Edrolo is one of Australia's biggest school-licensed platforms: teacher-presented video lessons, digital and print textbooks, and exam-style practice mapped dot point by dot point to VCE, HSC and QCE study designs - Edrolo says over 1,000 schools use it, and since 2024 families can buy subjects directly too. What it doesn't do is respond to your work with AI: no AI marking in the core product, no tutor chat, no ATAR tools. That's the layer Polarbear adds.
Features and pricing checked July 2026 · Every Polarbear claim maps to a shipped feature · how we verify
Choose Edrolo if…
- Your school already runs Edrolo - your teachers set work and see your progress there
- You want a teacher-presented video for every dot point of your study design
- You'd rather pay once per subject than hold a subscription
Choose Polarbear if…
- You want your essays AI-marked against how your subject is assessed
- You want an AI tutor you can question, not just video explanations
- You want free ATAR calculators and guides built on official data
Feature comparison
| Feature | Polarbear | Edrolo |
|---|---|---|
| Content | ||
| Syllabus video lessons & textbooks | we're feedback-first, not a content library | a teacher-presented video for every study-design dot point, 80+ senior subjects |
| Built for VCE / HSC / QCE | Australian curricula are the product's core; guides also cover WACE & SACE | genuinely AU-native - deepest in VCE |
| Used in classrooms at scale | students choose us themselves | Edrolo reports 1,000+ schools; teachers set and mark work in it |
| Study feedback | ||
| AI essay marking | with a public library of real students' essays | self-marked against rubrics and video solutions; AI English marking only as a school add-on |
| Exam practice sessions | Exam Cram - curriculum-specific practice | exam-style questions with worked video solutions - marked by you or your teacher |
| AI tutor chat | Tutorbear (in the app) | no AI features in the core product |
| Tools | ||
| Free ATAR tools on official data | VTAC- and TISC-sourced calculators + 300+ guide pages across VCE/HSC/QCE/WACE/SACE | |
| Support | ||
| Human tutor marketplace | real tutors, in the app | its videos are pitched as the tutor substitute |
| Access | ||
| Free tier | no ongoing free tier; trial on the store subscription | |
Pricing
Polarbear
Free ATAR calculators and study guides (no sign-up); free app tier; optional paid plans (Go, Ultra, Pro).
Edrolo
School licences (often passed on via booklists); individuals buy one-off per-subject Success Kits or a monthly all-access subscription - see the Edrolo Store's pricing page. Official pricing
We don't quote competitors' exact prices - they change; check theirs at the source. Checked July 2026.
Trying it takes two minutes
If your school gives you Edrolo, use it - the videos and questions are solid. Add Polarbear for what it can't do: paste an essay into Essay Marking, ask Tutorbear the question a video can't answer, or check your ATAR position on the free calculator.
Our verdict
Edrolo is the deeper content library - a teacher-presented video for every dot point is something Polarbear doesn't try to match, and its exam-style questions with video solutions are genuinely good. But it's a deliver-and-self-mark platform: no AI marking in the core product, no tutor chat, no ATAR tools. Polarbear is the feedback layer - AI essay marking, practice with instant checking, and official-data ATAR planning. If your school pays for Edrolo, the two stack well.
Frequently asked questions
Is Edrolo worth it for VCE or HSC?
If your school provides it, absolutely use it - the dot-point videos and exam-style questions with video solutions are solid revision. Buying it yourself is a bigger call: you're paying for content delivery, and the marking loop is still you self-marking against rubrics.
Does Edrolo have AI features?
The core product doesn't - no AI tutor and no AI marking (its maths platform is deliberately non-adaptive). Schools can add AI-assisted English marking through a partner (Jeddle), but that's a school purchase, not something a student can switch on.
Can I buy Edrolo without my school?
Yes - since August 2024 the Edrolo Store sells per-subject Success Kits (12 months' access) and a monthly all-access subscription. Check current prices on their pricing page.
