Take the TOEFL if your target universities are primarily in the US, if you prefer a fully computer-based test you can complete in about 2 hours, or if you're more comfortable typing than handwriting. Take IELTS if your target universities are primarily in the UK, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand, if a specific visa or immigration pathway requires it, or if you prefer speaking to a live examiner rather than a computer microphone.
Both tests are accepted by thousands of universities worldwide, and neither is objectively "easier" — they measure the same underlying English proficiency through different formats. The right choice comes down to what your specific programs require and which test format plays to your strengths. This guide compares both in detail so you can decide with confidence.
Before you commit to either, it's worth being clear that this decision has two separate parts: an administrative part (what does your target program actually accept) and a personal-fit part (which format will let you perform closest to your real ability). Skipping the second question is how students end up with a lower score than their English actually warrants, simply because the test format worked against them.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
Since the January 2026 update, the TOEFL iBT takes about 2 hours and is entirely computer-based, delivered at a test center or via TOEFL Home Edition. The four sections' combined item-response time totals about 90 minutes (Reading 30, Listening 29, Writing 23, Speaking 8, per ETS's published breakdown), with the remainder covering directions and the test tutorial. Reading and Listening use an adaptive format that adjusts question difficulty based on your performance, while Writing and Speaking are linear. All four sections happen in one sitting, in the fixed order Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking.
IELTS takes about 2 hours 45 minutes and offers more format flexibility: the Listening, Reading, and Writing sections are typically completed together (on paper or computer, depending on your test center), while Speaking is often scheduled as a separate face-to-face interview with a live examiner, sometimes on a different day. IELTS is not adaptive — every test-taker sees questions of a similar difficulty range, regardless of how they're performing.
The practical difference test-takers notice most: TOEFL's Speaking section is you talking into a microphone for the computer to record and score (with AI plus human grading), while IELTS Speaking is a real-time conversation with a human examiner sitting across from you. Some students perform better with the immediate, natural back-and-forth of a live conversation; others prefer the predictability and lack of social pressure in speaking to a screen — and there's no wrong answer, only the one that matches how you communicate best under exam conditions.
TOEFL iBT registration runs roughly $173 to $475 depending on your country and any add-on services, with the base fee including score delivery to up to four institutions (additional recipients cost $29 each). IELTS pricing is broadly comparable, typically in the $185–$250 range depending on location and test format (Academic vs General Training).
Both tests charge extra for common add-ons: late registration, rescheduling, and expedited or additional score reports. Neither test is meaningfully cheaper than the other once you account for these fees — cost is rarely the deciding factor between them, and shouldn't be, given how much more the format fit and university acceptance matter to your actual outcome. Budget separately for preparation materials and practice tests regardless of which exam you choose, since under-preparing to save money on prep almost always costs more in retake fees than it saves. See our TOEFL registration guide for the exact fee breakdown by region and how to book.
TOEFL uses a 1.0–6.0 band scale since January 2026 (previously 0–120), while IELTS has long used a 0–9.0 band scale in 0.5-point increments. Neither scale converts to the other through an official, ETS-and-IELTS-endorsed formula — the two organizations don't publish a joint concordance. What exists instead are institution-published equivalency guides, built by comparing large numbers of test-takers who sat both exams. For a deeper breakdown of what each TOEFL band actually means for admissions, see our guide to what counts as a good TOEFL score in 2026.
| TOEFL Band (1.0–6.0) | Legacy TOEFL (0–120) | IELTS | CEFR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 118–120 | 9.0 | C2 |
| 5.5 | 110–117 | 8.0–8.5 | C1/C2 |
| 5.0 | 103–109 | 7.5 | C1 |
| 4.5 | 95–102 | 7.0 | C1 |
| 4.0 | 87–94 | 6.5 | B2 |
| 3.5 | 78–86 | 6.0 | B2 |
| 3.0 | 65–77 | 5.5 | B1/B2 |
| 2.5 | 50–64 | 5.0 | B1 |
| 2.0 | 35–49 | 4.0–4.5 | A2/B1 |
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
Beyond overall format, each section tests English proficiency through genuinely different task types — and this is often the most useful thing to compare when deciding which test suits you.
The 2026 TOEFL Reading section uses three task types across an adaptive router-and-module structure: Complete the Words (fill-in-the-blank vocabulary in a short academic paragraph), Read in Daily Life (short practical texts), and Read an Academic Passage (longer academic texts with multiple question types). IELTS Reading uses three longer passages with a wider mix of question formats — matching headings, true/false/not-given, sentence completion, and short-answer questions — and is not adaptive, so every test-taker sees a similar overall difficulty.
TOEFL Listening in 2026 has four task types: Listen and Choose a Response (a single short sentence), Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, and Listen to an Academic Talk, delivered through two adaptive modules. IELTS Listening uses four recorded sections of increasing difficulty — a everyday conversation, a monologue in an everyday context, a conversation in an academic context, and an academic lecture — with a wider range of accents (British, Australian, and Canadian English are common, alongside American) that some test-takers find more or less familiar depending on their own listening background.
TOEFL's 2026 Writing section has three tasks: Build a Sentence (grammar-focused, arranging scrambled words), Write an Email (a short, real-world response), and Write for an Academic Discussion (a structured opinion response to a class discussion prompt). IELTS Academic Writing has two tasks: describing a chart, graph, or diagram in Task 1, and writing a longer discursive essay in Task 2 — a format many students find closer to a traditional academic essay assignment than TOEFL's current task set.
This is where the two tests diverge most. TOEFL's 2026 Speaking section has 11 short items across two task types — Listen and Repeat (repeating short sentences) and Take an Interview (answering spontaneous questions with no preparation time) — all recorded and graded by a combination of AI and human raters. IELTS Speaking is a roughly 11–14 minute face-to-face interview with a live examiner, structured in three parts: an introduction and general questions, a two-minute individual talk on a given topic after one minute of preparation, and a follow-up discussion. If you perform better in natural conversation than in a fixed, timed recording format, this difference alone can be decisive.
TOEFL test day is typically a single, continuous computer-based session — allow about 2 hours in total — taken either at a test center or at home via TOEFL Home Edition with remote proctoring. Because every section happens back-to-back on one device, there's little downtime and no need to interact with test center staff beyond check-in.
IELTS test day is longer and, at many test centers, split into two parts: Listening, Reading, and Writing are completed together (in one continuous block, either on paper or computer depending on the center), while Speaking is often scheduled separately — sometimes on the same day, sometimes up to a week before or after. This means IELTS test-takers may need to plan around two separate appointments, which has scheduling implications if you're coordinating travel or time off work or school around your test date.
Both tests allow unlimited retakes. TOEFL requires a minimum three-day gap between attempts; IELTS generally has no mandatory waiting period, though test center availability effectively limits how quickly you can rebook. Both organizations charge the full fee for each attempt.
Score validity is identical on paper: both TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years from your test date. After that window, most institutions will no longer accept the score for admissions purposes, regardless of which test you took, so time your first attempt with your actual application deadlines in mind rather than testing too far in advance. If you're applying across multiple admissions cycles — for example, targeting both a fall and a following spring intake — plan your test date around the later deadline, not the earlier one, so a single valid score covers your entire application window.
Start structured TOEFL preparation built around the current 2026 format.
Neither test is inherently easier — both are calibrated to measure the same range of English proficiency, and large-scale comparisons haven't shown one to be a softer path to a given CEFR level. What differs is which format suits your particular strengths, and that can make one test feel considerably easier for you personally, even though neither is easier in general.
Test-takers who prefer structure, typing, and a shorter overall time commitment often find TOEFL's format more comfortable. Test-takers who prefer a live conversational Speaking section, a slightly slower overall pace, and the option to write essays by hand at certain test centers often prefer IELTS. Your accent, typing speed, handwriting legibility, and comfort speaking to a person versus a microphone are all genuinely relevant factors — more relevant, in most cases, than any claimed difficulty difference between the two tests.
Regional preference is real, even though both tests are technically accepted almost everywhere English-medium education exists.
United States: TOEFL is the more established, more widely accepted test, given ETS's US roots. Nearly every US university accepts TOEFL, and it remains the default recommendation for students applying primarily to American schools.
United Kingdom: IELTS has historically been the default here, partly because UK Visas and Immigration maintains a specific list of approved "Secure English Language Tests," and IELTS has typically had broader coverage on that list than TOEFL. Always check both your university's academic requirement and the Home Office's current visa test list separately.
Australia, Canada, and New Zealand: These countries generally accept both, but IELTS carries a longer institutional track record, similar to the UK pattern. Some immigration and permanent-residency pathways in Canada specifically require IELTS General Training or the CELPIP test rather than TOEFL, which matters if your plans extend beyond just university admission.
Continental Europe and elsewhere: Both tests are broadly accepted at English-medium programs, and the choice usually comes down to test center availability and personal format preference rather than a strong regional pattern.
Take the free TOEFL Benchmark Test and get your estimated band score in about 45 minutes.
Work through these questions in order, and the answer usually becomes clear quickly.
If your target list accepts either test and you're still unsure, TOEFL's shorter overall time commitment and fully computer-based format make it the more convenient option for most students — but this is genuinely a personal-fit decision, not a universal recommendation. Consider taking a short diagnostic practice section of each before committing: many students discover a clear preference within the first 20 minutes of trying each format, which is far cheaper than discovering it after paying for and sitting the wrong test. Once you've decided, our 2-week TOEFL study plan walks through exactly how to structure your prep time.
Yes, and some students do, usually for one of two reasons: their application list splits between US programs (which lean TOEFL) and UK/Australian programs (which lean IELTS), or their first attempt at one test came in below target and they want to compare their performance on the other format before committing to a retake.
If your list genuinely spans both regions and you have the time and budget, sitting both tests removes any format-fit guesswork. If budget or time is limited, it's almost always better to concentrate your preparation on one test and take it seriously, rather than splitting effort across two exams and preparing for neither as thoroughly as you should. A useful middle ground: prepare seriously for one test, sit it, and only add the second test if your result comes in meaningfully below what your target programs require — at that point you'll also have real performance data on your weak areas to inform whether a different test format might genuinely suit you better.
TOEFL and IELTS aren't the only two options. PTE Academic is a fully computer-based test, similar to TOEFL in format, that's gained wide acceptance particularly in Australia, the UK, and among a growing number of US institutions. It's often praised for fast turnaround on results — frequently within 48 hours — and for its heavily algorithmic scoring, which some test-takers find more predictable than a mixed AI-and-human system.
The Duolingo English Test is the newest and most different of the four: a roughly one-hour, fully adaptive test you can take from home on your own schedule, for a fraction of the cost of TOEFL or IELTS. It's now accepted by thousands of institutions, including many highly selective ones, but coverage is still uneven — always confirm your specific target program accepts it before relying on it as your primary test, since some programs that accept TOEFL and IELTS still don't accept Duolingo.
If your target list accepts more than one of these four tests, the decision genuinely comes down to format preference, cost, turnaround time, and how each test's specific task types play to your strengths — there's no test that's strictly superior for every applicant. Our score converter covers all four scales side by side if you want to see how a score on one test maps to the others before deciding where to focus your preparation.
See your approximate equivalent score on any of the four tests, with a CEFR level for every result.