Save My Exams vs Khan Academy: Full Comparison

Written by: Emma Dow

Published

25 February 2026

Contents

Choosing the right revision platform can feel overwhelming. Exam season is creeping up, you’ve got limited time, and mountains of content to cover. This comparison looks at two of the most popular options: Save My Exams and Khan Academy.

Both platforms have helped millions of students, but they take very different approaches to learning. Save My Exams supports over 2 million students with UK exam-board-specific revision resources, whilst Khan Academy offers educational content designed for the US school system.

We'll dive into how they measure up for exam prep, so you can make an informed choice and spend your revision time wisely.

Key Takeaways

Save My Exams concentrates on syllabus-aligned revision notes, topic questions, flashcards, and past papers to provide all-round revision prep.
Khan Academy provides free online learning, but isn't designed for GCSE or A Level specifications.
For exam success, Save My Exams offers exam-board alignment, worked solutions, and exam technique practice and Khan Academy excels at building fundamental understanding in maths and sciences, especially for younger learners or those filling knowledge gaps.

What Is Save My Exams?

Save My Exams is a premium online revision platform (opens in a new tab)designed for students preparing for GCSE, IGCSE, AS, A Level, IB, and AP exams.

The platform provides revision notes, topic-based exam questions, flash cards, past papers with mark schemes, and mock exams. Everything is created by experienced teachers and examiners to match exam board specifications exactly. It also includes features like Smart Mark, an AI tool that provides instant feedback on written answers with examiner-style comments.

What Is Khan Academy?

Khan Academy is an American non-profit educational platform. It offers free instructional videos, learning notes, and practice exercises across subjects like maths, sciences, history, literature, economics, computer science, and life skills. It is focused on helping students in the American education system, from pre-K to college level.

Students can also access Khanmigo, an AI-powered tutoring assistant. This chatbot helps students with subject queries and provides learning support.

Save My Exams vs Khan Academy: Feature Comparison

Revision Notes and Content Quality

Feature	Save My Exams	Khan Academy
Content	Written entirely by qualified teachers and examiners with real exam marking experience.	Video-based learning and online learning notes split into units.
Exam board alignment	Accurately aligned to specific exam board specifications.	Follows US-curriculum structure.
Learning materials	Revision notes, flashcards, mock exams, past papers, exam questions, Smart Mark, Strengths and Weaknesses tool.	Online textbooks, detailed written revision materials, videos, end of unit questions, AI-powered learning assistant.
Accuracy and reliability	High level of reliability due to content being written by experienced human examiners.	Accurate learning content aligned to US qualifications, created by subject experts.
Main learning approach	Structured, exam-focused revision resources.	Unit-based learning split by subject and level.

Exam Board and Specification Coverage

This is where the platforms really differ.

Save My Exams covers all major UK exam boards, including AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, and Cambridge IGCSE. You can filter resources by your exact exam board and specification.

Every revision note, question, and past paper is matched to specific syllabus points. This means you know you're revising exactly what will appear in your exam.

Khan Academy doesn't provide UK exam board alignment. The platform is geared towards the US schooling system, with content organised around American grade levels and AP courses.

Practice Questions and Exam Technique

Feature	Save My Exams	Khan Academy
Practice question quality	Thousands of exam-style questions written by examiners with fully worked, step-by-step solutions.	Practice exercises after every video or learning unit. They test understanding rather than exam technique.
Feedback	Feedback clearly explains where marks are gained or lost, and how to improve.	Simple binary feedback (correct/incorrect) on completed practice exercises.
Accuracy	AI-powered Smart Mark is trained and validated by real examiners and teachers.	All learning materials are created by a huge team of experienced content experts.

Personalisation and Study Support

Save My Exams offers personalised study tracking through a dashboard where you can set and track progress. You can select specific subjects and exam boards relevant to your studies to ensure you’re only revising what you need.

The platform identifies weak topics based on your performance in practice questions. This helps you target revision where you need it most. This is especially useful when time is tight before mocks or final exams.

Khan Academy also provides personalised learning dashboards with progress tracking. And Khanmigo, Khan Academy's AI assistant, offers personalised tutoring that helps students master skills on Khan Academy's content library.

Ease of Use and Student Experience

Feature	Save My Exams	Khan Academy
Interface and navigation	Clean layout designed to be easy to use (even under exam stress!)	Easy to navigate content organised by grade level and subject.
Organisation of content	Organised by subject, topic, question type, and specification.	Subjects broken down into logical units, with a heavy reliance on video-based learning.
Device and offline access	Works smoothly on desktop, tablet, and mobile, with downloadable PDFs for offline revision.	Mobile app and web version available.

Level Coverage

Save My Exams focuses on a range of UK and international qualifications. Khan Academy is solely focused on the US education system, its courses, and exams.

Save My Exams	Khan Academy
GCSE	pre-K
IGCSE	Elementary
A Level	Middle School
AS Level	High School
O Level	AP/College
National 5	Test prep: MCAT, SAT, LSAT
IB
AP

Subject Coverage

Save My Exams and Khan Academy offer extensive subject coverage. The key difference is the UK vs US focus.

Save My Exams offers subjects including:

Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science
Mathematics: Maths, Further Maths, Statistics
Humanities: History, Geography, Religious Studies, Sociology, Psychology
Languages: English Language, English Literature, French, Spanish, German
Other subjects: Business, Economics, Computer Science, Design & Technology, Art and Design

If your subject isn’t listed above, head to the Save My Exams subject search function to see if your subject is covered. Chances are they’ll be a bank of past papers waiting to be explored.

Khan Academy provides content across numerous subjects organised by US grade levels:

Mathematics: From basic arithmetic to Calculus and Statistics
Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy
Computing: Computer Programming, Computer Science Principles
Arts & Humanities: World history, US History, Art History, Grammar
Economics & Finance: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Finance
Life skills: AI for education, growth mindset, financial literacy
Test Prep: SAT, MCAT, LSAT

Khan Academy is especially strong in maths and sciences, with comprehensive coverage from foundational concepts through to advanced university-level content. However, none of this content is aligned to UK exam board specifications.

Pricing and Value for Money

	Save My Exams	Khan Academy
Pricing	Limited free access & trial; full access via paid membership (monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription).*	All content is 100% free.*

* Always check current pricing on official pages, as offers can change. Information is correct at the time of writing.

Pros and Cons of Save My Exams vs Khan Academy

Save My Exams

Pros	Cons
All content written by qualified teachers and examiners	Requires a subscription for full access to all features
Comprehensive coverage of subjects, exam boards, and qualifications all in one place	May require more self-direction when first choosing what to revise
Smart Mark AI tested and validated by real teachers for accurate feedback	Doesn’t cover primary or Key Stage 3 content
Clear exam board alignment means you only study what's relevant
Proven track record with 97% of members reporting better grades

* 1917 Save My Exams students were surveyed in September 2025

Khan Academy

Pros	Cons
Completely free content for all levels	Not designed for UK exam boards - follows US curriculum
Focus on building conceptual understanding from first principles to advanced application	UK students may find it hard to ‘translate’ between US grade levels and British qualifications
Huge video library of lessons/tutorials	Doesn’t teach exam technique
AI assistant available	Feedback on work is limited
Strong maths coverage with step-by-step explanations

Frequently Asked Questions

What are alternatives to Khan Academy?

Save My Exams should be your first choice if you're preparing for UK exams. It's purpose-built for GCSE, IGCSE, and A Level success with exam-board-aligned content.

Other alternatives include:

Physics & Maths Tutor (PMT), which offers free past papers and resources for GCSE and A Level students.
Seneca Learning that provides gamified revision.

Is Khan Academy legitimate?

Yes, absolutely. Khan Academy is a legitimate 501(c)3 non-profit organisation founded in 2006. The platform is supported by major donors and is widely recognised in the education sector.

Is Khan Academy free?

Yes. Khan Academy is completely free with no subscription fees, ads, or contracts. All videos, articles, practice questions, and lessons are available at no cost. You don't even need to create an account to start learning, but having one lets you track your progress.

Can I use Save My Exams and Khan Academy together?

Yes, you can do, but it’s challenging given the different curriculums they cover.

You might use Khan Academy to build conceptual understanding when you're struggling with fundamental concepts in maths or science as the video explanations can help you grasp difficult topics from first principles.

But, it's important to be aware that the exact topic coverage may be different.

Save My Exams has everything you need all in one place. You can build your understanding with revision notes, test your active recall with flashcards, and practice exam technique with mock exams and past papers.

Can parents and teachers use Save My Exams and Khan Academy?

Yes, both platforms support parents and teachers.

Save My Exams provides teachers with the Test Builder to create custom assessments from the question bank, filtered by topic, exam board, and difficulty. Parents can also support their children's revision by accessing revision resources at home.

Khan Academy integrates with Google Classroom, making it easy for teachers to assign lessons. Parents can also use Khan Academy to track their child’s progress.

Save My Exams vs Khan Academy: Which is Right For You?

When it comes to UK exam preparation, Save My Exams and Khan Academy serve very different purposes.

If you're studying for GCSE, IGCSE, AS, or A Level exams, Save My Exams is the clear choice for exam-focused revision. Its exam-board alignment, worked exam questions, and Smart Mark feedback directly address what you need to succeed in UK qualifications.

Khan Academy is completely free, and a great add-on to build foundational understanding, particularly in mathematics and sciences. However, this platform can’t replace exam-board-specific revision. (opens in a new tab)

Your exam success depends on using resources that align with what you'll be facing in the exam hall. That makes Save My Exams the ideal choice. Start your free trial today.

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