“I got my dream score”
I was stuck on Khan Academy, not improving at all until I hopped on Acely. I LOVED how you could specifically target your weaknesses and control the difficulty of the questions.
Nico, Acely SAT student
Acely vs Khan Academy: Which is better for SAT & ACT prep?
Khan Academy is a great starting point. Acely is what you switch to when you need to stop plateauing and start improving: 3× the practice tests, a personalized study plan, pacing insights, and the ACT prep Khan doesn't offer.
Quick verdict
Acely offers 3× more SAT practice tests, a personalized study plan, full ACT prep, and detailed pacing insights. Khan Academy is a great free starting point but lacks personalization, ACT support, and in-depth score reporting.
Feature comparison
Compare Acely to Khan Academy to see how they stack up.
Feature
Acely
Khan Academy
SAT practice tests
30 full-length tests
8 (via Bluebook only)
ACT practice tests
20 full-length tests
None
SAT practice questions
9,000 expert-created
3,500+ (via Bluebook)
ACT practice questions
5,000 expert-created
None
Personalized study plan
Yes — auto-updates
No
AI tutor
Yes — SAT/ACT focused
Khanmigo (generic AI)
Pacing insights
Yes — every practice test
No
Performance dashboard
Yes — full analytics
No
Score predictions
Yes — within ±20 points
No
Price
From $49/mo (annual)
Free
Head-to-head: Acely vs Khan Academy
A closer look at the five areas that matter most for test prep.
Practice content volume
Acely offers 30 full-length digital SAT practice tests and 9,000 expert-created questions, which is more than three times the content available through Khan Academy's Bluebook integration (8 tests, ~3,500 questions). For ACT prep, Acely provides 20 full-length tests and 5,000 questions while Khan Academy offers none.
Personalization
Acely builds a personalized study plan based on your starting score and target score, then automatically updates it as you complete practice sessions. Khan Academy does not offer a personalized study plan. Instead, students must navigate independently through courses without adaptive direction tied to their goal score.
AI tutoring
Acely’s AI tutor is purpose-built for digital SAT and ACT prep and stays strictly on-topic, giving students focused, reliable help. Khanmigo is a GPT-4-powered general-purpose AI layered onto Khan’s platform. It is not SAT-specific and can discuss any topic. It also requires a separate paid subscription ($4/month or $44/year), and for students under 18, a parent must subscribe and explicitly activate access. Khanmigo is US-only.
Score reporting
After every Acely practice test, students receive a detailed score report with pacing insights that show where time was spent and where it should be redirected. Plus, Acely provides a performance dashboard that tracks progress across sessions. Khan Academy does not offer comparable score reporting outside of what is shown directly in Bluebook.
ACT support
Khan Academy is exclusively focused on SAT prep and has no ACT content. An Acely subscription also gives students access to 20 updated digital ACT practice tests, 5,000 questions, and automated ACT scoring with full progress tracking. Students who aren’t sure which test to focus on can take practice tests on both, make separate study plans, and see which they’re stronger in.
Why students choose Acely over Khan Academy
3× more SAT practice tests and questions
30 tests and 9,000 questions vs 8 tests and 3,500 via Bluebook
Personalized study plan that adapts automatically
No manual navigation required
Full ACT prep included
20 tests and 5,000 questions vs zero ACT content on Khan
Pacing insights after every test
Identify where time is lost and fix it
Purpose-built AI tutor that only discusses SAT and ACT
No off-topic distractions
Single platform for all prep
No switching between Bluebook, Khan Academy, and other tools
What families say
Real results from students who switched from Khan Academy to Acely.
“Increased her score over 100 points in three weeks”
My child tried using books and Khan Academy. With months of daily preparation she scored the exact same score. As a last ditch effort we enrolled her in Acely — she only had three weeks and increased her score over 100 points.
Donna, Acely Parent
Pricing comparison
Khan Academy is free. Acely offers significantly more content and personalization at a premium.
Acely
$49/mo
$588/year billed annually
Starting price
$149/month
Annual price
$588/year ($49/mo)
AI tutor
Yes
Free trial
3 days
ACT prep included
Yes
Score predictions
Yes
Performance dashboard
Yes
Pacing insights
Yes
Khan Academy
Free
Khanmigo Generic AI: $44/year extra
Starting price
Free (core platform)
Annual price
Free (Khanmigo: $44/yr)
AI tutor
$4/mo add-on
Free trial
Fully free platform
ACT prep included
No
Score predictions
No
Performance dashboard
No
Pacing insights
No
Ready to improve your SAT or ACT score?
Start your free 3-day trial of Acely
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about how Acely compares to Khan Academy for SAT and ACT prep.
For students who want more practice content, a personalized study plan, pacing insights and in-depth score reporting, Acely outperforms Khan Academy.
Acely offers 30 SAT practice tests and 9,000 questions vs 8 tests and 3,500 questions through Khan. Khan Academy is free and includes official College Board content, making it a useful supplement. However, most students see greater score improvement with a dedicated prep platform like Acely.
No. Khan Academy focuses exclusively on SAT prep through its partnership with the College Board and does not offer any ACT content. Acely includes full ACT prep with 20 practice tests, 5,000 questions, automated scoring, and a personalized study plan, all in a single subscription alongside SAT prep. Students who are unsure which test to take can practice both on Acely and compare their results. If you're comparing the SAT and ACT, see our SAT vs ACT guide to understand more about the differences.
Khanmigo is powered by GPT-4 and functions as a general-purpose AI tutor. It can discuss topics beyond SAT prep, so it's easy to get distracted. Acely's AI tutor is purpose-built for the SAT and ACT and is restricted to test prep topics, reducing distractions and improving reliability. It is also aware of all the practice you're doing on Acely, so you can ask questions about your study plan, weak areas, upcoming tests, and more.
Khanmigo also requires a separate paid add-on ($4/month or $44/year), and students under 18 can only access it if a parent subscribes and activates it first.
Khan Academy is free. Khanmigo, their AI assistant, is an additional $44 per year. Acely starts at $149/month or $49/month on an annual plan ($588/year). Acely includes a 3-day free trial to see if it's a good fit, plus a score guarantee.