Comparison

InitialView vs CounselMore

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

Head to head
About

InitialView

This platform provides live, unscripted interviews for academic program admissions. It helps assess applicants' English ability and interpersonal skills for boarding schools, undergraduate, and graduate programs worldwide. The service offers admission officers assurance through its proprietary interview technology.

Highlights
  • Live, unscripted interviews
  • English ability assessment
  • Interpersonal skills evaluation
  • Proprietary interview platform
  • Global admissions support
  • Admission officer assurance
Features
Read full description

For InitialView Students and Schools' Admission Officers' Use. InitialView was founded in Beijing, China in 2009, and in a short time it has become a world leader in interview services, having provided interviews to thousands of applicants to top academic programs. We provide live, unscripted interviews which are then uploaded to our proprietary interview platform. Our proprietary platform allows viewers to, within seconds, determine the interviewee’s English ability and interpersonal skills. Our technology is currently patent-pending in both the U.S. and China. Our interviews have been a part of more than 40,000 applications reviewed by over 200 boarding school, undergraduate, and graduate programs. We have interviewed applicants in over 50 countries. We are able to provide admission officers a level of assurance about our interviews, processes and operations in China in a way that is unmatched by others in international education.

About

CounselMore

This app streamlines college planning for students, parents, and counselors. It allows students to manage college lists, assignments, and research, while counselors can track progress and communicate effectively. Stay organized and informed throughout the admissions process.

Highlights
  • College list management
  • Assignment tracking
  • Real-time chat
  • Research notes
  • Push notifications
  • Application tracker
Features
Read full description

The official iOS app for CounselMore College Planning Software. Simplify your college journey. CounselMore connects students, parents, and counselors for seamless college planning. Students can: • Build and manage college lists (2,000+ schools) • Complete assignments and track deadlines • Chat with counselors in real-time • Save research notes for each college • Get push notifications for important updates Features: • Assignment tracking with calendar integration • College search and application tracker • Real-time messaging and comments • Push notifications • Research tools and notes Counselors can: • Get push notifications for important updates • Save notes and tour dates for each college • Message students via chat and email in real-time Built for high school students and college counselors, CounselMore keeps everyone organized and on track throughout the admissions process. Start your college journey with confidence. Download now!

Screenshots

InitialView4 screens
CounselMore4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: InitialView at 100% against CounselMore's 0%. InitialView also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). CounselMore's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. CounselMore sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per month. InitialView asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CounselMore holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 3 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of InitialView's written reviews are positive against 0% of CounselMore's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

InitialView ships an update monthly, CounselMore every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 9, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
InitialView versus CounselMore: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInitialViewCounselMore
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (11 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11 — better3
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTerry CrawfordCounselMore, Inc

Customer experience

InitialView

All ratings11 ratings
Positive54.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative45.5%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

CounselMore

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

InitialView

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

CounselMore

Subscriptions2
  • 35 Dollar Plan$39.991 Month
  • $59 Plan$65.991 Month

Questions

Is InitialView free?
InitialView is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CounselMore free?
CounselMore is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, InitialView or CounselMore?
CounselMore is rated higher. InitialView averages 3.2 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while CounselMore averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do InitialView or CounselMore have ads?
Neither InitialView nor CounselMore shows ads.
Which is updated more often, InitialView or CounselMore?
InitialView ships an update monthly, and CounselMore every 2 months. Most recently, InitialView was updated on October 9, 2026 and CounselMore on October 9, 2026.

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