InitialView vs Columbia LionHub
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Live, unscripted interviews
- English ability assessment
- Interpersonal skills evaluation
- Proprietary interview platform
- Global admissions support
- Admission officer assurance
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Columbia LionHub
Read full descriptionHide full description
LionHub is the place for Columbia University undergraduates to make the most of their student experience. Students looking to get involved on campus can find events, connect with other students, and search for organizations that align with their interests. Student leaders can now create events, submit purchase requests, send out communications, and more via mobile app, making it easier than ever to manage a student group.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Columbia LionHub at weekly against InitialView's monthly. InitialView's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
InitialView ships an update monthly, Columbia LionHub weekly. Both last shipped on October 9, 2026.
| Parameter | InitialView | Columbia LionHub |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (11 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Terry Crawford | Columbia University |
In-app purchases
InitialView
No in-app purchases
Columbia LionHub
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is InitialView free?
Is Columbia LionHub free?
Do InitialView or Columbia LionHub have ads?
Which is updated more often, InitialView or Columbia LionHub?
Other comparisons















