The Best IELTS Preparation Apps, and How to Use Them Well

Apps are good at one thing books are not: fitting practice into ten spare minutes. They are less good at replacing full, timed tests or honest feedback on your own Writing and Speaking. This page lists the best IELTS preparation apps and online tools we could check on their official listings, then explains what each type is good for and how to build them into a plan.

How we chose these apps

Which kind of app suits you

IELTS apps tend to do one of four jobs. Knowing which job you need saves you from downloading five apps that all do the same thing.

Below band 5

A lesson or vocabulary app used every day is a sensible start, alongside our topic vocabulary pages. Save full practice tests until you can follow most of a Listening section comfortably.

Around band 6, aiming for 7

Use an official source to understand the format, take a full test to find your weakest paper, then use a lesson app for short daily work on that paper. Our guide to getting band 7 shows what usually separates a 6 from a 7.

Aiming for 8

At this level apps help most with timed practice and with getting feedback on your own answers. More word lists rarely make the difference. See how to get band 8.

Official vs commercial apps

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. In the list above, official means the tool comes from one of those partners. The official IELTS preparation page is the safest starting point: it links to sample tests with answers, Writing scoring videos and the partners' own apps and courses.

Independent apps can be well made and convenient, but their questions are written by the developer, and any band they predict is their own estimate. A useful habit is to try an official sample question now and then and check that an app's practice feels similar in length and difficulty.

Watch the names, too. Many independent apps use the word IELTS in their title. The developer's name on the store listing tells you who actually made it, and a disclaimer in the description usually says if it has no link to the test owners.

Academic vs General Training in apps

Listening and Speaking are the same in the Academic and General Training tests, but Reading and Writing differ: General Training Reading uses everyday and workplace texts, and General Training Writing Task 1 is a letter. Before you pay for an app, check that its Reading and Writing practice covers the test you are taking. Some tools are built for one test only: the Cambridge IELTS Test & Train product listed above, for example, is the Academic version. Our Academic vs General Training guide explains the differences in detail.

Getting the most out of an IELTS app

1. Pick one main app, not five. Switching apps feels productive but spreads your effort thin.
2. Use short sessions for short skills: vocabulary, a single Reading question type, one Speaking Part 1 topic.
3. Do full papers in full. Once a week, sit a complete Reading or Listening paper on a larger screen with a timer, ideally in the format you will take.
4. Keep an error log outside the app, so you can see patterns across tools and tests.
5. Convert raw scores properly. For example, 30 correct out of 40 is band 7 in Listening and Academic Reading, but band 6 in General Training Reading. Our band score calculator works out the overall band with the official rounding.

Combine apps with feedback on Writing and Speaking

Most apps mark Reading and Listening well, because the answers are fixed. Writing and Speaking need someone, or something, to judge your own response against the four criteria. Without that, it is easy to practise the same mistakes for weeks.

Options include a teacher, a course platform with teacher-marked tasks, or an AI feedback tool. Stride is one example of the last kind: its Writing tests are marked by AI with an estimated band on the four criteria and feedback, and its Speaking practice records your answers and gives an AI-estimated band with feedback. Those bands are estimates, not official scores. Stride has timed Reading tests too, but no Listening practice yet, and a visitor's first full test is free.

For more free material, see our lists of the best IELTS preparation websites, free IELTS resources and IELTS YouTube channels, and the IELTS study plan for a week-by-week structure.

What is the best app for IELTS?

There is no single best app for everyone. Start with the official preparation page on ielts.org and, if you book through IDP, the IELTS by IDP app. Then add one tool for timed practice or daily lessons, depending on your level, and a way to get feedback on Writing and Speaking.

Is there an official IELTS app?

Yes. IELTS by IDP is published by IDP Education, one of the IELTS partners, on iOS and Android. The ielts.org preparation page also links to the partners' official apps and resources.

Are free IELTS apps any good?

Many are useful for vocabulary and short practice. Check who made the app, when it was last updated and whether it covers your version of the test. A free app that has not been updated for years may not reflect the current test.

Can an app give me an accurate IELTS band?

For Reading and Listening, an app using a raw-score conversion can give a reasonable indication. For Writing and Speaking, any automated band is an estimate, not an official score. Only the real test gives you an official result.

Can I prepare for IELTS using only apps?

You can do a lot on a phone, but most candidates benefit from some full-length timed practice on a larger screen or on paper, and from feedback on their own Writing and Speaking.