Best AI IELTS checkers in 2026: 6 tools compared

Prices, free limits, which skills are graded, whether there's a live Speaking examiner, feedback languages and how you can pay — for six tools students actually use.

By the BandCheck team. We make one of these tools, so we've tried to be strict: every competitor fact links to the competitor's own page, and anything a site doesn't say is marked “Not stated”. Checked 7 Nov 2026; reviewed every quarter.

In short: for free practice tests, Engnovate is the most generous (2 Writing + 2 Speaking checks a month and 100+ Cambridge tests). For Writing only over a long period, Writing9's yearly plan is cheap. For a weekly free essay, ielts.international. For explanations and ideas, ChatGPT. For all four skills with a live voice examiner, feedback in Russian or Uzbek and no subscription, BandCheck ($3.99 for a month).

All six at a glance

As of 7 Nov 2026BandCheckWriting9EngnovateIELTS InternationalLingoLeapChatGPT
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]$11.97 / 1 month · $25.97 / 3 months · $44.97 / 6 months · $61.97 / 12 months (shown as a limited-time 30% off) [source]$5.99/month · $15 Exam Pass for 8 weeks · Starter Pack (one-time; the page says “from $2.99”) [source]$20/month · $50/3 months · $160/year (credit-based: the monthly plan = 25 Speaking or 12 Writing evaluations) [source]Free plan; paid Go, Plus and Pro — the price is shown for your country on the pricing page [source]
How you payOne-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]One-time payments; bulk codes 10–20% off for 10+ codes [source]Monthly Pass renews monthly until cancelled; Exam Pass and Starter Pack are one-time [source]Not stated [source]Monthly subscription (paid plans) [source]
Free tier2 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]2 Writing + 2 Speaking evaluations a month, 2 essay generations a month, 100+ Cambridge IELTS tests [source]1 essay a week; first Speaking diagnostic free without an account [source]500 credits = 2 Writing or 5 Speaking evaluations [source]Unlimited text chats (with abuse guardrails), limited voice chats [source]
WritingYes — 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]Yes — Task 1 and Task 2; unlimited on Premium [source]Yes — 20 AI-scored essays on the Monthly Pass [source]Yes [source]General-purpose: comments on an essay if you ask; no built-in IELTS rubric or band history [source]
SpeakingYes — 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]Yes — Parts 1, 2 and 3; unlimited on Premium [source]Yes — 8 sessions of 15 minutes on the Monthly Pass [source]Yes [source]Voice chat can role-play an examiner; not an IELTS scoring tool [source]
ReadingYes — full tests, auto-scored [source]Not stated [source]Yes — Reading tests (Cambridge tests on the free plan) [source]Yes — 40 Reading + Listening exercises on the Monthly Pass [source]Not stated as graded (question-type guides; paid plans list “1,000+ mock tests”) [source]No built-in IELTS tests [source]
ListeningYes — full tests with audio, auto-scored [source]Not stated [source]Yes — Listening tests [source]Yes — shared with Reading (40 exercises) [source]Not stated as graded [source]No built-in IELTS tests [source]
Live voice AI examinerYes — Turna, a voice AI examiner (beta) [source]Not stated [source]AI conversation practice is listed (“real-time dialogues with AI”); not described as a graded examiner [source]Not stated [source]Not stated [source]Voice chat (limited on Free), not an IELTS examiner [source]
Feedback languagesEnglish, Russian, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Arabic, FrenchNot stated [source]Not stated [source]Not stated (the site itself is in 27 languages, including Russian) [source]Not stated (site in 20 languages) [source]Not stated on the pricing page; in practice it answers in the language you write in [source]
Payment methodsVisa/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 [source]Card checkout via Stripe, billed in USD (specific methods not listed) [source]Not stated [source]Not stated on the pricing page [source]

“Not stated” = the site did not say. Prices in US dollars as shown on each site. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.

Tool by tool

BandCheck · bandcheck.app

Best for: All four skills in one place, a live Speaking examiner, feedback in your language, no subscription.

Strengths: Turna, a voice AI examiner; band per criterion; full Reading and Listening tests; free first mock exam; feedback in 6 languages; $3.99 one-time for 30 days.

Watch out for: Young service with few public reviews; Live Speaking in beta; Payme/Click in Uzbekistan arranged by hand.

Writing9 · writing9.com

Best for: Writing-only practice over a long period.

Strengths: Checks Task 1 Academic and General and Task 2; unlimited on Premium; $29.99/year; Speaking9 simulator as a Premium bonus.

Watch out for: No Reading or Listening stated; free allowance and feedback languages not stated; recurring subscription.

Full comparison: BandCheck vs Writing9 →

Engnovate · engnovate.com

Best for: Free Cambridge practice tests and a few free checks a month.

Strengths: 2 Writing + 2 Speaking evaluations a month free; 100+ Cambridge tests; one-time payments; bulk codes for teachers.

Watch out for: Premium from $11.97 for a month (shown as a discount); feedback languages and payment methods not stated.

Full comparison: BandCheck vs Engnovate →

IELTS International · www.ielts.international

Best for: A free essay every week; a Russian-language site.

Strengths: 1 free essay a week and a free Speaking diagnostic without an account; all four skills; $15 one-time 8-week Exam Pass; site in 27 languages.

Watch out for: Monthly Pass ($5.99) renews automatically; fixed allowances (20 essays, 8 speaking sessions); live examiner and feedback language not stated.

Full comparison: BandCheck vs IELTS International →

LingoLeap · lingoleap.ai/ielts

Best for: Writing and Speaking evaluations on a credit plan.

Strengths: Free 500 credits (2 Writing or 5 Speaking evaluations); large question bank and mock tests listed on paid plans; site in 20 languages.

Watch out for: The most expensive here: $20/month for 12 Writing or 25 Speaking evaluations; Reading/Listening grading, feedback languages and payment not stated.

ChatGPT · chatgpt.com

Best for: Explanations, ideas and rewriting — a general tutor.

Strengths: Free plan with unlimited text chats; explains any grammar point; answers in your language.

Watch out for: No built-in IELTS rubric, so the band depends on your prompt and can vary between attempts; no IELTS tests or band history.

Full comparison: BandCheck vs ChatGPT →

BandCheck's honest weaknesses

BandCheck is a young, independent service with few public reviews yet; Live Speaking (Turna) is in beta; paying with Payme or Click in Uzbekistan is arranged by hand for now; and like every tool here it gives an estimate, not an official band — see how we grade.

How we compared

We read each tool's own pricing and home pages on 7 Nov 2026 and copied what they say, with a link. We didn't use third-party reviews, star ratings or traffic estimates, and we don't quote user numbers for anyone. British Council's IELTS Ready was left out because its package differs by country and we couldn't load the page to check it. If you run one of these tools and something is out of date, email [email protected].

Sources, all checked on 7 Nov 2026

See your own band, criterion by criterion — free, no card.

Check your IELTS free on BandCheck →