exam-mate and AI Buddy both give schools large banks of exam questions, but they work differently. exam-mate organises real past-paper questions by topic, with an exam builder and a free-for-now AI Exam Marker for uploaded PDFs. AI Buddy provides past-paper-style questions answered and marked online, with feedback and cohort dashboards, across Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel.
Disclosure: AI Buddy is Tutopiya’s own platform. exam-mate details come from its own website, checked on 24 September 2026.
How do exam-mate and AI Buddy compare?
| exam-mate | AI Buddy | |
|---|---|---|
| Question source | Real past papers, organised by topic: “239802 Topical Past Paper Questions” and “49387 Yearly Past Papers” (live counters) | 200,000+ auto-marked past-paper-style questions |
| Boards | Cambridge Checkpoint, IGCSE, O Level, A Level; Edexcel IGCSE and A Level; IB, AQA, OCR | Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel IGCSE and A Level (26 subjects) |
| Cambridge IGCSE topical coverage | 23 syllabus codes, e.g. 0580, 0606, 0610, 0620, 0625, 0478, 0455, 0500, 0510 | Part of 26 subjects |
| Building tests | Exam builder; export “into PDF file and share” | Test builder with online, auto-marked tests and mocks |
| Online tests | ”Online MCQ Papers … get the result in few seconds” | All question types answered online with instant marking and feedback |
| AI marking | AI Exam Marker: upload question paper, official mark scheme and student PDFs; class report; “free for limited time” | AI feedback on every attempt |
| Teacher and school tools | Homepage lists classroom management, performance dashboards and branded portals | Individual and cohort dashboards; intervention alerts; white-labelling |
| Pricing | Published: from USD 25–50 per account (topical papers); Build Exam from $1,100 for 10 accounts; 1-month trial | School plans on request |
| Data | Privacy policy: data “may be processed or stored outside the user’s country of residence”; GDPR not mentioned in the policy | Tutopiya states “GDPR compliance”; public privacy policy written under Singapore’s PDPA |
Sources: exam-mate, for schools, school pricing, AI Exam Marker, privacy, AI Buddy, Tutopiya privacy policy.
Where is exam-mate strongest?
Real past papers by topic, with transparent pricing. exam-mate’s core is topical past papers: actual board questions grouped by syllabus topic, which departments use to build practice and exams. It publishes school prices, which most competitors don’t. Its AI Exam Marker takes the “Official Mark Scheme PDF” and student answer sheets and “compares each response with the official mark scheme”. exam-mate says “no marks are invented, adjusted, or estimated”. It gives no accuracy figures.
Where is AI Buddy strongest?
Online practice with instant marking and cohort data. With AI Buddy, students answer online and get feedback immediately. Teachers see results by class, topic and student without uploading scripts, and mock exams feed predicted-grade insights. That suits departments that want routine practice marked automatically and a running record of attainment. AI Buddy’s questions are past-paper-style rather than an archive of actual past papers. Departments that specifically want every real past question by topic will find that in exam-mate.
Which fits your department?
- You want real past-paper questions by topic, printable exams and published pricing: exam-mate.
- You want students to practise online with instant marking, and department dashboards across Cambridge and Edexcel IGCSE and A Level: AI Buddy.
- You want AI to help mark handwritten mock scripts: exam-mate’s marker works from uploaded PDFs. Validate any AI marker against teacher marks first; see how accurate AI marking is.
Whichever you choose, AI must not be the sole marker of assessed work under Cambridge, Pearson and JCQ rules. See the best AI marking tools for IGCSE and A Level.
What should schools check on data?
Ask both suppliers for hosting location, subprocessors and a data processing agreement in writing. exam-mate’s policy says data may be processed outside the user’s country and names business arrangements in Türkiye, the UAE and Malaysia, but does not mention GDPR. Tutopiya’s For Schools page states “GDPR compliance”, and its public privacy policy is written under Singapore’s PDPA. See the EdTech procurement checklist.
How schools do this with AI Buddy
Departments typically start with one year group. Teachers set past-paper-style questions or a mock on AI Buddy, students answer online, and AI Buddy marks them instantly with feedback. The head of department then reviews gaps by topic across classes. Official past papers remain the right choice for the final mock, marked by teachers against the series’ mark scheme and thresholds.
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to exam-mate?
For online practice with instant marking and cohort data: AI Buddy, Seneca or CENTURY. For revision content across boards: Save My Exams. For a digital textbook: Kognity.
Is exam-mate good for schools?
It suits schools that want topical past papers and exam building, with published school pricing. Its site also lists classroom management and dashboards.
How does the exam-mate AI marker work?
Teachers upload the question paper, the official mark scheme and students’ answer sheets as PDFs; the tool compares responses with the mark scheme and produces a class report. exam-mate lists it as free for a limited time.
How does exam-mate compare with AI Buddy?
exam-mate is built around real past papers by topic; AI Buddy around online past-paper-style practice, instant marking and cohort data across Cambridge and Edexcel IGCSE and A Level.
Discover how AI Buddy helps schools strengthen teaching, learning and evidence-informed school improvement. Or start a short consultation with our schools team using the form below — we will get back to you directly.
Sources
- exam-mate, Homepage, For schools, School pricing, AI Exam Marker and Privacy policy
- Tutopiya, AI Buddy for schools and Privacy policy
- JCQ, AI Use in Assessments (April 2025)