Spelling Test Buddy vs Spelling Stars (2026): Google Classroom sync, or a flat price

Spelling Stars has been around since 2006 and does the weekly spelling routine well. On paper it looks a lot like Spelling Test Buddy. The real differences are pricing, Google Classroom, and what happens after the test. Here’s the honest comparison, written by the person who makes Spelling Test Buddy.

Same weekly routine, different business model

Spelling Stars and Spelling Test Buddy were built for the same Monday-to-Friday routine: list goes in, students practice and take a pretest, they play some games, and Friday’s test grades itself. If you’ve used one, the other will feel familiar.

The biggest practical difference is the price. Spelling Stars charges monthly by class size and tier, so a teacher with one small class pays very little and a teacher with five sections pays a lot more. Spelling Test Buddy is one price for up to 150 students, so a middle school teacher with every section on one account pays the same as a 3rd grade teacher with 24 kids.

What Spelling Stars is better at

Google Classroom sync. Rostering, assignments, and grades can sync with Google Classroom. Spelling Test Buddy doesn’t do that yet. In a Google school where grades have to land in Classroom, that saves you real time.

Parents can log in. Parents can check their child’s grades from home without asking the teacher. Spelling Test Buddy has printable results and exports, but no parent login.

Your own voice. On Gold, you can record the words yourself. Some teachers, especially in early grades, like students hearing a familiar voice.

Flexible billing and a long track record. Monthly or semester billing helps if you only need it for part of the year, and the company has been doing this since 2006.

What Spelling Test Buddy is better at

One flat price. $49.99 a year for up to 150 students, with every game and tool included. No tiers to compare.

Sentences without the work. Every word gets a generated sentence, read aloud, so students hear it in context. Don’t like a sentence? Edit it, and the audio regenerates.

Fast list entry. Upload a PDF, a Word or Excel file, or a photo of the printed list. 850+ pre-made lists are there if you need them.

Adaptive practice. Adaptive Learning Programs use spaced repetition, so each student practices the words they keep missing, not just the whole list again.

Accents. US, UK, Australian, and Indian English, which matters for international schools and ESL classrooms.

Privacy-friendly student access. No student emails or full names needed. Spelling Test Buddy is a verified vendor in the Student Data Privacy Consortium.

If you’re deciding between the two

Ask yourself one question: do grades have to sync to Google Classroom? If yes, Spelling Stars is probably the easier choice, and I’d rather you pick the tool that fits your school than fight it. If not, compare what you’d actually pay for your number of students, and try both. Spelling Test Buddy’s trial is 14 days, and I’ll extend it if you ask.

Questions

Is Spelling Test Buddy cheaper than Spelling Stars?

For most classroom teachers, yes. Spelling Test Buddy is $49.99 a year for up to 150 students. Spelling Stars is billed monthly by class size and tier, and the Gold tier for a standard class is listed at $23.99 a month. For a single small class on the Bronze tier, Spelling Stars can cost less for a few months.

Does Spelling Test Buddy work with Google Classroom?

You can post your class link in Google Classroom, and students open it from there. Spelling Test Buddy doesn’t sync rosters or grades with Google Classroom yet. Spelling Stars does, and if that matters to you, it’s a good reason to choose Spelling Stars.

Can parents see their child's spelling results?

In Spelling Stars, parents get their own login. In Spelling Test Buddy, students can print a formatted results page after each test, and teachers can export results as PDF or CSV, but there’s no separate parent login.

Do students need accounts?

Spelling Test Buddy students open a class link and type a short student code, with no email address or account. Spelling Stars students log in, and can be rostered through Google Classroom.

I checked prices and features for every product on this page in October 2026. Prices change, so confirm on each company’s site before you buy.