Comparison

Sallie Mae vs Award Advisor®

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Sallie Mae

Manage your student loans and credit cards conveniently from your mobile device. Check balances, make payments, set up auto-pay, and track loan applications. Secure login options and in-app messaging provide easy access and support.

Highlights
  • View account summary for loans and credit cards
  • Make payments on student loans
  • Set up and manage automatic payments
  • View loan application status
  • Receive payment due notifications
  • Secure login with Touch ID/Face ID
  • Track credit health with FICO Score
Features
Read full description

With a clean look and easy-to-use features, this app is the most convenient way to keep track of your student loans from your mobile devices, anytime, anywhere. It’s simple to check your balances, make payments, view previous transactions, and more. You can also set up and manage automatic loan payments from your bank account, right from the app. You can sign in securely with your Sallie Mae username and password—or Touch ID® or Face ID®—for easy access. Get anytime, anywhere access from your mobile device with these features: • View an account summary for student loans and credit cards from the home screen • Pay the Current Amount Due and make custom payments on student loans • Set up and manage automatic payments from your bank account • View the status of your loan applications • Receive notification when your loan payment is due, past due, or posted • Message our team to get help and answers • Log in quickly with Touch ID or Face ID • Pay your Total Amount Due with Siri® • Track your credit health with a quarterly FICO® Score • Get answers from support with in-app messages • Provide feedback directly to Sallie Mae • Supports dark mode in iOS 13 Note: To manage your Sallie Mae savings accounts, download the Sallie Mae Banking mobile app. Borrowers and cosigners who have an available FICO® Score and a Sallie Mae loan with a current balance greater than $0, may receive their score quarterly after the first disbursement of their loan. The FICO® Score provided to you is the FICO Score 8 based on TransUnion data and is the same score that Sallie Mae uses, along with other information, to manage your account. FICO® Scores and associated educational content are provided solely for your own non-commercial personal review, use, and benefit. This benefit may change or end in the future. FICO® is a registered trademark of the Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries. Sallie Mae and Fair Isaac are not credit repair organizations as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Sallie Mae Bank and Fair Isaac do not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. © 2022 Fair Isaac Corporation. All rights reserved. SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. CHECK SALLIEMAE.COM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE PRODUCT INFORMATION. ©2022 Sallie Mae Bank. All rights reserved. Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names and logos are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae Bank, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

About

Award Advisor®

Easily understand, compare, and manage college financial aid awards. Upload award letters to get a clear breakdown of costs, compare schools, and personalize financial scenarios to make confident college decisions.

Highlights
  • Upload financial aid award letters
  • Standardized cost breakdown
  • Apples-to-apples school comparison
  • Personalize financial scenarios
  • Notifications for deadlines and opportunities
Features
Read full description

Unlock Your True College Costs with Award Advisor®! Navigating financial aid can be complex, but Award Advisor® makes it clear. This powerful mobile application is designed to help students and families easily understand, compare, and manage college financial aid awards. Eliminate the guesswork and understand the true costs of attending schools. How Award Advisor Works: 1. Effortless Upload: Simply scan or upload your financial aid award letters from any school. Our advanced technology processes your documents quickly and accurately. 2. Understand Your Costs: Get a clear, standardized breakdown of your Cost of Attendance, including tuition, fees, grants, scholarships, and loans. No more deciphering confusing university formats! 3. Compare Schools: See an "apples-to-apples" comparison of award packages from different institutions. Easily identify "Your Obligation", the true amount you'll need to cover, for each school. 4. Personalize Your Scenarios: Adjust financial details, add personal contributions, or explore different funding options to see how they impact your overall costs. 5. Stay Informed: Receive important notifications and announcements about financial aid deadlines, opportunities, and gain access to curated non-profit loan providers. Key Features: • Award Letter Processing: Watch as we extract and organize all the financial data from your uploaded award letters. • Intuitive Cost Breakdown: View a standardized breakdown of tuition, fees, grants, scholarships, and loan packages. • Direct School Comparison: Get a straightforward comparison of financial aid packages from each college and university you are considering. • Personalized Financial Scenarios: Adjust figures to see how different choices and sources of funding impact your overall college costs. Award Advisor® empowers you to make confident college financial decisions. Download the free app today!

Screenshots

Sallie Mae4 screens
Award Advisor®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Award Advisor® at 5.0 against Sallie Mae's 4.5. Sallie Mae's advantage is ratings volume (105K vs 3) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Award Advisor® holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sallie Mae has 105K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sallie Mae ships an update every 3 weeks, Award Advisor® every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Sallie Mae versus Award Advisor®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSallie MaeAward Advisor®
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (105K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings105K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSallie Mae, Inc.Vermont Student Assistance Corporation

Customer experience

Sallie Mae

All ratings104,105 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews365 reviews
Positive14.8%
Neutral3.6%
Negative81.6%

Award Advisor®

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Sallie Mae

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and endless login loops
  • Incorrect payment processing and late fees
  • Outdated app information not syncing with website

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to pay individual loans separately
  • Improved notification system for payments
  • More detailed loan history and analytics
  • Seamless integration with bank accounts

Award Advisor®

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Sallie Mae

No in-app purchases

None

Award Advisor®

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sallie Mae free?
Sallie Mae is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Award Advisor® free?
Award Advisor® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sallie Mae or Award Advisor®?
Award Advisor® is rated higher. Sallie Mae averages 4.5 out of 5 from 105K ratings, while Award Advisor® averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Sallie Mae or Award Advisor® have ads?
Neither Sallie Mae nor Award Advisor® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sallie Mae or Award Advisor®?
Sallie Mae ships an update every 3 weeks, and Award Advisor® every 3 months. Most recently, Sallie Mae was updated on November 8, 2026 and Award Advisor® on November 5, 2026.

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