Comparison

UPchieve vs Dolphin

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

Dolphin

Build a consistent study habit for SAT and ACT exams with daily practice questions and detailed explanations. Track your progress and focus on areas needing improvement, with optional features to block distracting apps.

Highlights
  • Daily practice questions
  • Worked explanations
  • Vocabulary review
  • Focus Mode for distraction blocking
  • Progress and streak tracking
  • Widgets for quick access
Read full description

Build a steady SAT and ACT study habit with Dolphin. Practice in a swipeable feed, work through explanations, and return to the questions and skills that need more attention. PRACTICE A LITTLE EVERY DAY Answer Math, Reading, English, and Science questions, review vocabulary, and set a daily learning goal. UNDERSTAND YOUR ANSWERS Use worked explanations, video solutions where available, and Pip the Tutor to explore a problem. Save questions and revisit mistakes as you study. MAKE ROOM TO FOCUS With your permission, Focus Mode uses Apple's Screen Time controls to block apps you choose on your selected schedule. Complete your lesson goal to unlock them, or take a break when you need one. KEEP YOUR MOMENTUM Track your streak and progress, and add Dolphin widgets to keep your learning goal close by. Dolphin offers optional in-app subscriptions. Features and content availability may vary. SAT is a trademark of the College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Dolphin is not affiliated with or endorsed by either organization.

Screenshots

UPchieve4 screens
Dolphin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dolphin at 83% against UPchieve's 29%. Dolphin also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Dolphin holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dolphin has 1.3K ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of UPchieve's written reviews are positive against 83% of Dolphin's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UPchieve ships an update every 3 months, Dolphin every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
UPchieve versus Dolphin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUPchieveDolphin
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (40 ratings)4.8 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings401.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB223 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUPchieve, Inc.PaloAI Inc.

Customer experience

UPchieve

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

Dolphin

All ratings1,336 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative15.1%

In-app purchases

None

UPchieve

No in-app purchases

None

Dolphin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is UPchieve free?
UPchieve is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dolphin free?
Dolphin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, UPchieve or Dolphin?
Dolphin is rated higher. UPchieve averages 3.9 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Dolphin averages 4.8 from 1.3K ratings.
Do UPchieve or Dolphin have ads?
Neither UPchieve nor Dolphin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UPchieve or Dolphin?
UPchieve ships an update every 3 months, and Dolphin every 2 weeks. Most recently, UPchieve was updated on November 3, 2026 and Dolphin on October 30, 2026.

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