Comparison

CollegeData vs ScholarshipOwl

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

Head to head
About

CollegeData

This app helps students research and compare colleges, estimate admission chances, and find scholarships. It provides tools to track deadlines, academic credentials, and build a college resume for informed decision-making.

Highlights
  • College search and comparison
  • Admission chance calculator
  • Scholarship finder
  • Application deadline tracker
  • Personalized dashboard
  • Financial aid information
Features
Read full description

The CollegeData mobile app provides comprehensive tools and resources that enable you to search and compare over 2,000 college profiles, see your chances of getting into those colleges, and learn how to prepare, apply, and pay for college. The mobile app also provides important college application and testing deadlines and access to thousands of scholarship awards worth over $5 billion. Use the app’s College Search tool to search and compare over 2,000 colleges by name or personal preferences including location, size, cost, acceptance rate, majors, entrance difficulty, college tuition, financial aid awards, campus life, graduation and retention rates, GPAs, test scores of recently enrolled freshmen and more. You can also search by financially “friendly” factors, including average financial need met, average student debt, and percentage of students getting merit aid. Next, you’ll want to generate your College List to help you find the best college match and your dream school. It’s wise to develop a list that includes reach, target, and safety schools. Use College Chances – our college acceptance calculator – to estimate your chances of admission at any of the 2,000+ colleges profiled in the CollegeData mobile app. The College Chances calculator is a valuable and informative tool that compares data about you (including your GPA and test scores) with the qualifications of freshmen recently enrolled in the colleges you are interested in, plus other admissions factors. Using our college acceptance calculator, you can also estimate your admissions chances and find out what you can do to improve your odds using the College Chances calculator. If you're shocked by the cost of college, remember that scholarships and financial aid can make college more affordable. Use our Scholarship Finder to explore thousands of awards offered by private organizations, foundations, corporations, the U.S. government, individuals, and the colleges themselves. Find scholarships that might be looking for students with academic qualifications, interests, and personal characteristics like yours. Use the CollegeData mobile app to create your own personal Dashboard that will help you keep track of important college application deadlines, academic credentials and test scores and develop your college resume. 1st Financial Bank USA has provided the CollegeData service for almost 25 years to help students prepare, apply and pay for college. In addition to helping students and their families make informed decisions about college, we would also like to be your bank of choice as you begin to learn financial independence and responsibility. For more tools and resources including in-depth articles and videos about how to choose, prepare, apply and pay for college, visit www.collegedata.com.

About

ScholarshipOwl

Discover and apply for scholarships with personalized matches and a guided application process. Track your progress and receive reminders to maximize your chances of winning funding for your education.

Highlights
  • Personalized scholarship matches
  • Guided application wizard
  • One-click apply options
  • Application progress tracking
  • Daily reminders
  • Live Activity on iOS
Read full description

Win more scholarships with less effort ScholarshipOwl is the largest scholarship marketplace in the US, now in your pocket. Browse thousands of scholarships and maximize your chances of winning by applying to more, faster. PERSONALIZED MATCHES Browse a personalized feed of scholarships matched to your background. Every scholarship includes award amounts, deadlines, requirements, and a credibility score so you can focus on opportunities with the highest chance of winning. The more you apply, the smarter your matches get. APPLY IN MINUTES Our guided application wizard walks you through each requirement step by step: surveys, essays, uploads, and more. Many scholarships are one-click apply. No repetitive forms, no jumping between websites. Your progress auto-saves so you can pick up right where you left off. TRACK EVERYTHING See all your bookmarked, in-progress, and submitted applications in one place. Know exactly where you stand with live completion status on every scholarship. STAY ON TRACK Smart daily reminders keep scholarships top of mind. Live Activity on iOS shows your application progress right on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island while you apply. From high school to graduate school, ScholarshipOwl makes it easy to find money for school and apply, all from your phone.

Screenshots

CollegeData4 screens
ScholarshipOwl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ScholarshipOwl at 4.7 against CollegeData's 3.3. ScholarshipOwl also leads on ratings volume (273 vs 6) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, 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

ScholarshipOwl holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScholarshipOwl has 273 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
CollegeData versus ScholarshipOwl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCollegeDataScholarshipOwl
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (6 ratings)4.7 (273 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—11.1% of reviews
Number of ratings6273 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB106 MB
Age rating12+17+
Developer1st Financial Bank USAScholarshipOwl

Customer experience

CollegeData

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%

ScholarshipOwl

All ratings243 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive11.1%
Neutral11.1%
Negative77.8%

In-app purchases

None

CollegeData

No in-app purchases

None

ScholarshipOwl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CollegeData free?
CollegeData is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScholarshipOwl free?
ScholarshipOwl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CollegeData or ScholarshipOwl?
ScholarshipOwl is rated higher. CollegeData averages 3.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while ScholarshipOwl averages 4.7 from 273 ratings.
Do CollegeData or ScholarshipOwl have ads?
Neither CollegeData nor ScholarshipOwl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CollegeData or ScholarshipOwl?
CollegeData ships an update every 2 months, and ScholarshipOwl every 2 months. Most recently, CollegeData was updated on November 2, 2026 and ScholarshipOwl on November 5, 2026.

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