Let us start with the respect IELTS Simon has earned. A former examiner, he has spent years publishing daily lessons - still active as of 2026 - built around a famously disciplined method: simple structures, clear ideas, no wasted words.
His one-off video courses with lifetime access extend the same approach, and his stripped-back essay technique has a devoted following because it works.
So why search for alternatives? Almost never because the teaching disappoints. The reasons are structural: a lesson site is a library, not a tool.
Nothing scores your essays, drills your Reading against a clock, or tracks your band by question type. The daily-lesson format rewards patient accumulation, which suits some learners and frustrates others on a deadline.
Most candidates are not looking to replace the method - they are looking for what to add.
The short answer: keep IELTS Simon for the method, and add IELTSbiz for the measurement layer - unlimited Cambridge-style Reading passages, trap-level feedback on all 11 question types, per-type band tracking and a free Writing Checker. It is free to start, then $6.99/month or $29 lifetime.
Full disclosure: IELTSbiz is our own platform, so we are not neutral about the #1 slot. We have tried to justify it with specifics and to treat every other entry fairly - read this, like every "best of" list on the internet, with that in mind.
| Alternative | Price (as of 2026) | Writing feedback | Band tracking | Free to start? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTSbiz | Free to start; $6.99/mo or $29 lifetime | AI, all four criteria, validated | Per question type | Yes, no card required |
| IELTS Liz | Free | Model answers only, no scoring | No | Fully free |
| IELTS Advantage | Premium courses, real outlay | Human examiner-grade | No | Free blog content |
| Keith's Speaking Academy | Free videos; paid courses | Speaking-focused, not Writing | No | Yes |
| ieltsonlinetests | Free with ads | None (answer keys) | Per test score | Yes |
| E2 | Tiered paid packages | Teacher-assessed on paid tiers | No | Free trial content |
| Magoosh IELTS | Paid subscription | Lesson-led explanations | Per practice set | Sample lessons |
How we chose these IELTS Simon alternatives
Because his gap is interactivity rather than quality, we ranked each entry primarily on what it adds that a lesson site cannot: does it score your work, does it explain your specific errors, and does it measure your level over time? Cost and free-tier usefulness came next, then authenticity of material.
We did not penalise anyone for teaching differently from Simon - his minimalist method is one valid school among several. Descriptions reflect what each platform is built around as of 2026, not marketing claims.
1. IELTSbiz - Best complement for scored, measured practice
IELTSbiz supplies exactly the layer a lesson site leaves out: the feedback loop. It generates unlimited fresh Cambridge-style Reading passages by question type, and when you miss a question it names the distractor that caught you and explains why the correct answer wins - trap-level feedback across all 11 question types.
The measurement side matters just as much for Simon's students, because his method invites a testable question: is the technique working for you? The progress dashboard tracks an estimated band per question type, so a fortnight after adopting his Reading approach you can verify, with numbers, whether your accuracy actually moved.
For Writing, the free Writing Checker turns his model-essay study into scored practice: write in his style, submit, and get criterion-by-criterion feedback against all four official descriptors. The engine is validated - IELTSbiz's study of 1,200 essays found AI band scores matched human examiners within ±0.5 bands in 94.2% of cases.
Fair limits: IELTSbiz does not teach a Writing method or offer human feedback, so it complements explanation-rich resources rather than replacing them. Free to start with no card, then $6.99/month or $29 lifetime. Try a reading session after your next daily lesson and see whether the numbers agree with the feeling.
The pairing in practice: read one Simon lesson on a technique - say, his approach to paragraph-matching - then immediately drill ten questions of that exact format and read every feedback note. The lesson gives you the method; the named traps show you where your execution of it breaks down.
2. IELTS Liz - Best free alternative teaching voice
If Simon's minimalist style does not click, IELTS Liz covers similar free examiner-grade territory with a warmer, more expansive voice: detailed lessons, videos and model answers across every task type. Two former examiners, two teaching styles, both free - trying both costs nothing and one usually fits.
The structural limits are identical to any lesson site: no scoring, no drilling, no tracking. Whichever teacher you prefer, the missing layer is the same - and it is the layer where plateaus break.
3. IELTS Advantage - Best paid Writing upgrade with human feedback
If you have absorbed the free method and your essays still stall, the next step up is human feedback on your actual scripts. IELTS Advantage, run by former examiner Christopher Pell, offers structured Writing courses with examiner-grade eyes on your work - the piece no free lesson site can provide.
The trade-offs are price and focus: premium courses are a meaningful outlay as of 2026, concentrated on Writing and to a degree Speaking.
Choose it when the gap between your essays and the model answers is visible to you but you cannot name the cause - our guide to what a Band 9 Task 2 answer looks like helps you make that self-assessment first.
4. Keith's Speaking Academy - Best Speaking specialist
Simon's daily lessons cover Speaking, but the deepest free specialist teaching lives at Keith's Speaking Academy: long-form video lessons on every part of the Speaking test from an experienced IELTS teacher, with free content and paid courses as of 2026.
The honest limit: videos cannot hear you, so pair the teaching with live practice - a partner, a tutor, or classes. For understanding what the Speaking examiner rewards, this is the strongest free specialist source on the list.
5. ieltsonlinetests - Best for full timed mock tests
Method without stamina still loses marks on the day. ieltsonlinetests offers a very large free library of full-length timed mocks - the place to find out whether Simon's techniques survive a complete 40-question Reading paper in 60 minutes.
The catch is the usual one for big free libraries: ads and answer-key feedback. Sit periodic mocks here, then take the question types you missed somewhere that explains why.
6. E2 - Best for live classes and accountability
Daily lessons demand self-discipline; not everyone has it on tap. E2's paid tiers replace the solo routine with scheduled live classes, experienced teachers, and Writing and Speaking assessment as of 2026 - accountability as much as content.
The cautions: timetables suit some time zones better than others, and teacher time prices it above any self-paced option here. Best for learners who know they will not stay consistent without a person expecting them.
7. Magoosh IELTS - Best structured self-paced course
Between free daily lessons and live classes sits the structured subscription course: Magoosh's sequenced videos, study schedules and mobile app tell you exactly what to do next, at a standard subscription price as of 2026.
Honest limits: a finite question bank and explanation-led rather than trap-naming feedback. Choose it when the appeal of Simon's site was the teaching but you want it packaged as a course with a progress bar.
What is IELTS Simon still the best at?
Being fair in both directions: nothing on this list teaches essay simplicity better. His insistence that clear, well-organised ideas beat impressive-sounding complexity is exactly what the band descriptors reward, and candidates who over-write - most candidates - benefit from his discipline more than from any other single lesson.
His daily-lesson archive is also a masterclass in consistency: years of short, focused teaching that rewards a little study every day. For self-directed learners who like accumulating method gradually, the format is a feature, not a bug.
The honest boundary: method is one layer. The candidates who can recite his essay structure but have never measured their Reading accuracy by question type are studying the map without checking their position.
Both layers, together, are the plan - our guide to reaching Band 8 shows how method and measurement combine at the top end.
What are the common mistakes when adding tools alongside IELTS Simon?
The first is adding a second method. Simon's approach conflicts in places with other teachers' - mixing three essay structures produces worse essays than mastering one. Pick a method, then add measurement, not more method.
The second is practising without feedback. Writing daily essays in his style without scoring them reinforces your version of the method, errors included. Score a sample regularly and watch the criterion-level notes.
The third is skipping timed conditions. Daily lessons are untimed by nature; the exam is not. Keep periodic full papers in the rotation so the method gets tested under pressure - our Reading traps guide shows what time pressure does to accuracy.
Free method plus paid feedback: when is that the right stack?
Simon's free lessons plus paid feedback on your own work is one of the most cost-efficient stacks in IELTS preparation, because it buys only what free resources cannot supply. The method costs nothing; the personalisation is the paid layer.
For Reading, that personalisation is cheap: unlimited explained drilling with per-type tracking runs $6.99/month or $29 lifetime. For Writing, it scales with need - validated AI scoring free and weekly, human examiner review reserved for genuine plateaus.
The stack to avoid is the inverse: paying for method - another course teaching what the free lessons already taught - while your own work goes unscored. Method is abundant and largely free as of 2026; feedback on your specific errors is the scarce ingredient worth money.
Should you replace IELTS Simon or add to him?
For almost everyone, add. His lessons cost nothing and teach a proven method, so removing them gains you nothing. The real question is what a lesson site was never designed to do: score your essays, drill your Reading, and prove your progress with numbers.
The candidates who genuinely move on tend to be those past the learning phase - they know the method and now need volume, feedback and measurement. At that stage the lesson site naturally fades from the daily routine, and the practice tool becomes the driver.
How do you know when you have outgrown lesson-based study?
Three signs are reliable. First, re-reading lessons produces recognition rather than learning - you nod along because you already know it. Second, your practice scores have plateaued for two or more weeks despite continued study. Third, you cannot name your weakest question type with a number attached.
All three point to the same diagnosis: your bottleneck has moved from knowledge to execution, and execution only improves under scored, explained practice. This is not a failure of the lessons - it is the lessons having done their job.
The reverse also matters: if scored practice keeps flagging the same conceptual confusion - say, you genuinely cannot apply his keyword technique under time pressure - go back to the lesson. The two layers hand off to each other in both directions throughout preparation.
Does this apply to Listening and Speaking too?
Yes, with the same logic. His Speaking and Listening lessons supply the explanation layer; the missing layer is execution under real conditions. For Listening that means sitting sections under exam timing and reviewing every miss against the transcript - free mock libraries carry that load well.
For Speaking, the missing layer is a listener, which means a partner, a teacher, or a class, since no lesson can hear you. Budget candidates often trade practice sessions with another test-taker for free.
The pattern across all four skills is identical: method from a free expert source, execution through scored or observed practice, and a number somewhere that tells you whether the combination is working.
What does a good IELTS Simon study stack look like?
A low-budget week: one Simon lesson a day with your morning coffee, twenty minutes of type-targeted Reading drilling on IELTSbiz's free tier with every feedback note read, one essay in his style through the free Writing Checker midweek, and a timed mock at the weekend on ieltsonlinetests.
Give the stack a month and judge it on numbers: per-question-type Reading accuracy, Writing Checker scores across three or four essays, and the weekend mock trend. If all three are flat after four weeks of honest work, change the plan; if they are moving, do not.
If you upgrade one thing, upgrade the feedback loop. Start with the free Band Score Calculator to find your weakest skill, run a few sessions of reading practice, and let the results - not the marketing - tell you whether the paid tier is worth $6.99.