Comparison

UPchieve 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

UPchieve

This platform offers free, 24/7 online tutoring and college counseling for eligible high school students. Connect with live academic coaches for help in over 15 subjects via chat and a shared whiteboard. It's a nonprofit initiative to provide equal academic support opportunities.

Highlights
  • 24/7 live tutoring
  • 15+ high school subjects
  • College counseling
  • Chat and whiteboard tools
  • Eligibility checker
  • Nonprofit service
Features
Read full description

UPchieve is a free, online tutoring and college counseling platform for eligible high school students. Chat one-on-one with a live tutor 24/7 to get help in over 15+ high school-level subjects. Am I eligible to use UPchieve? - UPchieve was created for high school students whose families can't afford a private tutor. If most of the students in your high school including yourself are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, you'll likely be eligible for UPchieve. Not sure if that's you? Download the app and check your eligibility to find out. How It Works - Step 1: Download the app and create an account - Step 2: Choose the subject you need help in and connect with a live academic coach within 5-10 minutes - Step 3: Use the chat and whiteboard to work with your coach. You can ask them any academic question — this is a judgment-free zone! 100% Free - We’re a nonprofit and we will never ask you to pay for the academic support you deserve! Available 24/7 - Chat with 10,000+ UPchieve-certified tutors in 5-10 minutes. Our online tutors are located worldwide and can help you whenever you need them. 1:1 Learning - Receive personalized academic help and go over problems one-on-one with your tutor using our whiteboard and doc editor. Trusted and Safe - Connect with a background-checked and certified tutor through online chat (no audio/video). We’ve provided more than 60,000 free tutoring sessions to over 15,000 high school students across the U.S. 15+ Subjects Get help in a growing list of high school-level subjects! - Math Tutoring: - Pre-algebra - Algebra 1 - Algebra 2 - Geometry - Trigonometry - Statistics - AP Statistics - Precalculus - Calculus 1 - AP Calculus AB - Integrated Math 1-4 - Science Tutoring: - Biology - AP Biology - Chemistry - AP Chemistry - Physics - AP Physics 1 - Reading and Writing: - Humanities Essays - Standardized Test Prep: - SAT Math - SAT Reading - College Counseling: - College Planning - College Essays - College Applications And more coming! Want to volunteer? - We’re actively recruiting volunteer tutors from all over the world to help our students learn and succeed academically. Get involved at upchieve.org/volunteer - Note: This version of our mobile app is only for student users, not volunteers. Please use your phone or computer’s browser if you’d like to sign up to volunteer About UPchieve - We’re a nonprofit on a mission to democratize access to academic support so that all students have an equal opportunity to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility.

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

UPchieve4 screens
Encourage | College Planning4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Encourage | College Planning at 84% against UPchieve's 29%. Encourage | College Planning also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). UPchieve's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). 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

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

Encourage | College Planning holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 149 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of UPchieve's written reviews are positive against 84% of Encourage | College Planning's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UPchieve ships an update every 3 months, Encourage | College Planning every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
UPchieve versus Encourage | College Planning: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUPchieveEncourage | College Planning
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (40 ratings)4.5 (149 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews84.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings40149 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUPchieve, Inc.admittedly

Customer experience

UPchieve

All ratings37 ratings
Positive73.0%
Neutral5.4%
Negative21.6%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%

Encourage | College Planning

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

Bugs and requests

UPchieve

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Encourage | College Planning

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App is slow to load
  • Cannot create an account due to invalid zip code
  • App shows a blank screen upon opening
  • Stuck on the 'tell us about you' screen, cannot proceed
  • Email and password fields delete input when trying to log in

In-app purchases

None

UPchieve

No in-app purchases

None

Encourage | College Planning

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is UPchieve free?
UPchieve 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, UPchieve or Encourage | College Planning?
Encourage | College Planning is rated higher. UPchieve averages 3.9 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Encourage | College Planning averages 4.5 from 149 ratings.
Do UPchieve or Encourage | College Planning have ads?
Neither UPchieve nor Encourage | College Planning shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UPchieve or Encourage | College Planning?
UPchieve ships an update every 3 months, and Encourage | College Planning every 3 weeks. Most recently, UPchieve was updated on November 3, 2026 and Encourage | College Planning on November 3, 2026.

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