CliffsNotes primary focus is providing literature guides (such as guides to works by Shakespeare). However, it does offer study guides on many other subjects.

SparkNotes has a decent selection of other topics as well. However, I find that CliffsNotes is the superior choice when it comes to most subjects.

CliffsNotes offers literature guides on over 300 titles, including popular works from authors such as Shakespeare. You’ll find works such as Macbeth and Into the Wild.

The guides are arranged in alphabetical order, based on title and author, so you can easily find the work you are looking for. For the purposes of this article, we will be looking at Macbeth, a well-known tragedy written by William Shakespeare.

Let’s go over some of the features you will find in the literature guides on CliffsNotes.

A video will provide you with a short introduction and summary of the work. It will give some background about the work and help you quickly understand what it is about, who the author was, the historical context, and other important details.

This will be followed by a text-based summary of the work, including the date published, other details, and a brief synopsis.

Depending on the work in question, you may also see a “Play Summary” section, again complete with both a short video and a text-based explanation.

In the Character List, you will find a brief introduction to each of the characters of the play or book. Each introduction will usually be just one paragraph, providing indispensable insights into who the character was, what their goals were, and what they were known for.

Some guides may have a separate page for each character. It all depends on the guide, as while all guides were written by professors, not all of them were written by the same person.

There is also a breakdown and synopsis of each scene in the play. For books, you will see a breakdown of each chapter.

This is perhaps the most important part of the guide, as you will be able to quickly review chapters you haven’t read. You can also read through all the chapter summaries to get an idea of what the book is about in just an hour or two.

The Themes section explains the literary themes used in the text. Meanwhile, the Symbols section explains the symbolism of different colors, items, and other things mentioned in the text.

There may also be a section on motifs.

Some guides may include quizzes that can help you practice for an exam or check your understanding of a literary text.

You may also see essay questions and practice projects. Practice projects are short projects you can do, either on your own or with a study partner, to help you prepare for an essay or project you might be asked to do in class.

There may also be additional sections, such as a section with famous quotes from the text. Other possible sections you will see in guides include:

• Critical Essays
• Character Map
• Film Versions
• Full Glossary
• Study Help

Again, these can vary from one guide to another.

All in all, CliffsNotes offers excellent and time-tested literature guides to famous texts.

SparkNotes also has excellent literature guides (to over 500 texts).

Let’s go over some of the different features and sections you will see in a literary guide from SparkNotes. Again, we will be using Shakespeare’s famous play Macbeth as an example.

There are summaries of each scene. These are pretty short but provide you with everything you need to know about the scene (or chapter).

I like how all the scenes of an act are summarized on the same page. That way, you can quickly understand what an act is about.

There are also explanations of the different characters. The character list provides you with a brief overview of all the characters, while each character will usually get its own explanation page as well.

For Macbeth, at least, SparkNotes explains many different types of literary devices, including:

• Themes
• Symbols
• Genres
• Styles
• Protagonists
• Allusions

There are both quick quizzes on the different chapters/scenes of the text and a series of questions and answers.

The Q&As help you learn the answers to common questions you might be asked about the text, while the quick quizzes are a great way to quickly test your knowledge of a topic.

One thing I really liked about SparkNotes is its “No Fear Translations.” A common problem students have when using CliffsNotes, SparkNotes, or any literary guide is that many of the texts are written in language that is hard for the average person to understand.

Shakespeare, for example, was written in Old English, and many of the literary texts follow that style. The No Fear Translations by SparkNotes provide Modern English translations of Shakespeare’s texts, making them easier to understand.

There are also audio recordings of Shakespeare’s texts.

Flashcards are only available to Plus subscribers. They’re a great way to learn and review your understanding of a text.

Flashcards work on the principle of spaced repetition. Spaced repetition involves repeated exposure to a fact over a period of time, which helps improve your memory of it.

There are also infographics explaining the texts, as well as graphic novels/comics based on the play. These help you get a visual understanding and presentation of the play or book, which can help you remember it better.

Again, it is only available to SparkNotes Plus subscribers.

While quick quizzes are available for free, Mastery Quizzes are only available to SparkNotes Plus subscribers.

These quizzes go in further depth into the topic to help you truly understand the text. They even include detailed feedback for every answer to help you understand it better.

CliffsNotes offers test prep guides for common tests that students take in the United States, including the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), ACT (American College Testing), GRE (Graduate Record Examinations), and Praxis exams.

There are also test prep guides for AP (Advanced Placement) exams and high school equivalency exams (like the GED, or General Educational Development exam).

Finally, there are test prep guides for graduate-level exams like the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) and professional exams like FTCE (Florida Teacher Certification Exams).

Books are available for purchase to help you prepare for these tests, but there are also online guides covering the structure of the exam, last-minute test prep tips, and a lot more.

Unfortunately, SparkNotes still has a long way to catch up with CliffsNotes when it comes to test prep. It only offers test prep for two exams: AP English Literature and AP English Language.

Not only that, but it is only available to Plus subscribers. Many of the test prep materials offered by CliffsNotes, on the other hand, are available for free, although some are books that require purchasing.

The exam test prep from SparkNotes includes practice exams. It also includes test-taking strategies, activities, and lessons.

Let’s talk about pricing. If you’re a student, you’re probably on a budget, and paying lots of fees for study guides probably isn’t something you want or can do.

Fortunately, both CliffsNotes and SparkNotes can be used for free. However, do they limit certain features to paying subscribers?

The CliffsNotes website is free to browse. However, it’s important to realize that CliffsNotes started off as a series of physical study guides, and that never stopped.

Therefore, a lot of the materials are only available as physical paperbacks, which you can purchase on Amazon at your local bookstores.

For example, the Quick Review books are available for purchase from Amazon. You can also buy many test prep books from Amazon, including for tests I haven’t yet mentioned.

The good news is that your local library might have copies of CliffsNotes books, which you can check out for free if you have a membership card. Public libraries are always free to join, and they’re invaluable resources for students.

• More subjects
• Exam test prep for major tests
• Industry standard

• Lacks infographics and flashcards
• Lacks audio recordings
• Doesn’t allow online note-taking

• More literature guides available
• Offers flashcards, audio recordings, and more
• Has Modern English translations

• Not enough exam prep
• Requires a subscription for many features, like flashcards
• Not enough study guides on other subjects

Both SparkNotes and CliffsNotes offer excellent study and literature guides. CliffsNotes has over 300 guides, while SparkNotes has over 500 guides.

I like the SparkNotes literature guides better, as I find them easier to follow. In addition, if you get Plus, you will get access to infographics, graphic novels, No Fear Translations, flashcards, note-taking, and other perks to help you learn.

However, when it comes to test prep for major exams in the United States, such as SATs or ACTs, CliffsNotes wins. SparkNotes only helps you prepare for two AP exams, while CliffsNotes has exam prep books for a much wider range of exams.

Similarly, CliffsNotes offers better and more study guides for topics other than literature.

In short, SparkNotes wins when it comes to literature guides, but CliffsNotes is superior when it comes to study guides for other topics and exam prep.

Tom Clayton

Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.