Every exam-prep site tells you it is the best one. So instead of another list of our own features, this is a straight tick-box comparison of PassNova against four of the best-known UK names — one for each kind of exam we cover — using nothing but what each product says about itself publicly. It includes the rows where PassNova loses, because you will find those out anyway and you should hear them from us first.
- Compared PassNova Free and Premium against RAC's Driving Theory Test Kit, Atom Learning, Whizlabs and Seneca Learning
- Checked September 2026, from each product's own listing, help centre and pricing pages
- The one thing only PassNova does Let you practise with no account, no card and no trial clock
- Where PassNova loses Hazard perception clips, video lessons, and exam-board-specific depth on GCSE
The five products, in one line each
- PassNova Free — 149 courses across driving theory, GCSE and A-level, 11+, Functional Skills, healthcare, IT & cyber and professional certifications, with timed mock tests and an explanation on every answer. No sign-up. Over 100 of the courses are free in full; every Premium course has a free 15-question taster.
- PassNova Premium — everything in Free plus the full Premium course banks, Nova the AI tutor, adaptive Smart practice, graded exam papers, 71 downloadable study guides, revision mind maps, class ranking, parent tools and certificates. £4.99 a month or £39.99 a year, after a 7-day free trial.
- RAC Driving Theory Test Kit — the best-rated driving theory app we found (4.7★ from around 87,000 ratings): the full DVSA question bank, every DVSA hazard perception clip, 35 tutor videos and an AI weak-spot finder. Driving theory only.
- Atom Learning — the 11+ specialist: adaptive questions, unlimited practice papers, and a parent portal that ranks your child against other applicants to the same school. £39.99–£69.99 a month.
- Whizlabs — IT and cloud certification prep: 25,000 practice questions, 4,500+ videos and hands-on labs across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and more. $99–$299 a year.
- Seneca Learning — the GCSE and A-level revision platform used across UK schools: 600+ free exam-board-specific courses with an account, and a Premium tier with AI-marked exam questions and the Amelia AI assistant at £9.99–£12.99 a month.
Feature by feature
Green is included, amber is limited or partial, red is not offered. A dashed circle means the feature is not part of that product, or the product does not describe it publicly — we have not marked anything as missing just because we could not find it.
| Feature | PassNovaFree | PassNovaPremium | RAC Theory Test KitDriving theory | Atom Learning11+ & entrance exams | WhizlabsIT & cloud certs | Seneca LearningGCSE & A-level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access | ||||||
| Practise without an account or card | free tier stays free | free sample of questions | 5‑day trial, sign‑up required | one free test after sign‑up | free account required | |
| Built for UK exams | DVSA-licensed | global vendor certs | exam-board specific | |||
| Many exam types in one placeDriving, school, professional, healthcare, IT… | 149 courses | 149 courses | driving only | 11+ only | IT certs only | school subjects only |
| Kids Zone for younger learners | free, 24 worlds | ages 7–11 | KS2 courses | |||
| Practice | ||||||
| Timed mock tests | + graded exam papers | AI-marked exam questions, Premium | ||||
| Adaptive practice that targets weak topics | Smart practice | AI Smart Study | adaptive questions | Smart Learning mode, Premium | ||
| Hazard perception video clipsDriving theory only | all DVSA clips | |||||
| Study help | ||||||
| AI tutor you can ask questions | 3 free Nova messages | Nova, unlimited | Amelia, Premium | |||
| Downloadable study guides & notes | 90 revision boards + 1 sample guide | 71 PDF guides + mind maps | cheat sheets, paid plan | e-books, Premium | ||
| Video lessons | selected courses | selected courses | 35 tutor videos | 4,500+ videos | ||
| Progress dashboard & readiness score | free account | |||||
| Ranking against other learners | class percentile | vs same-school applicants | ||||
| Parent dashboard & weekly parent email | parent portal | parent account | ||||
| Certificates of completion | ||||||
| Price | ||||||
| Money-back guarantee | nothing to refund | 30 days, included | cancel in 5‑day trial | paid add-on, +£5.99/mo | ||
| Price | £0always | £4.99per month · or £39.99/yr · 7‑day free trial | £4.99per month · free sample tier | £39.99 – £69.99per month, by plan | $99 – $299per year, by plan | £9.99 – £12.99per month for Premium · free tier with account |
Competitor details are taken from each product's public listing, help-centre and pricing pages (checked Sept 2026) and PassNova's competitor research of Aug 2026. Where a feature isn't described publicly it is shown as not stated, not as missing. PassNova's driving theory course covers the multiple-choice test; hazard perception clips are not included. Spotted something out of date? Email support@passnova.co.uk.
Where PassNova wins
You can practise without an account. This is the row nobody else ticks. RAC gives you a sample of questions before asking you to subscribe; Whizlabs gives you one free test once you have signed up; Seneca's free tier is genuinely free but needs an account; Atom is a five-day trial with sign-up and card details. On PassNova you open a course and start — there is nothing to create, confirm or cancel.
One place for several exams. Each of the other four is excellent in exactly one lane. If you are a parent with one child sitting the 11+ and another doing GCSEs, or an adult doing your theory test and a SIA licence in the same year, PassNova is the only product here that covers all of it under one roof.
Premium is the cheapest paid tier in the table. At £4.99 a month it adds the AI tutor, adaptive practice, downloadable guides, class ranking, parent dashboard and certificates — the same kind of features Seneca charges £9.99–£12.99 for and Atom charges up to £69.99 for. It also carries a 30-day money-back guarantee as standard, where Seneca's guarantee is a paid add-on and the others do not advertise one.
Where PassNova falls short, and what to do about it
Hazard perception. The UK theory test is two parts, and PassNova only covers the multiple-choice half. We do not have the DVSA video clips — RAC has every one of them. If you are using PassNova for driving theory, pair it with the DVSA's official hazard perception practice so you learn the click timing on the real scoring system.
Video lessons. RAC, Atom and Whizlabs all bundle produced video; PassNova has course videos on a selection of courses and is text-first everywhere else. If you learn best by watching, that matters.
Depth in one subject. Seneca's GCSE courses are built to specific exam boards and specifications; Atom's 11+ papers are matched to particular schools. PassNova's GCSE and 11+ banks are broad and free, but they are not board-by-board. Plenty of learners use both — the free tiers do not compete for your money.
See for yourself, no sign-up. Pick any of the 149 courses and sit a timed mock. If you want the AI tutor, guides and adaptive practice, Premium is £4.99 a month with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How we compared
Every competitor cell in the table comes from that product's own public material — the RAC app's App Store and Google Play listings, atomlearning.com, whizlabs.com/pricing and Seneca's help centre — checked in September 2026, plus the competitor research we ran in August 2026. We picked the four because each is a leading, widely recognised name in its lane, not because they were easy to beat: RAC is the best-rated app we found in either the driving or 11+ market, and Seneca is closer to PassNova's free-plus-Premium model than anyone else.
Prices change and features ship. If you spot something in the table that is out of date, email support@passnova.co.uk and we will correct it.
Frequently asked questions
Is PassNova really free, or is it a trial?
Free. Over 100 courses are free in full with no account, no card and no time limit, and the Premium courses have a free 15-question taster each. Premium is optional and only adds features on top.
Do I need an account to use PassNova?
No. Practice and timed mocks work without one. A free account adds a progress dashboard and readiness score; Premium adds the AI tutor and the rest of the Premium column.
Does PassNova cover the hazard perception test?
No — it covers the multiple-choice part of the theory test, including the hazard awareness topic. For the video clips themselves, use the DVSA's official hazard perception material or an app like RAC's that licenses the DVSA clips.
Which is best for the 11+?
For a child sitting a competitive grammar or independent school exam, Atom Learning's school-specific papers and percentile ranking are the deepest tools in this comparison. PassNova's free 11+ practice is a good place to start and to keep practising between paid sessions, and the Kids Zone is free for younger children.
Which is best for GCSE?
Seneca's free courses are built to individual exam boards and are hard to beat for spec-specific revision. PassNova gives you free timed mocks and question banks across GCSE Maths, English, Sciences and more without an account. Many students use both.