| Feature | Recommended My Curriculum Mate Australian-built | Chalkie | Twinkl | Kuraplan Australian-built | Teachstarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Generation | |||||
| AI Lesson Plan Generator | AI assistant (Ari) | ||||
| AI Unit Planner | |||||
| AI Worksheet Generator | |||||
| AI Slideshow Creator | Pro tier | ||||
| AI Image Generation | Pro tier | ||||
| AI Quiz Generator | |||||
| AI Teaching Assistant Chat | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | |
| Marking Rubric / Report Comment Generator | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | |
| NAPLAN Prep Resources | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | Not publicly listed | |
| Curriculum Alignment | |||||
| ACARA Aligned | |||||
| NSW Syllabus Aligned | Advanced alignment | ||||
| Victorian Curriculum | Advanced alignment | ||||
| WA Curriculum | |||||
| Features & Export | |||||
| Differentiation Tools | Resource library | ||||
| DOCX / Word Export | Pre-made downloads | PDF / editable (Plus tier) | |||
| Pricing | |||||
| Free Plan / Trial | 50 free credits | 5 resources/week | Limited resources | Free tier (limited) | Free resource collection |
| Starting Price | $12.99/mo or $120/yr | A$131.88/yr | Multiple tiers | $9 AUD/mo | A$104/yr (Essential) |
In-Depth Comparisons
My Curriculum Mate vs Chalkie
Full comparison page →- DOCX / Word export: Chalkie exports to PowerPoint and PDF only. Most Australian schools still use Word for sharing and modifying resources. MCM exports fully formatted Word documents.
- State curriculum depth: MCM aligns to NSW Syllabus, Victorian Curriculum 2.0, and WA Curriculum by outcome code. Chalkie covers ACARA but does not offer state-level alignment.
- Differentiation tools: MCM generates foundation / standard / extension differentiated worksheets in one click. Chalkie does not offer differentiation as a feature.
- Australian-built and supported: MCM is built and operated in Australia, meaning support is in your timezone.
- PowerPoint / Google Slides export: If your school workflow runs entirely through Google Workspace or PowerPoint, Chalkie's slide export may fit better.
- Free tier: Chalkie's free plan allows 5 resource generations per week indefinitely, which suits occasional users who don't need the full toolkit.
Bottom line: Chalkie is a capable AI generator, but lacks state-level curriculum alignment and DOCX export, both critical for most Australian classroom workflows.
My Curriculum Mate vs Twinkl
Full comparison page →- Custom, on-demand generation: Twinkl's content is pre-made and generic. MCM generates lesson plans, worksheets, and slideshows tailored to your specific class, topic, and outcome codes.
- Outcome-code alignment: Enter any ACARA, NSW, VIC, or WA outcome code and MCM generates content that directly addresses it. Twinkl resources are tagged to curriculum, but not generated from it.
- AI image generation: Create classroom-ready images for slideshows and worksheets. Twinkl has no AI image generation.
- DOCX generation from scratch: MCM produces editable Word documents. Twinkl provides downloadable files which may or may not be editable depending on the resource.
- Pre-made resource library: Over 900,000 resources. If you need a classroom display, a colouring sheet, or a ready-made poster, Twinkl's library is unmatched.
- Brand recognition: Twinkl is well-established in Australian schools, meaning resources are familiar to colleagues and school leaders.
- Non-curriculum resources: Behaviour charts, certificates, displays, and admin templates that MCM doesn't generate.
Bottom line: If you want to browse and download ready-made resources, Twinkl is excellent. If you want AI-generated, custom, curriculum-specific content aligned to your outcome codes, MCM is purpose-built for that job.
My Curriculum Mate vs Kuraplan
Full comparison page →- DOCX / Word export: MCM exports fully formatted Word documents for lesson plans, worksheets, and unit plans. Kuraplan does not currently advertise DOCX export on its pricing page.
- WA Curriculum alignment: MCM supports Western Australian teachers with WA Curriculum outcome codes. Kuraplan lists "Advanced curriculum alignment" on Pro but does not specifically list WA.
- Differentiation: MCM's worksheet generator produces foundation, standard, and extension versions in a single generation. Kuraplan does not currently offer differentiation as a feature.
- Outcome-code validation: MCM validates your entered outcome codes before generating, ensuring output is truly aligned rather than approximately matched.
- Price: Kuraplan Pro is $9 AUD/month vs MCM's $12.99/month (or $120/year). MCM is higher priced but includes more tools and Australian curriculum validation.
- 7-day free trial: Kuraplan offers a time-based free trial for Pro. MCM gives 50 free credits upfront, which is more flexible but a different model.
- Lesson plan library: Kuraplan includes a saved lesson plan library across all tiers. MCM stores your generated content in your dashboard.
Bottom line: Kuraplan is the closest competitor to MCM. If DOCX export, WA curriculum support, or differentiation tools matter to your workflow, MCM has a meaningful edge. Both are good options for Australian teachers.
My Curriculum Mate vs Teachstarter
Full comparison page →- AI generation: Teachstarter has no AI lesson plan, worksheet, or slideshow generator. Every resource on Teachstarter is pre-made; MCM generates custom content for your class.
- Curriculum outcome alignment: MCM generates directly from outcome codes. Teachstarter resources are tagged to curriculum but not generated from it.
- WA Curriculum: MCM supports WA teachers. Teachstarter's curriculum coverage is ACARA, NSW, and VIC.
- Unit planning: MCM's unit planner generates scope and sequence aligned to your outcomes. Teachstarter does not have a unit planning tool.
- Classroom displays and décor: Posters, banners, labels, and visual resources that MCM doesn't generate.
- Ready-to-print: Instantly print professionally designed worksheets without any generation step, useful when time is extremely tight.
- Australian teacher community: Teachstarter is Australian-made and trusted by primary teachers in particular, with resources that match the look and feel of Australian classrooms.
Bottom line: Teachstarter is excellent for printable classroom resources. MCM is the right tool when you need to plan, generate, and export curriculum-aligned lessons and units custom to your class.
Best AI Lesson Planners for Australian Teachers (2026)
An honest ranking of the AI-powered curriculum planning tools available to K–12 teachers in Australia. Assessed on curriculum alignment depth, generation quality, export options, and value for money.
- 1
My Curriculum Mate
$12.99/month · Australian-built · 50 free credits to start
The most curriculum-specific AI planner for Australian teachers. Generates lesson plans, unit plans, worksheets, slideshows, quizzes, and marking rubrics aligned to outcome codes from NSW Syllabus, Victorian Curriculum 2.0, ACARA v9.0, and WA Curriculum (SCSA). Outcome-code validation before every generation prevents hallucinated alignment — a problem common in tools that accept plain-text topics. DOCX export, AI image generation, and three-tier differentiation (foundation / standard / extension) are included at all paid tiers. Built and supported in Australia.
Best for: Teachers who need verified outcome-code alignment and Word export for school workflows.
- 2
Kuraplan
$9 AUD/month · Australian-built · Free tier available
Kuraplan is the closest direct competitor to My Curriculum Mate — also Australian-built, also AI-native. It covers ACARA with advanced alignment on higher tiers and includes a lesson plan library. The price point ($9/month) is lower than MCM's, making it a good option for teachers who primarily need ACARA-aligned lesson plans. Limitations: no DOCX export, no WA Curriculum support, and no differentiation tools as of mid-2026.
Best for: Budget-conscious teachers on ACARA who don't need DOCX export or WA/NSW state-level alignment.
- 3
Chalkie
A$131.88/year · 5 free resources/week
Chalkie is a capable AI generator covering lesson plans, unit plans, and worksheets with ACARA alignment. Its free tier (5 resources per week) is generous for occasional users. The main trade-offs for Australian teachers: no state-level alignment (NSW Syllabus or Victorian Curriculum), no DOCX export (PowerPoint and PDF only), and no differentiation tools. Chalkie's strength is breadth of generation types and a clean, fast interface.
Best for: Teachers who primarily need ACARA-aligned resources and are comfortable with PDF/PowerPoint output.
- 4
Twinkl (with Ari AI assistant)
Multiple tiers · Australian content library
Twinkl is not an AI generator in the MCM/Kuraplan/Chalkie sense — it is a vast pre-made resource library (900,000+ resources) with an AI assistant (Ari) layered on top. It covers ACARA, NSW, and VIC, and is well-established in Australian primary schools. Twinkl's strengths are breadth of ready-made resources and classroom displays; its limitation is that resources are pre-made rather than generated from your specific outcomes and class context.
Best for: Teachers who want a large library of printable and display resources; pairs well with a dedicated AI generator like MCM.
- 5
Teachstarter
A$104/year (Essential) · Australian-made resource library
Like Twinkl, Teachstarter (now part of Tes Global) is a resource download platform with no AI lesson generation. Its strength is Australian-made primary resources trusted by Australian teachers for over a decade. It covers ACARA, NSW, and VIC. No AI planning tools, no DOCX generation, no unit planning engine.
Best for: Primary teachers wanting Australian-made printable resources and classroom décor; not a substitute for an AI curriculum planner.
About this comparison
Feature and pricing information is based on each product's publicly available website as of June 2026. We recommend verifying current pricing and features directly with each provider before making a purchasing decision. Where features are marked as unavailable, this reflects what is publicly documented. Providers may have features not listed on their marketing pages. This comparison is maintained by the My Curriculum Mate team; we are not affiliated with Chalkie, Twinkl, Kuraplan, or Teachstarter.
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