Since the Department of Home Affairs moved to per-skill thresholds, the question is no longer which test gives a higher overall number — it is which test lets you clear every individual minimum.
For Superior English (20 points) PTE requires Listening 69, Reading 70, Writing 85 and Speaking 88. Writing and Speaking are the hard walls. Students with strong reading habits but accented speech often find IELTS more forgiving; students who freeze in a face-to-face interview almost always do better on PTE.
PTE results usually arrive within 48 hours, which matters when an invitation round is close. It is also computer-scored, so the marking is consistent between attempts — you can actually measure whether your preparation moved the needle.
Our honest advice: take one scored mock of each. Pick the test where your weakest section clears the threshold, not the one where your overall looks best.