How Much Does a CPR Class Cost & Is it Worth the Investment? (Updated for 2023)

The cost for CPR certification can vary widely depending on the type of course, whether it’s online or in person, and other factors. It can be difficult to get a good sense of what you should pay for a course—and high cost is not always indicative of quality.

Here’s an exploration of how much you can expect to pay for different types of online CPR certification programs—and what you get for the price.

How Much Is it to Get CPR Certified: For Laypeople and Professionals

CPR certification: how much does it cost, exactly? That question is hard to answer. One factor that can have an effect on the price is whether the CPR certification program is for laypeople or professionals.

Layperson CPR is often less complex than CPR for use in a professional setting. And some organizations offer CPR that’s suitable both for laypeople and various professional settings.

At CPRCertified.com, our online CPR classes range in cost from $19.95 to $59.95, and include the certification test and a high-quality wallet card.

Cost of CPR Certification With the AHA and Red Cross

Both the AHA and the Red Cross offer a number of courses that provide CPR training to laypeople, professionals, and healthcare providers in various settings. These courses may be in person or in a blended or online learning format.

These courses are generally offered by third-party providers, which determine how much the courses cost at their location. The AHA requires you to contact the provider to get cost information, whereas the Red Cross provides cost information for courses and locations on its website.

Costs tend to be greater for in-person and hybrid classes than those delivered entirely online. Just to give you an idea of the range, the average cost for CPR certification—top 10 results for the Red Cross in New York and online include:

• Adult, Child and Baby First Aid / CPR / AED (Online): $42
• Child and Baby First Aid / CPR / AED (Online): $42
• Adult CPR / AED (Online): $42
• Adult CPR / AED Skills Session (Classroom): $82
• Adult and Pediatric First Aid / CPR / AED Skills Session (Classroom): $87
• Adult CPR / AED (Classroom): $85
• CPR / AED for Professional Rescuers (Classroom): $95
• CPR / AED for Professional Rescuers—BLS (Online & Classroom): $95
• Adult First Aid / CPR / AED-BLS (Online & Classroom): $97
• Adult and Pediatric First Aid / CPR / AED-BLS (Online & Classroom): $125

There’s also the cost of course materials such as books, class fees, and the cost of the certificate itself. These also vary depending on the type of course and the provider’s policies. Some include the cost of these things in the overall cost of the course.

How Much is a CPR Test?

Again, this depends. If you’re curious about how much it costs to take a CPR certification test, the answer may hinge on the structure of the class.

Some courses—particularly for laypeople—are set up to encourage as many laypeople as possible to learn CPR. These may be online courses, or they may be in-person courses given at fire stations, rec centers, and other community locations. They may be free, although you are usually required to pay the cost of materials.

Those that provide a certification usually are not free. But with some courses, you don’t have to pay until you take the test. If you want to learn the skills without taking the test, look for a free course in your community or online, or search for courses online that don’t require you to pay until you take the test.

CPR AED Certification Costs

If you’re looking for AED training in addition to CPR, that’s frequently included in CPR training courses. For instance, our online CPR courses generally include AED for adults, children and infants (the age range depends on the course), so the cost includes both CPR and AED training.

How much is a CPR card?

This also depends. The AHA charges for their cards—in 2017 they caused a bit of an uproar by raising the price of their card from $2.20 to $17—but they also dropped the price of their student books from $18 to $2.50. These days the price for their cards ranges from $2.95 to $17, depending on the credential.

Some programs include the card in the price of the course. For instance, our card is provided to our students at no extra cost once you pass the test. It’s one of the most high-quality cards in the industry, designed to last over two years and communicate quality to employers.

Any price is a small price to pay to save a life

Of course, the bigger question is this: is CPR training worth the investment? The answer is yes—because the ability to save a life is priceless.

Those who receive CPR during cardiac arrest have nearly triple the chance of surviving the episode, over those who receive no CPR before paramedics arrive. However, most people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting do not receive bystander CPR—only about 8% are lucky enough to get immediate lifesaving care from a bystander.

If you learn how to do CPR, you could save a life. That’s worth any amount, but CPR training courses don’t have to be prohibitively expensive. No matter your budget, there are options to help you develop this valuable skill.

 

 

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