SimpleStudy vs Save My Exams: Full Comparison

SimpleStudy and Save My Exams both offer secondary students exam board-aligned notes, flashcards and past papers. While SimpleStudy relies more on AI personalisation and topic summaries, Save My Exams focuses on detailed, expert-written notes.

This article compares SimpleStudy with Save My Exams, helping you to decide which is best for your own exam goals.

Key Takeaways

• Save My Exams is a comprehensive revision platform, providing notes, AI-powered study tools and resources to help you improve your grades 

• SimpleStudy is an online learning platform featuring notes, flashcards, quizzes, model answers and past papers

• If you want detailed, expert-written content for a wide range of subjects and qualifications, Save My Exams is the stronger choice

• If you want a personalised AI platform and topic summaries, SimpleStudy is well worth considering

What Is Save My Exams?

Save My Exams is an online revision platform that helps IGCSE, GCSE, A Level, Higher, IB and AP students prepare for their exams. It combines a library of revision resources with AI-powered study tools.

Students gain access to revision notes, exam questions, past papers and mock exams. A Premium membership adds AI tools that mark your answers, explain where you went wrong and suggest what to revise next.

Everything on the website is made by trusted examiners, and is matched to your exact specification. On average, students improve by 2.6 grades using Save My Exams.

What Is SimpleStudy?

SimpleStudy is an online learning platform and study community for secondary school students. Originally created for students in Ireland, it has since broadened its coverage to the UK, Brazil, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Like Save My Exams, it provides GCSE, A Level and Scottish Higher content.

Students gain access to resources through a Premium plan or school subscription. Premium plans offer a comprehensive, personalised learning experience with access to all revision notes, sample answers, quizzes, and questions organised by topic.

The in-house content team designs the study material for the Irish exams. Other notes, including those for AQA GCSE English Language, are listed as teacher-written. According to SimpleStudy, 97% of their students report improved grades.

Save My Exams vs SimpleStudy: Feature Comparison

The table below compares key characteristics of the two platforms:

Revision Notes and Content Quality

Save My Exams features clear, comprehensive and exam board-aligned content. Using simple definitions, diagrams and worked examples, revision notes break down lengthy specifications into student-friendly topics. Unlike many textbooks and other revision resources, you’ll only revise content you could be examined on. You can use revision notes alongside flashcards, exam-style questions and past papers.

SimpleStudy divides its exam board-aligned notes by topic. Model answers, quizzes, flashcards and exam questions can be found alongside notes. Access requires a paid or school subscription, but I was able to preview some notes via a Google search.

I compared the platforms’ AQA GCSE English Literature notes on John Agard’s ‘Checking Out Me History’. Both did well to offer exam tips and analysis of form, structure and language. SimpleStudy’s page was more of a summary, featuring context, quotes and analysis. Save My Exams’ page, on the other hand, was much more comprehensive, including a poem ‘translation’ and tables of comparisons with other poems. 

Based on my comparison, I would recommend SimpleStudy notes if you want a quick overview of a topic, and Save My Exams for more detailed coverage.

All Save My Exams content is written by experienced teachers and examiners. SimpleStudy’s in-house content team creates the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert (Irish) content, and notes for other exams are listed as teacher-written. Both platforms have expert-reviewed notes.

Exam Board and Specification Coverage

A key strength of Save My Exams is its exam board-specific approach. It covers every major exam board, including AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. Resources are organised by qualification, subject, exam board and topic, so you won’t waste time revising unnecessary content. Notes are tailored to individual GCSE, IGCSE and A Level specifications.

SimpleStudy is also exam board and specification-aligned, but only for AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR. Unlike Save My Exams, it does not cover IGCSE, IB or AP content.

Practice Questions and Exam Technique

Save My Exams has various ways of improving exam technique, including exam-style questions, worked examples, mocks and past papers. You can use available mark schemes and examiner reports, such as those for AQA GCSE History, to check your answers and avoid common mistakes. All students, whether they subscribe or not, have free access to the Learning Hub. You’ll find subject-specific guidance here, as well as tips on how to improve your exam technique.

SimpleStudy also provides exam questions, worked examples and past papers. The Ultimate Plan, which is the most expensive Premium package, also includes exam predictions and grading. I advise treating predicted papers with caution, as they’re not always accurate. However, essay and exam grading is useful for showing where you’re gaining and losing marks.

Personalisation and Study Support

Save My Exams personalises your revision through tools such as Smart Mark, Strengths & Weaknesses, Target Test and Study Planner. Together, these features help you identify knowledge gaps, prioritise weaker topics, and build a more structured revision plan.

SimpleStudy has various personalisation and support tools. Premium subscriptions include a personalised AI platform, which features a leaderboard and progress tracking for your studying.

Ease of Use and Student Experience

Save My Exams works well on smartphones, tablets and laptops alike. You can easily navigate between different levels, exam boards and subjects, which is ideal when you’re juggling revision for multiple GCSEs or A Levels. I tell my students to use the past paper library, as it labels everything more clearly than exam boards themselves!

SimpleStudy is both a web-based platform and an app. I found it easy to navigate the website, as subjects are clearly broken down by level and exam board. However, I found the ‘sign up for free’ button misleading; you can only register if your school already subscribes. Schools who want a subscription need to contact the team, but parents can sign up for immediate Premium access for their child.

Level Coverage

Save My Exams and SimpleStudy both cover multiple levels, but their coverage varies. The table below shows which UK levels each platform caters to:

Subject Coverage

Save My Exams’ coverage includes most major subjects, as well as past papers for additional subjects. Our full subject list groups subjects into different areas, such as humanities. You can also submit a request to cover a subject or board to [email protected] (opens in a new tab).

SimpleStudy also covers most major subjects. If one of your subjects isn’t available, you can contact the team to request it.

Pricing and Value for Money

Both Save My Exams and SimpleStudy have free and paid versions. The table below compares different plans, as well as the main value, of each platform:

Pros and Cons of Save My Exams vs SimpleStudy

Evaluating pros and cons can help you to make an informed decision on the best platform for you. The table below highlights the main advantages and disadvantages of each platform:

Frequently Asked Questions

What are alternatives to SimpleStudy?

Use Save My Exams to boost your grades for various qualifications, including IGCSE, GCSE, A Level, Higher, IB and AP. Improve your understanding of every topic and your exam technique using comprehensive, expert-written notes.

Other options for online learning platforms include Up Learn, Medly AI and Study Mind.

Is SimpleStudy legitimate?

Yes. SimpleStudy is a genuine online revision platform used by over 500,000 students. It has a rating of 4.3 on Trustpilot.

Is SimpleStudy free?

Yes, but only if your school has a subscription. Otherwise, your parent or guardian will need to purchase a subscription.

Can I use Save My Exams and SimpleStudy together?

Absolutely! You could use Save My Exams for revision notes and refining exam technique, and SimpleStudy for a personalised AI platform and additional resources.

Can parents and teachers use Save My Exams and SimpleStudy?

Yes, as both platforms support students at home and at school.

Teachers benefit from Save My Exams in several ways, including classroom-ready resources and creating exam board-aligned tests with Test Builder. SimpleStudy offers school subscriptions and free access for teachers.

Final Thoughts

Save My Exams and SimpleStudy are both online revision platforms offering a variety of tools and resources. Save My Exams provides comprehensive, expert-written revision notes aligned to every major exam board, as well as exam-style questions, mock exams, past papers and worked solutions. All students also get free Learning Hub access, with guidance on revision techniques, tips to secure top grades and more.

SimpleStudy offers GCSE, A Level and Higher content to UK secondary students. GCSE and A Level notes are aligned to AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR. Students benefit from a personalised AI platform and progress tracking, along with notes, quizzes and past papers.

You can easily use the two platforms together. Save My Exams helps with wider revision and exam preparation, which you can supplement with SimpleStudy’s personalised platform.

Good luck with your revision!