Edrolo and Atomi are the two big school-licensed Australian study platforms, and “which one is better” comes up constantly in parent groups and student forums - usually answered with vibes. Here's the factual version: what each actually covers, how their content differs, where AI fits, and how you can buy them with or without your school.
Full disclosure: Polarbear makes an AI study app. We don't sell syllabus video lessons, so we have no horse in this particular race - where the feedback layer we do build is relevant, we say so openly. Facts checked July 2026 · how we verify
The short version
Edrolo is the depth play. A teacher-presented video for every dot point of the study design - deepest in VCE, plus NSW Years 11–12 and QCE - with exam-style questions, worked video solutions and print textbooks in its top school tier.
Atomi is the breadth-and-engagement play. Short, polished videos and interactive quizzes across all six states and Years 7–12, with AI feedback and auto-marking on shorter written answers (worth up to about 6 marks).
If your school already licenses one, use that one - teachers set work and track progress inside it, and that integration is worth more than the differences between them.
Side by side
| Edrolo | Atomi | |
|---|---|---|
| Senior curricula covered | VCE (deepest), NSW Years 11–12, QCE | All six states - NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS, WA |
| Year levels | Years 11–12 + Years 7–10 tiers (Maths-led) | Years 7–12 in every state |
| Content style | Teacher-presented video for every study-design dot point | Short, high-production videos + interactive quizzes |
| Print / PDF textbooks | Yes - in its top school tier | No - digital-only |
| AI feedback on written answers | None in the core product (AI English marking is a school add-on) | AI marks short & extended answers worth up to ~6 marks |
| Exam practice | Exam-style questions with worked video solutions, self- or teacher-marked | Quizzes, revision sessions and topic tests |
| AI tutor chat | No | No - its AI does feedback and quiz generation, not chat |
| ATAR calculator | No | No |
| How schools buy | Licence tiers, invoiced per student | Custom-quoted 12-month contracts; teachers free |
| How individuals buy | One-off per-subject kits (12 months) or monthly all-access | Student/parent plans, yearly or monthly |
| Free trial | First month of the store subscription | No-credit-card free trial |
Sources: both companies' official sites, stores and help centres, checked July 2026. Prices churn, so we link rather than quote: Edrolo pricing · Atomi pricing.
Depth vs breadth
The core difference is coverage philosophy. Edrolo maps a full teacher-led video lesson to every dot point of the VCE, NSW and QCE study designs - closer to a video textbook you work through sequentially, with study notes, sample answers and exam-style questions attached. Atomi covers every Australian state and Years 7–12 with shorter, snappier videos built for quick revision, then leans on interactive quizzes and revision sessions to make it stick.
Practical consequence: a Victorian or NSW student choosing between them gets more depth per subject from Edrolo; a student in SA, Tasmania or WA simply can't use Edrolo for their senior curriculum - Atomi is the one that covers them.
AI features: one has them, one doesn't
Atomi has gone the AI route: since May 2026 its Gemini-based AI marks short and extended written responses worth roughly 2–6 marks, gives instant personalised feedback, generates quizzes and recommends revision based on your gaps. It stops short of full essays - Atomi says longer-form marking is still being explored.
Edrolo has deliberately stayed non-AI: its maths platform is explicitly “intentionally not adaptive”, practice questions are self-marked against rubrics and video solutions, and the only AI in its orbit is an AI-assisted English marking add-on that schools (not students) can buy through a partner. Neither platform has a conversational AI tutor.
How you buy them
Both are school-first: schools license them and often pass the cost to parents via the booklist. Since August 2024 Edrolo also sells directly to families - one-off per-subject Success Kits with 12 months' access, or a monthly all-access subscription capped at seven courses. Atomi sells identically-priced student and parent plans, billed yearly or monthly, with a no-credit-card free trial. Exact prices are published on both stores and change often enough that quoting them here would go stale - check the official pricing pages linked above.
What students say
Community opinion, not fact - but a consistent pattern on student forums (Bored of Studies threads, HSC parent groups): Atomi gets praised for consolidating a topic after the textbook and for humanities revision, and criticised as “surface-level” for physics; Edrolo divides opinion - some call it far better than Atomi for building detailed notes, others find the videos long-winded. Several students say neither is worth paying for yourself if you already have good past-paper access. Read a few recent threads for your specific subjects before spending money.
What neither does
Both platforms deliver content. Neither offers a conversational AI tutor, neither AI-marks a full-length essay, and neither publishes an ATAR calculator or scaling tools. That's the layer Polarbear builds - and it's deliberately complementary: keep whichever platform your school runs, and add the feedback loop on top: AI essay marking against your assessment criteria, Exam Cram practice with instant checking, and free ATAR calculators built on official VTAC and TISC data.
Frequently asked questions
Is Edrolo or Atomi better?
It depends on what you need. Edrolo goes deeper: a teacher-presented video for every syllabus dot point (deepest in VCE, plus NSW Years 11–12 and QCE) with exam-style questions and worked video solutions. Atomi goes wider: short videos and interactive quizzes across all six states, Years 7–12, with AI feedback on shorter written answers. If your school provides one, use that one - switching costs usually outweigh the differences.
Can I buy Edrolo or Atomi without my school?
Yes, both. Edrolo's store sells one-off per-subject Success Kits (12 months' access) and a monthly all-access subscription. Atomi sells student and parent plans billed yearly or monthly, with a no-credit-card free trial. Both publish current prices on their official pricing pages.
Do Edrolo or Atomi mark essays?
Not full essays. Atomi's AI marks short and extended responses worth up to about 6 marks; Edrolo has no AI marking in its core product (schools can add AI-assisted English marking via a partner), and its practice questions are self-marked against rubrics and video solutions. For AI feedback on full-length essays you need a different layer - that's what Polarbear's Essay Marking does.
Do Edrolo or Atomi have an ATAR calculator?
No - neither publishes its own ATAR calculator or scaling tools. Polarbear's free ATAR calculators are built on official VTAC and TISC data, with the source report cited.
