Comparison

Going Merry Scholarships vs Encourage | College Planning

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

Head to head
About

Going Merry Scholarships

This app helps students find and apply for scholarships, grants, and financial aid to fund their college education. It offers personalized matching, simplified application processes, and tools to compare financial aid offers.

Highlights
  • Personalized scholarship matching
  • Auto-filled scholarship applications
  • Bundled scholarships for multiple applications
  • Grant and financial aid matching
  • Simplified FAFSA® form
  • Financial aid offer comparison tool
Read full description

Going Merry is a free app that helps you get money to pay for college. We match you to scholarships, grants, and financial aid–all for free. Each year, we help students get about $500 million in free money. Going Merry is already used by 2 million students and trusted by over 20,000 registered high school counselors. What makes Going Merry different? 1. Personalized scholarship matching Get applying faster. Less browsing and sifting through scholarships that aren’t applicable to you. 2. Easy, auto-filled scholarship applications Apply directly to many of the listed scholarships, right from the Going Merry website or app. We’ll even pre-fill the application form with the information in your profile. 3. Bundled scholarships We’ve combined scholarships with similar essay prompts, so you can apply to multiple scholarships with one form. 4. Your personas data is secure We fully encrypt your data, and we never sell it to third parties. 5. Grants and financial aid too Get matched to state grants you’re eligible for. And apply for financial aid using our FAFSA® Made Easier, a simplified version of the government form. Finally, compare your college financial aid offers using our analysis tool, to make the right financial choice. But don’t take our word for it. Students from 1 in 2 high schools in America already use Going Merry to help them win scholarship award money. Join them today!

About

Encourage | College Planning

This app helps middle and high school students plan for college and careers. It offers tools to discover personal interests, explore educational and career paths, find scholarships, and manage applications. It provides personalized guidance and resources to navigate the journey from high school to future opportunities.

Highlights
  • College matching based on goals
  • Scholarship finder
  • Career path exploration
  • Personalized high school planner
  • College application guidance
  • Financial aid information
Features
Read full description

Your Future Made Simple. Encourage is a free, all-in-one college and career planning app and your go-to middle school and high school app for figuring out what’s next. Made just for students in grades 7–12, it helps you discover who you are, explore what’s possible, and take real steps toward your future. Thinking about college, a career, or just figuring it out? Wherever you're headed, Encourage is here to support you. You can use Encourage to: • Match with colleges that fit your goals and needs • Explore college admissions, costs, student life, and more • Find scholarships that match your interests • Learn about college costs and financial aid, including the FAFSA • Get college application help and semester-by-semester guidance • Plan each semester of high school with a personalized checklist • Explore over 900 career paths with details on salaries and skills • Build your college checklist and stay organized from start to finish • … and more My Journey My Journey is your personal roadmap. Set goals, complete grade-level tasks, and track your progress. Whether you're exploring majors, applying for scholarships, preparing for college, or exploring careers, My Journey keeps you organized and ready for graduation and beyond. It is your all-in-one student planner for high school success. My Colleges Search thousands of schools based on what matters to you, like location, cost, campus vibe, majors, and more. Save your favorites, compare your options, and use Encourage as your personal college list builder. My Majors Not sure what to study? Take a quiz that matches your strengths and interests to real majors. Then explore what you would learn, which schools offer it, and how it connects to future careers and degrees. My Careers Take just one quick quiz to find careers that align with your personality and interests. Learn what they pay, how to get there, and what day-to-day life is like. It is the perfect tool to explore all types of careers. My Scholarships My Scholarships is your go-to scholarship finder. No more endless Googling or wondering if a scholarship is real. With over 80,000 verified scholarships for students, you can find opportunities that actually match your background and goals. Save your favorites, keep track of deadlines, and manage your applications all in one place. My Library My Library is your go-to resource hub full of helpful articles and videos. Search everything from college admission help and guidance to tips on paying for college and planning strategies for high school and beyond. Use My Library to explore content that matches your interests and goals, and dive into support whenever you need it. Your future starts now! Let Encourage help you build it. Download now and start exploring.

Screenshots

Going Merry Scholarships4 screens
Encourage | College Planning4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Going Merry Scholarships at free against Encourage | College Planning's free with in-app purchases. Going Merry Scholarships also leads on ratings volume (10K vs 149) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Going Merry Scholarships holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Going Merry Scholarships has 10K ratings behind it against 149, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Going Merry Scholarships's written reviews are positive against 84% of Encourage | College Planning's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Going Merry Scholarships ships an update monthly, Encourage | College Planning every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Going Merry Scholarships versus Encourage | College Planning: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoing Merry ScholarshipsEncourage | College Planning
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (10K ratings) — better4.5 (149 ratings)
Positive reviews81.3% of reviews84.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10K — better149
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoing Merry Inc.admittedly

Customer experience

Going Merry Scholarships

All ratings9,694 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews128 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral7.0%
Negative11.7%

Encourage | College Planning

All ratings149 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative12.0%

Bugs and requests

Going Merry Scholarships

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Account login issues
  • Problems with uploading documents
  • Inconsistent behavior when interacting with the app

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improved search and filtering options
  • Better tracking of application status
  • Expanded support for international students

Encourage | College Planning

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Going Merry Scholarships

No in-app purchases

None

Encourage | College Planning

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Going Merry Scholarships free?
Going Merry Scholarships is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Encourage | College Planning free?
Encourage | College Planning is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Going Merry Scholarships or Encourage | College Planning?
Going Merry Scholarships is rated higher. Going Merry Scholarships averages 4.8 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Encourage | College Planning averages 4.5 from 149 ratings.
Do Going Merry Scholarships or Encourage | College Planning have ads?
Neither Going Merry Scholarships nor Encourage | College Planning shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Going Merry Scholarships or Encourage | College Planning?
Going Merry Scholarships ships an update monthly, and Encourage | College Planning every 3 weeks. Most recently, Going Merry Scholarships was updated on September 24, 2026 and Encourage | College Planning on September 12, 2026.

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