The facts side by side
| As of 7 Nov 2026 | BandCheck | Engnovate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 for 1 month · $9.99 for 3 months [source] | $11.97 / 1 month · $25.97 / 3 months · $44.97 / 6 months · $61.97 / 12 months (shown as a limited-time 30% off) [source] |
| How you pay | One-time pass, no auto-renew. Fair use: 50 Writing/Speaking reviews per 30 days; Reading & Listening unlimited [source] | One-time payments; bulk codes 10–20% off for 10+ codes [source] |
| Free tier | 2 Writing/Speaking checks at signup, first 2 Reading and 2 Listening tests, first full mock test, 1 casual Live Speaking conversation a day [source] | 2 Writing + 2 Speaking evaluations a month, 2 essay generations a month, 100+ Cambridge IELTS tests [source] |
| Writing | Yes — Task 1 and Task 2, a band for each of the 4 criteria [source] | Yes — Task 1 and Task 2; unlimited on Premium [source] |
| Speaking | Yes — live conversation or recorded Parts 1–3; pronunciation scored from audio [source] | Yes — Parts 1, 2 and 3; unlimited on Premium [source] |
| Reading | Yes — full tests, auto-scored [source] | Yes — Reading tests (Cambridge tests on the free plan) [source] |
| Listening | Yes — full tests with audio, auto-scored [source] | Yes — Listening tests [source] |
| Live voice AI examiner | Yes — Turna, a voice AI examiner (beta) [source] | AI conversation practice is listed (“real-time dialogues with AI”); not described as a graded examiner [source] |
| Feedback languages | English, Russian, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Arabic, French | Not stated [source] |
| Payment methods | Visa/Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay (Dodo Payments). In Uzbekistan also Payme, Click or card transfer — arranged by hand for now [source] | Not stated [source] |
“Not stated” means the competitor's own site did not say, as far as we could find on 7 Nov 2026. Prices are in US dollars as shown on each site. Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we'll fix it.
Where Engnovate is stronger
- A generous free plan: 2 Writing + 2 Speaking evaluations every month, 2 essay generations a month and 100+ Cambridge IELTS tests.
- One-time payments, like BandCheck — nothing renews.
- Bulk codes for teachers: 10–20% off when you buy 10 or more activation codes.
- Extras: courses, section and part practice, AI conversation practice, and a partnership with Preply for live human tutors.
Where BandCheck is stronger
- Cheaper paid access: $3.99 for 30 days or $9.99 for 90 days, against $11.97 for 1 month and $25.97 for 3 months on Engnovate (their prices are shown as a limited-time discount).
- A graded live voice examiner. Turna runs the Speaking interview as a conversation and scores it; Engnovate lists AI conversations as “real-time dialogues with AI” but doesn't describe them as a graded examiner.
- Feedback in six languages, including Russian and Uzbek. Engnovate doesn't state feedback languages.
- Local payment in Uzbekistan (Payme, Click, card transfer — manual for now) on top of cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
BandCheck's honest weaknesses
- It's young. BandCheck grew out of a Telegram bot and is a small, independent service. There are few public reviews of it yet — none on AlternativeTo at the time of writing — so you have less social proof to go on than with older tools.
- Live Speaking is in beta. Turna, the voice examiner, works, but it is newer than the Writing grader and can still have rough edges.
- Local payment in Uzbekistan is manual for now. Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are instant; Payme, Click and card transfers are arranged by hand.
- It's an estimate. Like every AI checker on this page, BandCheck can't give an official band — see how we grade.
Which one should you choose?
Pick Engnovate if you mainly want free Cambridge practice tests and 2+2 checks a month are enough. Pick BandCheck if you need more checks for less money, want to practise Speaking as a real conversation, or want feedback in your own language.
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