How We Dropped QIELTS Subscription Prices: Listening to Users and Tech Upgrades

The journey to making QIELTS more affordable started with a ton of feedback from our users. For a lot of people, the $32 price tag for the basic plan felt steep. Even with unique AI-driven features like custom learning plans and endless mock tests, many users just weren’t using everything included—especially the full set of tokens.

Real Talk: How Users Were Actually Using Tokens

To understand the real deal with token use, we dug into user data and ran a deep analysis of activity patterns. Turns out, most people only used about 50-60% of their tokens in the basic plan. Here’s why:

• Feature Priorities: Most users stuck with practice exercises and mock tests. Extra features like audio content? Not as much.
• Token Saving: People were smart with their tokens, spending them on core tasks and stretching them out as long as possible.

It also became clear that the Speaking and Writing sections were popular, even though the Speaking feature eats up a lot of resources on our end. This led us to rethink how we could rebalance tokens to better align with what users actually wanted to use.

New Plans, New Prices: Making QIELTS Affordable

After seeing these insights, we lowered the basic plan price to $12 and adjusted the token count to match typical usage. This made QIELTS way more accessible while still giving users the core features they love. Now, more people can jump into IELTS prep without worrying about breaking the bank.

Tech Upgrades: Audio Compression & Streamlined Storage

Lowering prices meant we needed to get smarter with our tech. Audio files for listening practice took up a lot of space, so we focused on cutting down storage and processing costs without losing quality.

• Next-Level Compression: We implemented new compression algorithms that keep the sound quality high but reduce file size massively, keeping storage costs down and audio clear.
• Faster TTS & ASR: We upgraded our text-to-speech and speech recognition tech to run smoother and quicker. These changes cut down on load times, so users get right into their practice without waiting around.

The Result: Same Quality, Better Price

Thanks to these upgrades, QIELTS now brings the same great experience at a better price. With the new $12 plan, more people have access, and users can feel confident that they’re only paying for what they really use.

By focusing on what matters—user needs and key features like Writing and Speaking—we’re keeping QIELTS high-quality, accessible, and affordable. And we’re just getting started. With user feedback at the heart of what we do, we’re making sure that every subscription is packed with value, with features that help users level up and hit their IELTS goals.