Comparison
AI test graders, and which part of a paper test each one reads
A paper test has bubbles, one-line answers and shown work. Seven graders split on which of those they read, and on who gives the points for the rest.
The Graidable team
Published
Graidable makes one of the tools compared here. Every claim about another tool links to that vendor’s own page.
| Tool | Reads | Written answers | Papers in | Results | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akindi | Bubbles | You, on screen | Scanner, its own sheets | LMS gradebook, CSV | By quote; $99 a year for a school teacher |
| Crowdmark | Bubbles; groups boxed answers | Your graders | Scanned booklets | LMS grade sync | By quote |
| Gradescope | Bubbles; groups one-line answers | You, with a rubric | Class scan or student upload | LMS, spreadsheet | Basic free; AI by quote |
| Gradient by GradeCam | Bubbles and math answers | You, on screen | Any camera | LMS and gradebooks | $3.50 a student, from $2,800 a year |
| GradingPal | The written work | Tool proposes, you decide | Class scan as a PDF | Google Classroom, PDFs | Free 50 a month; from $14 |
| Graidable | The written work | Tool proposes, you approve | Class scan, PDFs or photos | PDFs and a spreadsheet | First class free; from $9.99 |
| ZipGrade | Bubbles | Not stated | Phone camera, its own sheets | CSV export | Free 100 a month; $6.99 a year |
Akindi
- Reads
- Bubbles
- Written answers
- You, on screen
- Price
- By quote; $99 a year for a school teacher
Crowdmark
- Reads
- Bubbles; groups boxed answers
- Written answers
- Your graders
- Price
- By quote
Gradescope
- Reads
- Bubbles; groups one-line answers
- Written answers
- You, with a rubric
- Price
- Basic free; AI by quote
Gradient by GradeCam
- Reads
- Bubbles and math answers
- Written answers
- You, on screen
- Price
- $3.50 a student, from $2,800 a year
GradingPal
- Reads
- The written work
- Written answers
- Tool proposes, you decide
- Price
- Free 50 a month; from $14
Graidable
- Reads
- The written work
- Written answers
- Tool proposes, you approve
- Price
- First class free; from $9.99
ZipGrade
- Reads
- Bubbles
- Written answers
- Not stated
- Price
- Free 100 a month; $6.99 a year
In this article
This page compares seven tools that grade a paper test: Akindi1, Crowdmark2, Gradescope3, Gradient by GradeCam4, GradingPal5, Graidable6 and ZipGrade7. Graidable is ours. Every fact comes from the vendor’s own pages, read on 11 November 2026.
Before you compare prices, look at your own test. Count the points that sit in multiple choice, in one-line answers and in shown work. Each of these tools reads one or two of those and hands you the rest.
One question, three kinds of reading
Figure 1 is a three-point question with a slip in the first line. The key gives one point for expanding the bracket, one for collecting the terms and one for the answer, and says an error costs points once.
Solve . Show your work.
The correct answer is . What happens to this page depends on what the tool reads:
| The tool reads | What it does with Figure 1 | What is left for you |
|---|---|---|
| Bubbles | Scores the answer the student bubbled in: 7 is wrong, 0 points | The two points for the work, by hand |
| The final answer, to sort it | Puts every “x = 7” in the class in one group | Opening the group and giving the points once |
| The work, against your key | Proposes 2 of 3, line by line | Checking the proposal and approving it |
None of the three is the wrong way to grade. A 40-question multiple-choice final needs the first. A quiz of one-line answers suits the second. A test where most points sit in the work needs the third, or an evening with a pen.
The seven, in alphabetical order
“Not stated” means the pages we read didn’t say. It doesn’t mean no, so ask the vendor.
Akindi
Multiple-choice tests on bubble sheets, mostly at colleges.
- What it reads
- Bubbles on its own answer sheets, up to 200 questions; written answers are cropped from the scan and shown to you
- Points on written answers
- You: each cropped answer appears under its question, and you type the points. The help center says Akindi uses no AI
- Papers come in by
- Any scanner with a document feeder, as a PDF upload or by email; each sheet carries a QR code and prints on plain paper
- Results go to
- Canvas, D2L, Moodle or Blackboard gradebooks; CSV exports; item analysis with KR-20 and point biserial
- Price
- By quote, from the number of tests graded a year, with a 30-day pilot; the help center lists a K-12 individual teacher license at $99 a year
- Multiple-choice questions can carry partial points, with three scoring schemes.
- Written-answer questions have to come after all the multiple-choice questions on the sheet.
- The pricing page shows only a quote form; the $99 K-12 teacher license is in the help center. Individual licenses are for K-12 teachers only.
Crowdmark
Paper exams graded on screen by a team of graders.
- What it reads
- Bubble sheets of up to 200 questions, graded automatically; a beta feature extracts the text in a boxed answer and groups like answers with AI
- Points on written answers
- The graders. Asked on its help page whether the AI grades, Crowdmark answers “No”: the goal is to keep grading human
- Papers come in by
- Booklets with a QR code on each page, printed, scanned and uploaded; plain booklets and already-written tests also work; students can upload photos
- Results go to
- Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle, Blackboard and Sakai for roster and grade sync; per-question performance charts; an API
- Price
- By quote, per user, as an annual or per-course subscription for an instructor, a department or an institution; a trial on request
- Graders leave scores, annotations and comments on each part of a solution.
- Points can be applied to a whole group of like answers at once.
- Its FAQ says in-person assessments need high-volume printing and scanning.
Gradescope
Exams and homework graded with a shared rubric.
- What it reads
- Bubble sheets on its 200-question template; AI groups multiple-choice and one-line math or text fill-in-the-blank answers on fixed-template tests
- Points on written answers
- The instructor: you review the groups, then select the rubric items for each one. Other questions are graded one by one with the rubric
- Papers come in by
- A scan of the class matched to a blank copy of the test, or PDFs and photos uploaded by students
- Results go to
- Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle and Sakai on an institutional license; spreadsheet export; per-question and per-rubric statistics
- Price
- Basic is free after a one-term trial; Institutional is by quote and holds bubble sheets, AI-assisted grading and LMS integration
- The AI reads English text and math notation, and the answer has to sit on one line.
- Rubric items add or subtract points, and you can apply several to one answer.
- Homework and problem sets can’t use answer groups, so each one is graded on its own.
Gradient by GradeCam
K-12 schools and districts that test on paper and online.
- What it reads
- Bubbles, number grids, fill-in-the-blank and handwritten math equation answers, graded automatically
- Points on written answers
- You: scanned open-response answers are collected for you to view and score; rubric questions are a question type
- Papers come in by
- Any device with a camera: a phone, tablet, document camera or webcam; no proprietary forms, and students can scan their own
- Results go to
- Schoology and Canvas; PowerSchool, Skyward and Infinite Campus gradebooks; item analysis and standards reports
- Price
- Schools and districts: $3.50 a student, with packages from $2,800 a year plus a one-time onboarding charge
- Answer forms can be embedded in your existing test, or printed several to a page.
- One test can mix auto-graded questions with open responses you score.
- The gradecam.com pricing page now returns “not found”; the school product is Gradient at gradientk12.com.
GradingPal
Written work, handwritten math and science included.
- What it reads
- Handwritten equations, multi-step work and explanations, from scans and photos
- Points on written answers
- The tool proposes scores and the evidence for them from your rubric and answer key; its FAQ says the teacher decides the final grade
- Papers come in by
- One scanned PDF of the class set, split into student submissions; quizzes and worksheets are set up with the blank handout first
- Results go to
- Google Classroom, email or printable PDFs; Canvas and Schoology on a school plan; a class summary spreadsheet
- Price
- Free: 50 submissions a month. Lite $14 and Pro $26 a teacher a month, billed annually; on Lite, quizzes and exams need an add-on at $6 a month
- You tell it how much credit belongs to the method and how much to the final answer.
- A submission is one student’s work on one assignment; regrades are free.
- The Free plan covers every assignment type within its 50; the Lite plan covers tests only with the add-on.
GraidableOur tool
Handwritten or typed tests, graded from your answer key.
- What it reads
- The student’s handwritten or typed pages, math, drawings and graphs included; it grades from the image of the page
- Points on written answers
- The tool proposes points line by line from your answer key, each shown on the student’s page; you approve every student
- Papers come in by
- PDFs, photos or a zip; one scan of the class is sorted to your students by the name or number on the page, and you confirm it
- Results go to
- A feedback PDF for each student and a spreadsheet of each student’s points per question
- Price
- First class free without a card (up to 30 students within 30 days); then Student $9.99 a month (10 students graded) or Professional $24.99 (60)
- Follows the points, method points and deductions in your key; where the key states no rule, an error costs points once.
- Doubtful items are marked “Check closely”, with the reason.
ZipGrade
Quizzes on bubble sheets, scanned with your phone.
- What it reads
- Bubbled multiple choice, true/false, matching and gridded numbers
- Points on written answers
- Not stated
- Papers come in by
- The camera of an iPhone, iPad or Android device, with no internet needed while scanning; answer sheets of 20, 50 or 100 questions print on plain paper
- Results go to
- CSV export, item analysis and a student portal
- Price
- Free for 100 papers a month; unlimited grading is $6.99 for one year, with no automatic renewal
- Questions can be weighted and can have alternate answers.
- A custom form wizard builds your own answer sheet.
- Schools can buy license codes in bulk.
Three kinds of test grader
Akindi, ZipGrade and most of Gradient read marks in fixed places. They are fast and cheap, and the price shows it: $6.99 a year for ZipGrade. Written answers stay with you. Akindi and Gradient at least bring them to your screen.
Crowdmark and Gradescope are grading desks. The scan goes on screen, a team shares one rubric, and AI sorts like answers into groups so you give the points once per group. Both vendors say plainly that people give the points.
GradingPal and Graidable read the work and propose the points from your key or rubric. You review instead of grading from zero. We think this is the kind to try when most of your points sit in shown work, because that is where the hours go.
Before you pick
Five things to check on your own test
- How many of the points are multiple choice, one-line answers and shown work?
- Does the tool need its own answer sheet, or does it take the test as you printed it?
- On a written answer, does it give points, sort answers, or show you the scan?
- Does a page like Figure 1 get 0, or credit for the work after the slip?
- Can you get the scores into your gradebook without retyping them?
Graidable is the tool we make. This part is about it.
Where Graidable fits
Graidable is one of the seven, and it is ours. It reads the test your students wrote on, handwritten or typed, and proposes points line by line from your answer key, in any subject. On the page in Figure 1 the proposal is 2 of 3, with each point marked on the student’s work. Your first class of up to 30 students is free without a card, and every score waits for you to approve it.
For math and science tests in particular, see AI grading tools for handwritten math and science.
Sources
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Akindi, home page, Pricing, Paper tests and the help articles Add written answer questions, Grade written answer questions, Advanced marking options, Send grades to LMS and K-12 pricing plans. Checked 11 November 2026. ↑
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Crowdmark, home page, Request pricing, FAQ and the help articles Using multiple choice questions, Answer grouping and Choosing an assessment type. Checked 11 November 2026. ↑
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Gradescope, home page, Pricing and the guide AI-assisted grading and answer groups. Checked 11 November 2026. ↑
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Gradient by GradeCam, Paper and pencil assessment, Classroom features and Pricing; GradeCam, Form scanning. Checked 11 November 2026. ↑
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GradingPal, home page, Handwritten grading, AI math grader, FAQ, Pricing and the help article What counts as a submission. Checked 11 November 2026. ↑
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Graidable, Pricing and the product itself; the tool is ours. Checked 11 November 2026. ↑
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ZipGrade, home page, Pricing and Answer sheets. Checked 11 November 2026. ↑