FindCPA is a licensed CPA directory with published ranking rules, free listings, and 16,000+ licensed CPAs focusing on tax, accounting, audit and other services. Built by a CPA.
Sam’s List is a curated directory of accountants, bookkeepers, financial advisors, and fractional CFOs.
FindCPA lists licensed CPAs only (16,000+), across all 50 states plus remote. Ranking is documented. A Growth or Pro badge can add a small, disclosed boost. Buying a lead does not.
FindCPA vs Sam’s List: which should you pick?
Sam’s List is alright if you want a small list of professionals, but it is not a CPA only directory.
FindCPA is the better fit if you want to find a “a licensed CPA” or “get found as a CPA” at national scale, with filters for state, city, zip, specialty, and industry, with a published ranking methodology. The site hosts over 16,000 CPAs across all 50 states.
Feature comparison
| Feature | FindCPA | Sam’s List |
| Who is listed | Licensed CPAs only (16,000+) | CPAs, bookkeepers, advisors, fractional CFOs (“630+ professionals”) |
| How you get listed | Claim a free profile; listings manually reviewed (license, address, services) | Application + review of credentials and active practice; site says it does not independently verify all submitted claims |
| Coverage | All 50 states + remote | Nationwide profiles; many firms serve the whole US |
| Free listing | Yes | Consumer use is free; professionals apply to join |
| Paid listing | Growth $29/mo · Pro $99/mo | Homepage: no referral fees, no pay-to-play rankings. Footer: some pros join paid programs for visibility or leads |
| Ranking rules | Published methodology; paid plans add a small disclosed boost only | Paid visibility programs |
| Can you buy rank with a lead? | No | Leads/visibility programs exist; ranking is not published as a scored method |
| Matching | Consumer form (<1 min) + manual match | 30-second matching quiz by needs, industry, financial profile |
| Exclusive leads | Yes | Quiz introduces vetted professionals (typically more than one) |
| Reviews | On-platform; Free shows 3, Growth/Pro unlimited; Pro dispute channel | Social login (LinkedIn / Google / X); firm cannot remove reviews |
| Pricing on profile | Yes (on most listings) | Yes |
| Filters | State, city, zip, specialty, industry | Industry and specialty filters, including granular tax niches |
| Q&A | Live | Public questions on some profiles (from the product’s original feature set); not the core consumer path today |
| Booking | Pro: Book a free call + Calendly | Schedule a call on some profiles |
| Thought leadership | Pro: up to 3 indexed expert articles | Blog / guides |
| Built by a licensed CPA | Yes | Founder-built directory; not positioned as a CPA product |
Why choose FindCPA over Sam’s List?
Scale and license
FindCPA
16,000+ licensed CPAs. Every listing is a CPA. The platform manually reviews all listings’ license, address, and services.
Sam’s List
A smaller professional roster. It is a problem if you only want a licensed professional. Of course, some listed people may be, but not all.
Ranking and money
FindCPA
Rank is documented. Growth/Pro plans add a visible, limited boost. Partnership leads are separate and exclusive to the CPAs.
Sam’s List
The marketing line is “no pay-to-play rankings” and “zero commissions.” But in reality, paid visibility and lead programs exist. Both sentences are theirs. FindCPA puts the paid-boost rule on a methodology page instead of splitting it between homepage and footer.
Matching
FindCPA
A short form, then a person matches on fit.
Sam’s List
A 30-second quiz. Fast. The tradeoff is that the pool is the 630+ mixed roster, not a national CPA-only set.
What you can do on FindCPA that Sam’s List is not built for?
CPA only search
Find CPA only includes CPAs that are licensed, and these CPAs are able to provide various services, like tax planning, CFO services, bookkeeping, accounting, auditing, and much more.
Zip and city filters at national scale
Plus specialty and industry, including remote.
Published ranking
You can know exactly why a CPA 1 ranks above a CPA 2.
Q&A on the same site as the directory
Want to ask some simple questions and get a CPA answer? You can easily do that on the platform!
Plans at a glance for CPAs
Free. $0/mo
Basic profile, 1 photo, up to 3 reviews, contact form and website on the full profile. No ranking boost.
Growth. $29/mo
Full bio, FAQ, intro video, verified checkmark, unlimited reviews, phone and email on the card, small ranking boost.
Pro. $99/mo
Booking on the card, Calendly, larger boost, Pro badge, review disputes, up to 3 indexed articles.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why FindCPA is better than Sam’s List?
FindCPA is a directory of only licensed professionals. It includes over 16,000 CPAs. The platform was also created by a licensed CPA, meaning that it was designed with customers in mind, driven by actual professional experience working with clients.
Is FindCPA a smaller version of Sam’s List?
No. Sam’s List is a curated multi-profession list with deep reviews and pricing. FindCPA is a CPA only national directory with published ranking and optional exclusive leads.
Can firms pay Sam’s List for visibility?
Their footer says some professionals participate in paid programs for additional visibility or leads.
Can a free FindCPA listing get a lead?
Yes, if the CPA opts into the partnership form and is the right fit.
Who built FindCPA?
A licensed CPA.