When your relationship is in crisis, the last thing you need is to buy the wrong program.
I hear from a lot of women — and men — who found themselves staring at two options: Save The Marriage System and The Ex Factor. Both promise to help you get your relationship back. Both cost around the same amount. And both have strong track records. So which one is right for you?
Here is the honest answer: these two programs are not actually competing for the same buyer. They are designed for completely different situations. One is for saving a marriage that is still intact. The other is for reconnecting with an ex after a relationship has ended. Choosing the wrong one is not just a waste of $47 — it means spending weeks following strategies built for a situation that does not match yours.
This guide will help you understand exactly what each program does, who it is built for, and which one fits your specific circumstances right now. I will cover the Save The Marriage System in depth, explain where The Ex Factor fits, and give you a clear framework for making the right call — even if your situation feels complicated.
TL;DR — Quick Situation Routing
| Your Situation | Which Program |
|---|---|
| Married and trying to prevent divorce | Save The Marriage System |
| Spouse is emotionally distant but still at home | Save The Marriage System |
| Spouse said they want out but has not left | Save The Marriage System |
| Recently separated, no divorce filed yet | Start with Save The Marriage System |
| Relationship has officially ended, ex has moved on | The Ex Factor |
| Dating relationship ended (not married) | The Ex Factor |
| Divorced and want your ex-spouse back | The Ex Factor |
Save The Marriage vs The Ex Factor — The Core Difference
This is the most important section of this entire comparison. Once you understand the fundamental difference between these two programs, the decision becomes much easier.
Save The Marriage System is a program for people who are still in their marriage. Your spouse may be distant, checked out, angry, or even talking about divorce — but you are still together, still legally married, and still living under the same roof (or at least in the same relationship orbit). The goal of the program is to stop the deterioration of the marriage and begin reversing it, often working from just one partner’s side.
The Ex Factor is a program for people whose relationship has already ended. Your ex has left. The breakup or divorce has happened, or is clearly inevitable. The goal of the program is to re-attract your ex and create the conditions for them to want to come back, using structured communication strategies and psychological re-engagement techniques.
The reason Save The Marriage vs The Ex Factor comparisons can feel confusing is that both programs address relationship pain. But the methods, the psychology, and the entire framework are built for different relationship stages. Using The Ex Factor’s no-contact strategy inside an active marriage would be destructive. Using Save The Marriage’s systemic approach after a definitive breakup would miss the tactical reconnection work that post-breakup situations actually require.
Who Save The Marriage Is For
Save The Marriage is for the person who is watching their marriage slip away and is desperate to stop it — ideally before divorce proceedings begin. This might be you if your spouse has said “I don’t love you anymore,” if you have hit a wall of emotional disconnection, if communication has broken down completely, or if your partner has threatened to leave but has not yet gone. The program is designed to work even when only one partner is willing to do the work, which is one of its most important and distinctive features.
Who The Ex Factor Is For
The Ex Factor is for the person who has already experienced the end of the relationship. Whether it was a dating relationship or a marriage that ended in separation or divorce, the defining characteristic is that the relationship status is no longer “together.” The program’s strategies — including its structured no-contact phase, re-attraction sequences, and scripted communication templates — are built for the post-breakup dynamic, where reconnection requires re-sparking attraction from a distance rather than repairing an active relationship.
Still trying to save your marriage? Save The Marriage System is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. See the full program here.
At-a-Glance Comparison Table
| Category | Save The Marriage System | The Ex Factor 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Dr. Lee Baucom | Brad Browning |
| Creator Background | Licensed LMFT, PhD in counseling, 20+ years clinical practice | Relationship coach, YouTube breakup recovery specialist |
| Who It’s For | Married couples (one or both) trying to prevent divorce | People trying to reconnect with an ex after a breakup |
| Relationship Stage | Intact marriage — relationship still active | Ended relationship — partner has left |
| Core Approach | Bowen Family Systems theory; differentiation; changing relationship patterns from one person | 3R System (Recovery, Rekindling, Reattraction); no-contact rule; behavioral re-attraction |
| Format | Digital PDF ebook + audio lessons + bonus modules | PDF ebook (~163 pages) + 20-part video course + bonuses |
| Price | ~$47 | ~$47 |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 60 days (via ClickBank) | 60 days (via ClickBank) |
| One-Partner Capable | Yes — explicitly designed for this | Yes — designed for the person who was left |
| Best Use Case | Emotional disconnection, spouse wants out, communication breakdown, one partner trying alone | Post-breakup, ex has moved on, want to re-attract and reconnect |
| Not Designed For | Reconnecting after a definitive split | Preventing divorce in an active marriage |
Save The Marriage System — Deep Dive
What Is the Save The Marriage System?
The Save The Marriage System is a digital program created by Dr. Lee Baucom, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with a PhD in counseling. Dr. Baucom has been in private practice for over two decades, working directly with couples and individuals in marital crisis. This is not a relationship coach drawing on personal experience — it is a clinician drawing on evidence-based therapeutic frameworks applied and simplified for a self-help context.
The program is built around a central insight from systemic family therapy: when one person in a relationship genuinely changes their behavior and patterns, the entire relationship system must respond. This is the reason the program can be effective even when only one spouse is willing to engage with it. You do not need your partner’s participation to begin shifting the dynamics.
The Core Method
Dr. Baucom’s approach draws on Bowen Family Systems Theory, one of the foundational models in marriage and family therapy. The key concept he translates for readers is differentiation — the ability to remain grounded in your own values, emotional responses, and sense of self even when a relationship is in crisis, rather than reacting with panic, clinging, or emotional flooding that typically makes things worse.
The program is organized around what Baucom calls the 3 C’s: Connection, Communication, and Commitment. Rather than tactical scripts or behavioral tricks, the emphasis is on identifying and changing the underlying patterns that caused the marriage to deteriorate in the first place — reactive communication cycles, loss of emotional connection, unmet needs that were never clearly expressed.
Alongside the main ebook and audio content, the program includes bonus materials covering specific high-stress scenarios: dealing with a spouse’s anger and resentment, navigating a midlife marriage crisis, recovering from an affair, and rebuilding after one partner has emotionally withdrawn. These bonus modules make the program more comprehensive than a simple one-size-fits-all guide.
For a complete breakdown of the program content, see our full Save The Marriage review. If you are still weighing whether the program is legitimate, our Save The Marriage scam-or-legit article addresses that directly.
Save The Marriage Is Best For
- A spouse who has said they want out but has not yet left
- Severe emotional disconnection — you feel like roommates, not partners
- Repeated communication breakdowns that keep escalating
- One partner trying alone while the other is checked out
- Situations involving resentment, contempt, or emotional withdrawal
- Anyone facing a midlife marriage crisis or emotional affair
Save The Marriage Is NOT Designed For
- Re-attracting an ex after a definitive breakup
- Reconnecting after a legal divorce is finalized
- Post-separation situations where the partner has fully moved on
- People who want scripted “game” techniques rather than systems-level change
The Ex Factor 2.0 — Deep Dive
What Is The Ex Factor?
The Ex Factor 2.0 is a comprehensive breakup-recovery and ex-back program created by Brad Browning, a relationship coach who has built one of the largest YouTube channels dedicated to breakup recovery and reconciliation. Unlike Dr. Baucom, Browning comes from a coaching rather than clinical background — his framework is grounded in applied behavioral psychology and what he has observed work in post-breakup reconnection situations over years of coaching clients.
The program is notably thorough for its price point: the main guide runs approximately 163 pages and is paired with a full 20-part video course. There are two separate versions of the program — one tailored for women trying to reconnect with an ex-boyfriend, and one for men trying to reconnect with an ex-girlfriend — which means the strategies are calibrated for the specific dynamics of each gender’s post-breakup experience.
The Core Method
The Ex Factor’s central framework is the 3R System: Recovery, Rekindling, and Reattraction.
Recovery is the foundation — and it begins with a structured no-contact period. The no-contact rule is not about playing games; it is about stopping the behaviors (excessive texting, pleading, showing desperation) that reliably make an ex feel justified in their decision to leave and push them further away. The recovery phase also involves emotional stabilization and rebuilding your own confidence and identity after the breakup.
Rekindling is the re-engagement phase, built around carefully timed and calibrated communication designed to reopen the emotional connection without triggering the defenses that caused the breakup. Browning provides specific templates and scripts for how to reintroduce yourself into your ex’s life in a way that feels natural rather than calculated.
Reattraction is the final phase — rebuilding the attraction that originally drew your ex to you, addressing whatever dynamic caused the relationship to end, and creating the conditions for your ex to choose to return voluntarily.
For the specific situation of wanting to get your partner back after a relationship has ended, our how to get your ex back guide covers the principles The Ex Factor teaches in more detail.
The Ex Factor Is Best For
- A dating relationship that has clearly ended
- A marriage that has ended in separation or legal divorce
- Situations where your ex has emotionally moved on and needs re-attraction
- Anyone in the early post-breakup window wanting a structured step-by-step plan
- People who feel stuck in a cycle of texting or pleading that is not working
- Situations where the no-contact period can realistically be implemented
The Ex Factor Is NOT Designed For
- Saving a marriage that is still intact — the no-contact approach would be damaging here
- Deep systemic change to relationship patterns in an active partnership
- Situations where both partners are still together and willing to work on things
- Crisis management while a spouse is still in the home
Trying to reconnect with an ex? The Ex Factor comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee. See the full program here.
When to Choose Save The Marriage
The Save The Marriage System is the right choice when your relationship is still in play — when there is still something to save rather than something to recover.
Choose Save The Marriage System if:
- Your spouse is still living with you, even if they have emotionally withdrawn
- Your spouse has said “I want a divorce” but proceedings have not started
- You are experiencing persistent communication breakdowns, contempt, or emotional distance
- Your spouse has had or is suspected of having an emotional affair, but you are still together
- You are in the “roommate” phase of marriage — coexisting but not connecting
- Your partner seems checked out, going through the motions, or “done” — but has not physically left
- You want to understand the root patterns driving the disconnection, not just surface-level tactics
- You are the only one willing to work on the relationship right now
- You are trying to prevent the need for an ex-back approach by stopping the deterioration before it reaches that point
- You want a program informed by clinical training and evidence-based therapeutic models
The systemic framework Dr. Baucom teaches in Save The Marriage is particularly powerful in the “one person trying” scenario because it does not require your spouse’s cooperation to begin working. Changes in your own patterns, responses, and emotional presence will ripple through the relationship even if your partner initially resists or dismisses them. For a deeper look at whether this approach can actually produce results, our does Save The Marriage work review covers the evidence.
If you are in the early stages of separation and want to understand whether your marriage can still be saved, Save The Marriage System belongs in your hands before you take any other step.
When to Choose The Ex Factor
The Ex Factor is the right choice when the relationship has a clear end — when you are no longer together and the goal is reconnection rather than damage prevention.
Choose The Ex Factor if:
- You and your ex have officially broken up or separated
- Your ex has moved out and is no longer in regular contact with you
- You are legally divorced and want to reconnect with your ex-spouse
- Your ex is dating someone else and you need a re-attraction strategy
- You feel the impulse to send long emotional texts or make late-night phone calls — and you need a structured plan to stop and redirect that energy
- The relationship ended over issues that could realistically be addressed (rather than fundamental incompatibility)
- You want a step-by-step, format-rich program with video modules and communication scripts
- You are in the early weeks after a breakup and want to begin no-contact with a clear roadmap for what comes next
The Ex Factor’s strength is in its specificity — it was built from the ground up for the post-breakup scenario, and every strategy it teaches is calibrated for that dynamic. The no-contact phase, the reintroduction scripts, and the reattraction framework are all designed for a situation where your ex has left and needs to be won back on new terms.
The Gray Zone — Separation That Is Not Quite a Breakup
There is a situation that falls between these two programs, and it deserves honest attention: separation that is not yet a legal divorce.
If your spouse has moved out but divorce proceedings have not been filed, you are in genuinely ambiguous territory. The relationship is still legally intact, and reconciliation is still a realistic goal — but the emotional and physical separation may make Save The Marriage’s relational-repair approach harder to implement directly.
Here is how I think about this decision:
Choose Save The Marriage first if:
- The separation is recent (within the past few months)
- There has been no definitive “this is over” declaration from your spouse
- You are still in some form of contact — coparenting, shared finances, mutual friends
- Your spouse has not started a new relationship
- There is still residual goodwill, even if the marriage is painful right now
Consider The Ex Factor if:
- The separation has been long and the emotional distance feels more like a breakup than a pause
- Your spouse has filed for divorce or is actively pursuing one
- Your spouse is in a new relationship and has emotionally moved on
- Communication has completely stopped
In the gray zone, some people find it useful to begin with Save The Marriage’s systemic framework to understand what went wrong and shift their own patterns, then draw on The Ex Factor’s re-engagement and reattraction strategies for the communication phase. The two programs are not mutually exclusive — but if you can only choose one starting point, default to Save The Marriage while the relationship is still technically intact.
For more perspective on where your marriage actually stands, our article on signs your marriage is over and how to rebuild trust in marriage can help you assess the situation more clearly.
Is Save The Marriage Worth It?
Let me address this directly, because it is a question that comes up a lot — especially from people who are weighing whether to try Save The Marriage against the alternative of pursuing their ex through a program like The Ex Factor.
Is Save The Marriage System worth it? For the right situation — yes, genuinely.
Here is the honest value calculation:
Dr. Lee Baucom’s credentials are real and substantial. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a PhD in counseling and over two decades in private practice. In-person couples therapy typically runs $150–$300 per session, and most couples need a minimum of eight to twelve sessions to see meaningful results. That is $1,200 to $3,600 minimum for professional help. Save The Marriage System delivers Dr. Baucom’s clinical framework — the same foundational approach he uses with clients — in a self-paced digital format for $47.
The one-partner-capable design is genuinely rare and genuinely valuable. Most relationship programs assume both partners are engaged. Save The Marriage System is explicitly built for the situation where you are the only one trying, which is the reality for a significant portion of people facing marital breakdown. The program does not give you false hope — it teaches you to change what is actually within your control, which is your own patterns and responses, and explains why that change ripples through the relationship system.
When compared to The Ex Factor specifically, the question of “is it worth it” depends entirely on your situation:
- If your marriage is still intact and you are trying to prevent divorce: Save The Marriage is the more relevant and valuable program. The Ex Factor’s post-breakup framework simply does not apply.
- If your relationship has ended and you are trying to reconnect: The Ex Factor is the more targeted and valuable program. Save The Marriage’s systemic repair approach is not designed for post-split reconnection.
At $47 with a 60-day money-back guarantee, the financial risk of either program is low. The real risk is choosing based on general reviews rather than your actual situation. For a detailed look at whether Save The Marriage delivers on its specific promises, see our does Save The Marriage work analysis and our Save The Marriage cost and pricing breakdown.
It is also worth noting that Save The Marriage System is not the only strong program in the marriage-repair space. If you have already gone through Save The Marriage or want a different perspective, Mend The Marriage is another well-regarded program worth considering. For people dealing specifically with trust damage and emotional disconnection after infidelity or a period of growing apart, the Relationship Rewrite Method offers a complementary approach. For the broader landscape of marriage repair approaches, our guide on how to save your marriage covers multiple frameworks.
Our Recommendation — Which to Pick
I want to make this as clear as possible, because clarity is what you need when you are in pain and trying to make a decision.
If your marriage is still intact:
Use Save The Marriage System. It was built for exactly your situation. Dr. Baucom’s clinical background, his systems-level framework, and his direct attention to the “one person trying” scenario make this the most targeted resource available for preventing divorce while a marriage is still active. Nothing in The Ex Factor’s post-breakup framework is going to help you right now — and some of it could actively make things worse.
If your relationship has ended:
Use The Ex Factor. Brad Browning’s 3R System — Recovery, Rekindling, Reattraction — is specifically engineered for the post-breakup dynamic. The structured no-contact approach, the reintroduction scripts, and the video-based format give you a clear roadmap for a situation that can feel formless and overwhelming after a split.
If you are in early separation and genuinely unsure:
Start with Save The Marriage System. While the relationship still has legal and emotional status, the systemic repair framework is a better foundation than the re-attraction approach. You can always supplement with The Ex Factor’s communication strategies later if reconciliation requires more active re-engagement.
Both programs carry a 60-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee through ClickBank. There is no financial risk to starting with the more relevant option and reassessing.
Ready to start working on your marriage? Save The Marriage System is backed by a full 60-day guarantee — no questions asked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Save The Marriage and The Ex Factor?
The fundamental difference is the relationship stage they address. Save The Marriage System by Dr. Lee Baucom is designed for people who are still in their marriage and want to prevent divorce — it focuses on changing relationship dynamics while both partners are still together. The Ex Factor by Brad Browning is designed for people whose relationship has already ended and who want to reconnect with an ex. If your marriage is still intact, Save The Marriage is the more relevant program.
Can I use Save The Marriage if my spouse has moved out?
Save The Marriage System can still be relevant in early separation, particularly if divorce proceedings have not started and there is still potential for reconciliation. However, if the relationship has definitively ended, The Ex Factor’s approach to re-attraction and reconnection after a breakup may be more applicable. Dr. Lee Baucom does provide guidance for some separated situations within the program.
Which program is better for stopping a divorce?
Save The Marriage System is specifically designed for this situation — stopping a divorce while the marriage is still legally intact. Dr. Lee Baucom addresses the “one-person-trying” scenario directly. The Ex Factor focuses on post-breakup reconnection rather than active divorce prevention.
Who created each program?
Save The Marriage System was created by Dr. Lee Baucom, a licensed marriage and family therapist with a PhD in counseling and decades of professional practice. The Ex Factor was created by Brad Browning, a relationship coach specializing in breakup recovery and re-attraction strategies. Both are legitimate creators with substantial public presences and long track records.
Do both programs come with a money-back guarantee?
Yes. Both Save The Marriage System and The Ex Factor are sold through ClickBank, which provides a 60-day money-back guarantee on all purchases. If either program does not help your situation, you can request a full refund within 60 days.
Is Save The Marriage worth it compared to The Ex Factor?
If your marriage is still intact and you want to prevent divorce, Save The Marriage System is the more targeted and relevant choice. Its therapy-informed systemic approach addresses the specific dynamics of a deteriorating but active marriage. The Ex Factor serves a fundamentally different situation — choose based on your stage, not based on which program has more general reviews.
Lovewise provides general educational information about dating and relationships. It is not a substitute for professional counseling, therapy, or mental-health care. If you are in crisis or experiencing abuse, contact a licensed professional or a support hotline. If your situation involves domestic abuse, coercive control, or safety concerns, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (thehotline.org) before following any relationship program.
Written by Jenna Hart, Certified Relationship Coach.