Comparison

ORB Participant vs Cialfo

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

Head to head
About

ORB Participant

Track your progress for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. Log activities, manage your sections, and submit them to your Assessor and Award Leader for completion, all from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Manage Award progress
  • Set up activities
  • Create progress logs
  • Submit Award sections
  • Assessor and Leader approval
Features
Read full description

This application was developed by The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation as a simple and fast tool to assist Award participants in completing their Award, anytime anywhere. The participant is able to manage their Award progress using the App. They can set up activities, create logs for their progress and also send their Award sections to their Assessor and Award Leader for completion. Your Award must be using the latest version of the Online Record Book system (sometimes known as "ORB Next Generation") and have a valid participant login to the system in order to be able to use this App.

About

Cialfo

This app helps students research universities and programs, offering personalized recommendations based on their academic background and interests. It streamlines the application process by tracking deadlines, facilitating submissions, and providing updates. Access a wealth of information to make informed educational decisions.

Highlights
  • University and program research
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Admission requirement details
  • Financial aid information
  • Application deadline tracking
  • Application submission assistance
  • Application status updates
Features
Read full description

Getting into university is one of the biggest decisions of your life. Cialfo makes the process clearer, faster, and a lot less stressful — whether you're just starting to explore or already filling out applications. Find your university Search 5,000+ universities and courses worldwide. Filter by country, city, tuition fees, acceptance rate, course type, and more. Bookmark your favourites, compare them side by side, and build a shortlist that actually makes sense for you. From top-ranked universities in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia to emerging institutions across Asia and Europe — it's all here. Track every application See exactly where you stand across every university you're applying to. Set deadlines, log your progress, and get reminders so nothing falls through the cracks. No more spreadsheets, no more missed submissions. Ask Saige, your AI Saige uses your academic profile, budget, and target destinations to recommend universities worth applying to — and answers any admissions question you throw at it. Ask about entry requirements, application deadlines, scholarship eligibility, or which course fits your career goals. Get real answers, not generic advice. Explore careers and scholarships Not sure what to study? Start with where you want to end up. Explore careers, understand what qualifications they need, and work backwards to find the right course and university. Discover scholarship opportunities from around the world and filter by eligibility, amount, and deadline. Read guides written for students Articles and guides on personal statements, application timelines, scholarship applications, student visas, SAT and A-Level requirements, and everything else you need to navigate the admissions process — written in plain English, not counselor jargon. Cialfo is used by students applying to universities across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and more. Whether you're aiming for an Ivy League school, a Russell Group university, or exploring options across Southeast Asia — Cialfo helps you find the right fit and get there. Join 300,000+ students already using Cialfo to get into university.

Screenshots

ORB Participant4 screens
Cialfo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ORB Participant at 3.1 against Cialfo's 2.5. ORB Participant also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Cialfo's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (62% vs 32%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

ORB Participant holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 52 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of ORB Participant's written reviews are positive against 62% of Cialfo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, Cialfo weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ORB Participant versus Cialfo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterORB ParticipantCialfo
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (66 ratings) — better2.5 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews31.8% of reviews61.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings66 — better52
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB94 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Duke of Edinburgh's International Award FoundationCialfo Pte. Ltd.

Customer experience

ORB Participant

All ratings67 ratings
Positive49.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative46.3%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral16.4%
Negative51.8%

Cialfo

All ratings52 ratings
Positive36.5%
Neutral1.9%
Negative61.5%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative38.5%

Bugs and requests

ORB Participant

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • Hours not accumulating correctly - logs multiple hours as single hour
  • Progress bar not increasing when adding logs
  • Network error messages appearing despite valid connection
  • App crashes when entering journey observations
  • App crashes when editing and resubmitting assessments
Show 13 more
  • Login logout issues preventing re-access
  • Payment details field not accepting input during registration
  • Award leader change not persisting after switching schools
  • Confirmation buttons not scaling properly on mobile screens
  • Photo/link attachment not saving on iPhone
  • Copy-paste functionality only adding partial text
  • Long text input being deleted when submitting
  • Cannot delete additional activities even without logs
  • Approval emails not being received by assessors
  • Assessments getting stuck in 'waiting for approval' state
  • App not loading after login despite successful authentication
  • Persistent notification bubble that won't disappear
  • Inconsistent hour calculations across activities

Requested features

17 requests
  • Ability to edit activities and submissions after approval
  • Resend assessment/approval functionality
  • Message/comment system between users and leaders
  • View approved evidence and journey details after submission
  • Edit activity names if misspelled
Show 12 more
  • Support for 5-minute time intervals instead of 15-minute
  • Delete authorized awards option
  • Change major activity selection
  • Upload photos from files instead of gallery only
  • Edit overview and plan sections of adventurous journey
  • Clearer information about hour reset timing
  • Include Duke of Ed information within the app
  • Support for sub-submissions in log details
  • Resend assessment button on mobile app (exists on website)
  • Larger description text box with line break support
  • Countdown percentage for remaining award completion
  • Remove persistent notification badges

Cialfo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ORB Participant

No in-app purchases

None

Cialfo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ORB Participant free?
ORB Participant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cialfo free?
Cialfo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ORB Participant or Cialfo?
ORB Participant is rated higher. ORB Participant averages 3.1 out of 5 from 66 ratings, while Cialfo averages 2.5 from 52 ratings.
Do ORB Participant or Cialfo have ads?
Neither ORB Participant nor Cialfo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ORB Participant or Cialfo?
ORB Participant ships an update every 4 months, and Cialfo weekly. Most recently, ORB Participant was updated on November 2, 2026 and Cialfo on November 3, 2026.

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