp. Cisco) |
Competitor details reflect Boson's publicly listed products and pricing and may change — check boson.com for current rates. Comparison provided in good faith for prospective learners.
How much can you save vs Boson?
Here's a realistic example. Say you're working toward three Cisco exams over about three months and you want hands-on lab practice too.
Illustrative example using Boson's publicly listed ExSim-Max price (~$99/exam); NetSim is a separate purchase. Your actual numbers depend on how many exams you take and how long you study. CrushCert starts at $10/month for a single exam ($15 for a Professional-level exam); all-access is $19–24/month. Every plan includes a 7-day free trial. Check boson.com for current Boson pricing.
Where Boson really shines
Credit where it's due: Boson has earned its reputation. ExSim-Max practice exams are known for closely mirroring the real testing experience, and the answer explanations are deep and well-written — especially for Cisco tracks. If your single priority is the most battle-tested practice exam for one specific Cisco exam, and budget isn't a concern, Boson is a great choice. We'd rather tell you that honestly than oversell.
Which should you choose?
Pick CrushCert if…
- You're studying for more than one cert, or stacking Cisco + CompTIA + AWS
- You want practice questions, hands-on labs, and mock exams in one place
- You want adaptive practice and a readiness score that tells you when you're ready
- You'd rather pay $10–24 for the month or two you're studying than ~$99 a year per exam plus a separate ~$179 sim
Pick Boson if…
- You want the single most established practice exam for one specific Cisco exam
- You'll use one exam's practice tests on and off for a full year
- Maximum per-exam depth matters more to you than breadth or price
Looking for a specific Boson alternative?
Boson ExSim-Max alternative
If you like the idea of ExSim-Max-style practice exams but don't want to pay per exam, CrushCert's adaptive quizzes and full timed mock exams cover the same ground across 15 Cisco, CompTIA, and AWS certifications — all in one subscription. The adaptive engine focuses your practice on the topics you keep getting wrong, and a live readiness score tells you when you're actually ready to sit the exam.
Boson NetSim alternative (hands-on labs)
NetSim is a separate purchase on top of ExSim-Max (about $179 a year on its own). With CrushCert, hands-on labs are included in every plan — type real Cisco IOS commands into a pre-built topology, with nothing to install and no Packet Tracer file to build first, plus drag-and-drop and troubleshooting scenarios, and labs for CompTIA and AWS too. CCNA CLI labs generate a fresh target (subnet, VLAN, route, DHCP scope) every attempt, so you can't pass one by memorizing the answer.
A cheaper way to prep for Cisco — CCNA, CCNP and more
If your main goal is affordable Cisco prep, one CrushCert subscription covers CCNA, CCNP Enterprise, Security and Data Center, and CyberOps — plus practice, labs, and mock exams — for less than the cost of a single per-exam practice pack elsewhere. See the CCNA practice test or CCNP Enterprise practice test to get a feel for it.
Looking for a Boson NetSim alternative?
Be clear about what you need first. NetSim is a full network simulator: you build your own topologies and run almost any IOS command against them. CrushCert's labs are guided scenarios instead — about 90 across all 15 exams, including CLI labs where you type real IOS commands into a simulated terminal, drag-and-drop labs, and troubleshooting labs where you diagnose and fix a broken network. The seven CCNA CLI labs (subnetting, VLANs, static routes, DHCP, NAT, port security, OSPF) generate a fresh target every attempt, so you can repeat them until the commands are automatic.
If you want exam-style configuration practice included with your questions and mock exams, CrushCert covers it without a second purchase. If you want to design free-form topologies, Cisco's free Packet Tracer does that well, and NetSim is the paid step up. Many people pair one of those with CrushCert rather than buying NetSim on top of ExSim-Max.
See the hands-on labs
CrushCert's labs are built in, not a separate product. Here's what they look like — type live IOS commands, then work drag-and-drop and troubleshooting scenarios.
Try the all-in-one alternative free
Adaptive practice, hands-on labs, and full mock exams across 15 certs — 7 days free, no card required.
Start studying freeCrushCert vs Boson — FAQ
Is CrushCert a good alternative to Boson?
Yes — especially for value and breadth. CrushCert bundles adaptive practice, hands-on labs, and full mock exams into one subscription starting at $10/month for a single exam, or $19–24/month for all 15 Cisco, CompTIA, and AWS certs. Boson sells ExSim-Max per exam and NetSim separately.
How much does Boson cost compared to CrushCert?
Boson ExSim-Max practice exams are sold per exam as a one-year, auto-renewing subscription (around $99 each as listed by Boson), with NetSim as a separate purchase (about $179/year). CrushCert is one subscription — $10/month for a single Associate exam, $15/month for a Professional exam, or $19–24/month for all-access — covering labs and mock exams too, with a 7-day free trial.
Does CrushCert have hands-on labs like Boson NetSim?
Yes — and they're included, not a separate purchase. You type real Cisco IOS commands into a simulated terminal and work drag-and-drop and troubleshooting scenarios across the Cisco tracks, with hands-on labs for CompTIA and AWS too.
Is Boson better than CrushCert?
It depends on what you value. Boson is renowned for per-exam realism and detailed explanations, particularly for Cisco. CrushCert wins on all-in-one value, multi-vendor breadth, included labs, adaptive practice, and a live readiness score. Many learners use CrushCert for broad, affordable prep across several certs.
How much does Boson NetSim cost?
Boson NetSim is sold as its own product, separate from ExSim-Max, and is priced per edition (per certification track) on boson.com — so the NetSim price is on top of any practice-exam purchase. Check boson.com for current NetSim pricing. With CrushCert, hands-on Cisco labs are included in every subscription — which starts at $10/month — so there's no separate lab simulator to buy.