The facts side by side
| As of 7 Nov 2026 | BandCheck | Writing9 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 for 1 month · $9.99 for 3 months [source] | $7.99/week · $14.99/month · $29.99/year (yearly shown as a time-limited discount from $37.49) [source] |
| How you pay | One-time pass, no auto-renew. Fair use: 50 Writing/Speaking reviews per 30 days; Reading & Listening unlimited [source] | Subscription; cancel any time, no refund for the unused part [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] | Not stated (a demo checker is offered) [source] |
| Writing | Yes — Task 1 and Task 2, a band for each of the 4 criteria [source] | Yes — Task 1 Academic and General, Task 2; unlimited on Premium [source] |
| Speaking | Yes — live conversation or recorded Parts 1–3; pronunciation scored from audio [source] | Not in Writing9 itself; the separate Speaking9 simulator is a Premium bonus [source] |
| Reading | Yes — full tests, auto-scored [source] | Not stated [source] |
| Listening | Yes — full tests with audio, auto-scored [source] | Not stated [source] |
| Live voice AI examiner | Yes — Turna, a voice AI examiner (beta) [source] | Not stated [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 Spotted something out of date?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 Writing9 is stronger
- Focused on Writing. It checks Task 1 Academic (charts), Task 1 General (letters) and Task 2, with a report built around the four Writing criteria.
- Cheap for long preparation. $29.99 for a year (shown as a time-limited discount) works out at about $2.50 a month.
- Unlimited submissions on Premium, plus bonuses: the Speaking9 speaking simulator, a Band 7+ Writing e-book and a speaking course.
Where BandCheck is stronger
- All four skills in one account: Writing, Speaking (live or recorded), and full Reading and Listening tests, plus a full mock exam whose first attempt is free.
- A live voice examiner. Turna holds a real spoken conversation and scores fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation from your audio.
- Feedback in six languages (English, Russian, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Arabic, French). Writing9 doesn't state which languages its feedback is in.
- No subscription. $3.99 for 30 days or $9.99 for 90 days, paid once; nothing renews.
- A free tier you can see: 2 Writing/Speaking checks at signup and a free casual Live conversation every day. Writing9 does not state a free allowance.
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 Writing9 if Writing is your only weak spot and you want the lowest price per month over a long preparation. Pick BandCheck if you need Speaking practice with a real conversation, want all four skills tracked in one place, prefer explanations in Russian or Uzbek, or need just one month before your exam.
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