A Magoosh IELTS alternative, compared honestly
Magoosh IELTS is a course, and we are not. That one difference decides most of this page. Magoosh teaches the exam with video lessons, explained practice questions and mock tests, and grades Writing and Speaking with its own AI on top. We mark work and explain the marks. If you do not yet know how Task 1 differs from Task 2, a course is the right shape of product and a scorer is not. Everything below was checked on the dates shown and links to the page it came from.
Magoosh IELTS facts last checked 23 September 2026 · every claim links to its source
Side by side
| Magoosh IELTS | BandNine | |
|---|---|---|
| What you are buying | A taught course. Over 120 video lessons, 850 practice questions with explanation videos, up to 10 full-length mock tests, plus AI grading | Marking and feedback on Writing, Speaking, Reading and Listening. No lessons |
| Who marks Writing and Speaking | Magoosh AI, unlimited on both. Human help is email support for questions about the material, and their own grading page teaches you to self-grade | Our own scorer, built by one of our two named DELTA-qualified teachers. No human marking either |
| Entry price | $109 for 1 month or $129 for 6 months, with four instalments of $32.25 offered on the 6 month plan | Free tier, or $12 once for 15 days that does not renew |
| Billing | A fixed plan period, fee payable in advance. Their FAQ says instalment plans are not subscriptions | $12 for 15 days does not renew. $19, $39 and $59 renew until cancelled |
| Try it without paying | A 7 day trial, plus a free full-length practice test that asks only for an email and returns a predicted score | Three writing and three speaking scores, real bands, detailed feedback blurred. No card, and it does not expire |
| Published accuracy measurement | No figure on the product pages. The score predictor method is described in plain words with no number attached | Re-measured weekly and published with the sample size and the limits. Currently 0.438 bands mean absolute error |
| Score guarantee | 100 per cent of your money back if you miss your target, with seven published requirements and your target sent in before the exam | +0.5 band guarantee on the 3 and 6 month plans, plus a 7 day no-questions refund on a first purchase |
What Magoosh IELTS does well
This section is here because a comparison written by one side is worth nothing without it. Everything below is something we think they genuinely do well, and in two places better than we do.
- It teaches the exam, which we do not. Over 120 video lessons across all four sections, 850 practice questions with explanation videos, and up to 10 full-length mock tests. This is the clearest thing Magoosh has that we lack, and for a candidate starting from a low base it matters more than any amount of scoring.
- Unlimited AI grading with the cap question answered in writing. Their own page says every essay you submit is graded and there is no limit on how many you can submit, with a report that gives a band estimate, a score per writing criterion, feedback and suggested edits. Our free tier gives three writing scores, so this is better than what we hand out for nothing.
- A genuinely useful free library with no login: four speaking responses at bands 8, 6, 5 and 4 with a written explanation of each band, three full student essays scored 8/9, 6.5/9 and 4/9, and the speaking and writing rubrics broken out by aspect. It is one of the better free ways to see what a band looks like.
- A free full-length practice test for an email address. Seven sections and about 2 hours 55 minutes, or a single section on its own, returning a score estimate per section and a total. No password and no card on that form.
- A score guarantee published in full on its own page rather than buried in terms, and the payout is 100 per cent of your money back rather than a credit or an extension. On payout that is stronger than our +0.5 band guarantee.
- A score predictor whose method they describe in one plain paragraph, and which returns a range rather than a single number. A described method with no number attached is more honest than a bare percentage, and we will say so.
- A fixed plan period paid in advance, with four instalments of $32.25 on the 6 month plan for candidates who cannot pay at once.
- Mobile apps, lesson transcripts, captions and adjustable playback speed, eight payment methods including PayPal, Alipay, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and group and non-profit purchasing by email.
- Unlimited email access to a human expert for questions about the material, plus named authors with published qualifications on the IELTS content and separate Academic and General Training tracks.
Stay with Magoosh IELTS if
- You want to be taught the exam, not just marked on it. If you do not yet know the task types, 120 video lessons and 850 explained questions will do more for you than any amount of scoring. Buy Magoosh.
- You want to submit essay after essay with no cap. They state in writing that every essay is graded and there is no limit, and each report comes back with per criterion scores and suggested edits.
- You want a guarantee that returns all of your money, and you will actually complete all seven published requirements: tell them your target before your exam date, watch every lesson video, complete 2 mock tests, finish all the questions, use the AI grading, follow a study schedule and ask an expert for help.
- You want to sit a full-length four skill mock and see a predicted band before spending anything, and you are happy to give an email address to get it.
- You study mostly on a phone and want apps, or you need transcripts, captions and adjustable playback speed to follow the lessons.
- You want to be able to email a human being when an explanation does not land.
Where we are different
A measured error figure, re-published every week
Our quality page carries the mean absolute error of our scorer in bands, currently 0.438, with the sample size, the method and the weeks the number gets worse. Magoosh publishes no figure for its AI grading on its product pages, and we make no claim about whether its grading is good, because we cannot measure it. Ours has a stated limit on the same page: the reference bands are ours, not a certified examiner's, so we never claim parity with human examiners.
81 complete reading tests, free, with no signup
41 Academic and 40 General Training, sittable without an account or a card, and every answer carries a written explanation rather than a bare answer key. Magoosh's mock tests are inside the paid course.
Two named DELTA-qualified teachers, one of whom built the scorer
Both have author pages with bylines on what they wrote, and the rubric the scorer applies is theirs rather than an anonymous vendor's. Magoosh names seven content authors with published qualifications, which is more than most sites do, so the difference here is what the named people are responsible for and not whether anybody is named.
The accuracy figure, the method behind it and the limits we put on it are all on the scoring accuracy page, updated every Saturday. It is written by Manish Sharma and Anjali Tripathi.
Where these Magoosh IELTS facts came from
Each of these was read on Magoosh IELTS's own pages on the date shown. Nothing here came from a review site, and nothing came from behind a login, because we did not create an account or pay. If any of it is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Magoosh IELTS sells two Premium plans, priced in USD on its plans page: $109 for 1 month and $129 for 6 months. The 6 month plan can be paid in four monthly instalments.
“Or 4 monthly payments of $32.25”
ielts.magoosh.com/plans · checked 23 September 2026
Both paid plans carry an identical ten item feature list and differ only in the length of access: coverage of Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing, up to 10 full-length mock tests, over 120 video lessons, 850 practice questions with explanation videos, unlimited AI Speaking grading, unlimited AI Writing grading, a score predictor, detailed study schedules, unlimited Ask-an-Expert questions and the Target Band Score Guarantee.
“Over 120 helpful video lessons”
ielts.magoosh.com/plans · checked 23 September 2026
Writing and Speaking are graded by AI rather than by a human marker. The plans page attributes both to Magoosh AI, and we found no offer of human marking on any of the pages we checked.
“Our AI grades your essay like a real IELTS rater, then provides feedback to boost your score.”
ielts.magoosh.com/ · checked 23 September 2026
Human help is offered for questions about the material rather than for marking your work. The plans page lists unlimited Ask-an-Expert questions, described as email support when you get stuck.
“Hit a tough question? Email us, and our experts will help you break it down.”
ielts.magoosh.com/ · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh publishes a Target Band Score Guarantee with seven stated requirements, listed in full on its own page: tell us your target score, watch all of the lesson videos, complete 2 mock tests, complete all of the Magoosh questions, use the AI grading on your Speaking and Writing practice, follow a study schedule, and ask a Magoosh expert for help.
“Follow the advice of Magoosh experts to succeed on the IELTS, and you'll also qualify for the score guarantee:”
ielts.magoosh.com/score-guarantee · checked 23 September 2026
The guarantee pays a full refund of the purchase price, claimed by emailing a copy of your official score report. Your target score has to reach Magoosh before your exam date, either by email or through the Help Button when logged in.
“If you've completed all the requirements, and you don't achieve your target band score on your official test, e-mail us a copy of your score report. We'll give you 100% of your money back.”
ielts.magoosh.com/score-guarantee · checked 23 September 2026
Separately from the score guarantee, a 7 day money back window runs from the original purchase date and applies for any reason, including when you pay in instalments.
“7-Day Money Back Guarantee: Email us if you want to cancel for any reason. No strings attached.”
ielts.magoosh.com/plans · checked 23 September 2026
A 7 day free trial is offered. Its registration form asks for an email address, a password and a password confirmation, and no card field is rendered on the form as served. The trial card promises some of the lesson videos and practice questions and does not say whether AI grading is included.
“Try Magoosh for 7 days with no commitment”
ielts.magoosh.com/plans · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh offers a free full-length practice test that asks only for an email address. You can take a 7 section Academic test of about 2 hours and 55 minutes, or a single section test for Reading, Listening, Speaking or Writing, and you get a score estimate for each section and a total score.
“You'll see questions just like the real exam, get an accurate score”
ielts.magoosh.com/practice_tests/free · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh describes how its score predictor works in plain language in the plans FAQ. It is a comparison against its own students' outcomes and it returns a range rather than a single figure.
“We collect data from Magoosh students' actual scores and performance in our program. Based on these data and your performance in our program, we can predict the range of possible scores for your actual test.”
ielts.magoosh.com/plans · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh AI grades every essay submitted with no stated cap, usually within a minute or two, and the score report shows a band estimate, a score for each writing criterion, detailed feedback and suggested edits. The same page exists on the General Training track with identical wording.
“Every essay you submit is graded. There is no limit on how many essays you can submit.”
ielts.magoosh.com/how-to-submit-essays · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh publishes free sample answers with bands and written explanations, readable without a login, on a page that teaches candidates to grade themselves against the rubric. It carries four speaking responses at bands 8, 6, 5 and 4, three student essays scored 8/9, 6.5/9 and 4/9, the speaking and writing rubrics broken out by aspect on a 0 to 9 scale, and a link to the official IELTS sample scripts.
“With guidelines and samples, students generally give accurate grades of their own answers.”
ielts.magoosh.com/grading-your-answers · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh names the people who write its IELTS material. Seven author pages link from its IELTS blog index, and the David Recine page lists a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, K-12 ESL teaching in South Korea, and undergraduate and MBA-level business English teaching at American universities.
“David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS.”
magoosh.com/ielts/author/davidr/ · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh publishes no measured accuracy figure for its AI grading or its score predictor on its public IELTS product pages: no band error, agreement rate, sample size, dataset, validating body or date. The accuracy language is unquantified, and the word examiner does not appear on any of the 18 pages we checked, including every collapsed FAQ panel and tooltip on the plans page. The homepage says the AI grades like a real IELTS rater, which is a simile with no number behind it.
“Accurate Score Predictor”
ielts.magoosh.com/plans · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh's terms describe access as a fixed plan period with the fee payable in advance, and state that a valid credit card is required to use the service. The words renew, subscription and recurring do not appear in the terms, and the plans FAQ says instalment plans are not subscriptions.
“The Fee is payable in advance for the Period.”
ielts.magoosh.com/terms · checked 23 September 2026
Magoosh offers mobile apps, instalment payments and eight payment methods including PayPal, Alipay, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Lesson transcripts, captions and adjustable playback speed are offered, and group and non-profit purchasing is handled by email.
“Download our mobile apps to practice on the go”
ielts.magoosh.com/ · checked 23 September 2026
Questions about accuracy
Is Magoosh IELTS free?+
Parts of it are. There is a 7 day free trial, a free full-length practice test that asks only for an email address, and a free page of sample speaking answers and student essays with bands and explanations that needs no login. The course itself is paid: $109 for 1 month or $129 for 6 months, with four instalments of $32.25 offered on the 6 month plan. Our own free tier is a different shape: three writing and three speaking scores with real bands, no card, and no expiry, with the detailed feedback blurred until you upgrade.
Is Magoosh IELTS worth it?+
It depends on whether you need teaching or marking. If you do not yet know the task types, 120 video lessons and 850 explained practice questions are worth more to you than a scorer, and $129 for 6 months is a fair price for a full course with unlimited AI grading on top. If you already know the exam and only want your work marked and explained, you are paying for lessons you will not watch. That is the honest split, and it is why we list reasons to stay with Magoosh on this page.
Is Magoosh IELTS AI grading accurate?+
Magoosh does not publish a figure you can check. Its homepage says the AI grades your essay like a real IELTS rater, and its pages carry unquantified phrases like Accurate Score Predictor, but on the 18 product pages we read there is no band error, no agreement rate, no sample size, no dataset, no validating body and no date, and the word examiner does not appear at all. We have not tested their scorer and will not pretend to. To its credit, Magoosh does describe how its score predictor works in plain words and gives a range rather than a single number. What we can do is publish our own measurement: currently 0.438 bands of mean absolute error, with the sample size, the method and the limits, re-run every week on our quality page, including the weeks it gets worse.
Does Magoosh IELTS use real examiners?+
Not for marking, as far as any public page shows. Writing and Speaking grading is attributed to Magoosh AI, the human help on offer is email support for questions about the material, and Magoosh's own grading page teaches you how to grade yourself against sample answers and the rubric. We do not offer human marking either, so this is not a point of difference between us. It is worth knowing before you buy either product if what you wanted was a human examiner.
Does Magoosh really refund you if you miss your target score?+
Magoosh publishes the terms in full on its score guarantee page. If you complete all the requirements and miss your target band score on the official test, you email a copy of your score report and it says you get 100 per cent of your money back. There are seven requirements, including watching all of the lesson videos, completing 2 mock tests, completing all of the Magoosh questions and using the AI grading, and you have to tell them your target score before your exam date. Separately, there is a 7 day money back window from the original purchase date for any reason, which also applies if you pay in instalments. Our version is different in shape: a +0.5 band guarantee on the 3 and 6 month plans, and a 7 day no-questions refund on a first purchase. Their payout is bigger. Their conditions are longer. Read both.
Try it before you move anything
Three writing scores and three speaking scores free, or a three-minute level test with no card and no password.
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