Education programs compared

CRE AI Institute vs AI.Edge by A.CRE

The CRE AI Institute is built around hands-on Claude workflows, practiced on a deal with answer keys, with two certificates and weekly live office hours on Premium. AI.Edge by A.CRE has a free tier with no time limit and a structured 9-week playbook.

Start the 7-day free trial Read a free lesson

Short answer

For Claude workflows practiced on a deal, choose the CRE AI Institute

The CRE AI Institute teaches Claude and AI agent workflows on the Desert Grove practice deal, with answer keys and two certificates. AI.Edge is the better fit if you already work in the A.CRE ecosystem or want a free tier with no time limit.

A 7-day free trial, then Standard at $69/mo
Weekly live office hours and workshops on Premium
One full lesson free, with no account

Start the 7-day free trial Read a free lesson

Paid plans from
CRE AI Institute
$69/mo
AI.Edge
Pro $97/mo, or $924/yr Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Certificates
CRE AI Institute
Two, in the membership
AI.Edge
A certificate of completion, on Pro Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Free to try
CRE AI Institute
7-day trial, one free lesson
AI.Edge
A free tier, with no time limit Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ

Verified September 24, 2026

The two programs, side by side

We run the Institute, so it is the highlighted side. Every AI.Edge cell links the page it was read from.

CRE AI Institute and AI.Edge compared on Claude workflows, practice material, certificates, live and ongoing content, leadership, team training, free option, cancellation and refunds, and price, as verified September 24, 2026.
Compared on	Our pickCRE AI Institute	AI.Edge
Claude workflows	Built on ClaudeClaude and AI agent workflows, end to end, on every tier	Not covered by the sources we checked; ask AI.Edge.
Practice deal and answer keys	The Desert Grove practice dealWith answer keys, on every tier	Not covered by the sources we checked; ask AI.Edge.
Certificates	Two certificatesAI Fluency on every tier; AI Operator on Premium	The “9-Week AI-Native Playbook” with an “AI.Edge Pro Certificate of Completion” (Pro) Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Live and ongoing	Weekly, on PremiumLive office hours and workshops, plus live deal clinics	Monthly Skill Drops, Intelligence Briefs and AI Multipliers (Pro) Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Who leads it	Zed Truong, founder of the CRE AI InstituteWith the team at Pacific Software Ventures, which builds AI systems for CRE firms	Co-founded by Spencer Burton (20+ years in CRE; co-founder of A.CRE and AI.Edge) Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQBurton is also CEO of CRE Agents Source: CRE Agents, llms-full.txtCompare CRE Agents
Team training	PSV-led, inside your firmOn your own deals, through PSV's AI training	Team pricing and onboarding available Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQA.CRE says it crafts custom curricula for enterprise teams Source: AI.Edge, the AI solution for CRE (Internet Archive snapshot, June 7, 2026)
Free option	A 7-day free trialAnd one full lesson free, with no account	Free tier with the AI Tools Library, Daily AI Prompts, the Build Showcase and the community; “No credit card required, no time limit” Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Cancellation and refunds	A first-month refundIf you finish the AI Fluency Certificate in your first month and it hasn't paid off, we refund that month.	Set out in AI.Edge's FAQ; read them there Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Price	$69/mo on StandardPremium is $99/mo	Free tier; Pro $97/mo or $924/yr Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ

The honest fit

Which one should you pick

Our pick

Choose the CRE AI Institute if

You want Claude workflows, practiced on a deal. The Desert Grove deal, with answer keys, before you touch live data.
You want two certificates. AI Fluency, and the advanced AI Operator on Premium.
You want weekly live sessions. On Premium: office hours and workshops with the PSV team, where you bring your own questions.
You want a path to a firm build. Pacific Software Ventures, which runs the Institute, builds these systems for CRE firms.

Start the 7-day free trial Read a free lesson

Choose AI.Edge if

You already work in the A.CRE ecosystem and want AI training from an A.CRE co-founder.
You want a free tier with no time limit and no credit card.
You want a structured 9-week playbook that ends in a certificate of completion, on Pro at $97 a month.

Sources: Source 1.

The detail

Every fact, with its source

Quoted phrases are AI.Edge's own words. Its terms are linked, not summarised.

CRE AI InstituteThe membership, in full

A self-paced curriculum of 3 courses and 38 lessons, inside a private community of CRE professionals. Launched July 2026.
Standard $69/mo; Premium $99/mo (against a $199/mo list price); Advisory $499/mo, which adds a monthly one-to-one hour with a PSV founder.
The certificate is self-paced, so the timeline is yours. If you finish the AI Fluency Certificate within your first month and you haven't gotten your first win, we refund that month in full. If it isn't valuable, we don't want your money.
A 7-day free trial, and one full lesson free with no account.
Everything in the membership is on the Institute page.

AI.EdgeWho leads it, and when it launched

AI.Edge was co-founded by Spencer Burton, who has 20+ years in CRE and co-founded Adventures in CRE (A.CRE) and AI.Edge. Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Spencer Burton is also CEO of CRE Agents. Source: CRE Agents, llms-full.txt
AI.Edge launched on August 18, 2025, in live beta. Source: AI.Edge, the AI solution for CRE (Internet Archive snapshot, June 7, 2026)

AI.EdgeTiers, price and terms

Pro is $97/mo or $924/yr, and there is a free tier. Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
The free tier offers the AI Tools Library, Daily AI Prompts, the Build Showcase and the community, with “No credit card required, no time limit.” Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Pro includes the “9-Week AI-Native Playbook” with an “AI.Edge Pro Certificate of Completion.” Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
Pro also includes monthly Skill Drops, Intelligence Briefs and AI Multipliers. Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
AI.Edge's FAQ sets out its cancellation and payment terms; read them there. Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ

AI.EdgeTeam training

Team pricing and onboarding are available. Source: AI.Edge, home page, pricing and FAQ
A.CRE says it crafts custom curricula for enterprise teams. Source: AI.Edge, the AI solution for CRE (Internet Archive snapshot, June 7, 2026)

Before you buy

Questions to ask any program, including ours

Terms change, and we link another program's rather than summarise them.

Is there a refund or money-back guarantee, and exactly what triggers it?
Can I cancel at any time, and what happens to my access and any certificate when I do?
Which tier includes the live sessions, and who runs them?
What do I practice on, and are there answer keys to check my work against?
Which AI tools does the curriculum teach in depth, and which does it only mention?
For a team: who delivers the training, on whose documents, and what does it cost per person?

Go to the source

Frequently asked

Institute vs AI.Edge, answered

What is the difference between the CRE AI Institute and AI.Edge?

The CRE AI Institute is a self-paced Claude curriculum of 3 courses and 38 lessons, practiced on the Desert Grove deal with answer keys. AI.Edge is a membership with a free tier and a Pro tier built around a 9-week playbook.

Sources: Source 1.

How much does AI.Edge cost compared with the CRE AI Institute?

The CRE AI Institute costs $69 a month on Standard and $99 on Premium, after a 7-day free trial. At AI.Edge, Pro is $97/mo or $924/yr, and there is a free tier.

Sources: Source 1.

Does either one have a free option?

The CRE AI Institute has no free tier: it starts with a 7-day free trial, and one full lesson is free with no account. AI.Edge has a free tier, with no time limit.

Sources: Source 1.

Which one gives a certificate?

Both. The CRE AI Institute awards two: the AI Fluency Certificate on every tier and the AI Operator Certificate on Premium. At AI.Edge, Pro includes the “9-Week AI-Native Playbook” with an “AI.Edge Pro Certificate of Completion.”

Sources: Source 1.

Is AI.Edge connected to CRE Agents?

Spencer Burton is also CEO of CRE Agents. CRE Agents is a separate product, a CRE capabilities connector for AI assistants, and it has its own comparison with Pacific Software Ventures.

Sources: Source 1.

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