I need to be upfront before we start.
I run GradePod. That means I have an obvious reason to steer you towards my own platform. I’m going to do the opposite. This is the honest, even-handed comparison I wish someone had written for students, and it will tell you clearly when a competitor is the better choice for what you need.
After obsessing about IB Physics provision online since 2013, I’ve deeply reviewed every platform on this list. I know the people behind two of them personally (and was ghosted by a third, who shall remain nameless).
Here’s what I looked at for each: content quality, coverage of the current IB Physics syllabus (first examined 2025), pricing model, and who it genuinely suits.
Revision Village
Revision Village is the biggest name in IB study resources. They claim 85% of IBDP students worldwide use their platform. Whether or not that figure is exact, it tells you something real about their reach.
It covers a huge range of IB subjects: Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, and more. For IB Physics specifically, it offers question banks, an AI tutor called Newton, prediction exams, flashcards, and a revision ladder that guides you through topics in order.
What it does well: If you need resources across multiple IB subjects, Revision Village is hard to beat for breadth. Their IB Maths content in particular is widely regarded as the strongest available anywhere. If you’re already paying a subscription for Maths or another subject, the Physics content comes along for the ride. They’ve also built strong whole-school packages, so if your school has a site licence, you may already have access.
The honest limitation: Revision Village is a large, well-funded team with ambitions across the whole IB. Physics is one subject on a long menu. The content is created by a rotating cast of contract teachers rather than a single named voice who owns the subject, and when you go deep into a topic, that sometimes shows. The subscription model also means ongoing cost.
Best for: Students who need strong multi-subject IB resources, especially if IB Maths is a priority alongside Physics.
PaperPlainz
Peter, who runs PaperPlainz, has built something I genuinely admire. Over 2,000 video explanations covering every SL and HL past paper question from May 2016 to November 2024, with new syllabus content being added continuously.
I know Peter, and I can tell you the care and thought that has gone into this platform is real. What I particularly respect is the scholarship programme for students who can’t afford full membership. That’s not a marketing gimmick. It reflects a genuine value about who IB education should be accessible to.
What it does well: If your primary need is detailed video walkthroughs of real past paper questions, PaperPlainz is the deepest resource available for exactly that. The coverage is remarkable, and the explanations come from someone who has taught IB Physics at a high level in international schools across four continents for more than 15 years. For students who want to sit down with a worked solution and understand not just the answer but the reasoning, it’s exceptional.
The honest limitation: It’s a subscription model, so there’s ongoing cost.
Best for: Students whose biggest gap is worked past paper solutions, who want to understand the reasoning behind each answer, and who are happy to pay a subscription for that depth.
Save My Exams
Save My Exams supports over 2.5 million students every month across GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, and IB. The scale is real. It’s one of the most visited study platforms in the world.
For IB Physics, the written revision notes are solid and the question bank is large. There’s also a Smart Mark AI tool that gives instant written feedback, which is genuinely useful for extended response practice.
What it does well: Strong written notes, good question bank breadth, and consistent quality across subjects. If you prefer reading revision notes to watching videos, or if you’re already using Save My Exams for other subjects, the IB Physics content is a natural addition.
The honest limitation: IB Physics is a small part of a very large platform. Some students find it feels impersonal. Full access requires a premium subscription.
Best for: Students who prefer written notes over video, or who are already using Save My Exams for other subjects and want consistent quality across their revision.
GradeGorilla
GradeGorilla does one thing and does it well: mini-topic quizzes. Ten questions, under ten minutes, written by experienced IBDP teachers. The content is fully updated for the current IB Physics syllabus, and the free tier is genuinely useful rather than just a teaser.
I know the person behind GradeGorilla, and they’ve built this with real care and modesty. They’re not trying to be everything. They’re trying to be an excellent quiz tool, and they are.
What it does well: Fast, low-pressure topic checks. If you want to find out in ten minutes which parts of a topic you know and which you’ve forgotten, GradeGorilla is exactly the right tool. It’s also great for building retrieval practice into daily revision without the overhead of sitting down with a full past paper.
The honest limitation: It’s a quiz tool, not a full revision system. There are no video tutorials, no past paper walkthroughs with mark scheme guidance, and no extended answer practice. It’s a complement to other resources, not a replacement.
Best for: Students who want to quickly check their knowledge on a specific topic, identify gaps between study sessions, or add daily retrieval practice to their routine.
RevisionDojo
RevisionDojo is the newest platform on this list. It’s built around AI-integrated revision across 21 IB subjects, offering practice questions, flashcards, and study notes with instant feedback from an AI assistant. The interface is modern and reviewers describe the notes and diagrams as clear and well-structured.
What it does well: If you want a modern, AI-forward revision experience with progress tracking and instant written feedback, RevisionDojo is worth exploring. It has a free tier, which lowers the barrier to trying it.
The honest limitation: It’s less established than the others here, so there’s less track record to evaluate. IB Physics is one of 21 subjects, so it shares the same specialist limitation as other multi-subject platforms.
Best for: Students who want an AI-assisted revision experience and are comfortable trying a newer platform.
GradePod
I built GradePod, so take what follows with that in mind. I’ll tell you what it genuinely does well and where it falls short.
What GradePod does differently: Every concept tutorial for all 24 topics in the current IB Physics syllabus is completely free, on YouTube, with no login and no paywall. That’s a deliberate choice, not a loss leader. I built GradePod for the students I couldn’t reach in a classroom, and making the teaching free was non-negotiable from day one.
GradePod is one person: me. I’m a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, author of four IB Physics books (two hit number one on Amazon), and have been teaching IB Physics since 2004. There’s no team of contract writers, no investor pressure to expand into other subjects, no corporate roadmap. Just a physics teacher who cares deeply about this one thing. GradePod covers IB Physics only, built around one goal: helping you lose as few marks as possible in the exam. You can start with all the free topic content at gradepod.com/topics.
The Exam Pack (£39, one-time) adds the structured practice layer: topic-by-topic past paper questions with mark schemes, revision note templates, a knowledge question bank, a complete mock exam, an annotated data booklet, a Paper 1B survival pack, and a full checklist for all 24 topics. One purchase, instant access, no subscription.
The honest gaps: GradePod doesn’t have an interactive online question bank, AI-generated feedback, or in-platform progress tracking. If you want to type an answer and receive instant AI feedback, a different platform offers that. If you want worked video solutions to every individual past paper question going back to 2016, PaperPlainz is deeper than GradePod for that specific thing.
Best for: Students who want free, specialist video teaching for the full current IB Physics syllabus, and an optional one-time purchase for structured exam preparation, with no ongoing subscription.
Which resource is right for you?
There isn’t a single best platform for every student. Here’s a quick guide.
You need resources across multiple IB subjects, especially Maths: Revision Village.
Your biggest gap is past paper practice with full video walkthroughs: PaperPlainz.
You prefer written notes and already use this platform for other subjects: Save My Exams.
You want fast daily topic checks to find your gaps quickly: GradeGorilla.
You want a modern AI-integrated revision experience: RevisionDojo.
You want free specialist video teaching for the full syllabus, plus an optional one-time structured practice pack: GradePod.
Most students who do well in IB Physics use more than one resource. The combination that works for the majority: watch the free GradePod tutorials to build solid understanding, then use structured past paper practice (with real mark schemes) to convert that understanding into marks. If you want to know what percentage you actually need for a 7, that’s answered here: What percent is a 7 in IB Physics?
Whatever resource you choose, the key is this: don’t just consume content. Do past paper questions. Read the mark schemes. Find out what the examiner actually wants. That’s what the gap between a 4 and a 7 looks like in practice.
Get the GradePod Exam Pack for £39 →
I’m Sally Weatherly, Fellow of the Institute of Physics, author of four IB Physics books (two hit #1 on Amazon), and founder of GradePod. I’ve helped 30,000+ students prepare for IB Physics since 2020.