Common App vs Open
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Common App
Manage your college applications on the go. This app offers a secure and streamlined way to apply to over 1000 colleges, research financial aid options, and access guidance from counselors, all from your mobile device.
- Apply to 1000+ colleges
- Research financial aid
- Get counselor advice
- Secure application process
- Mobile convenience
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Simplify your college application experience with Common App for mobile. Common App for mobile provides you with the same secure, streamlined application experience you’ve come to expect from Common App online, all from the convenience of your mobile device. The app seamlessly integrates with the first-year desktop experience — allowing you to apply to more than 1000 colleges, research financial aid, and get advice from counselors. Common App for mobile is free and easy to use. Download the app to navigate your entire college application journey.
Open
Access your educational courses and content directly from your mobile device. Download materials for offline use, update your profile, and receive important notifications. Students can track grades and badges, while teachers can grade assignments on the go.
- Access courses on mobile
- Download content for offline use
- Update profile information
- Receive course notifications
- View grades and badges (student)
- Grade assignments (teacher)
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Welcome to the Open LMS Mobile App! With the Open LMS Mobile App, you can: • Access your courses directly from your mobile device • Download content for offline access • Update your profile information • Receive course notifications and messages • As a student: view your course grades and awarded badges on your profile • As a teacher: grade assignments both online and offline • ...and much more! We love feedback! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave us a note and a rating on the Store.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Common App at 3.0 against Open's 2.6. Common App also leads on chart position (#39 vs unranked) and ratings volume (673 vs 84). Open's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Common App holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Common App has 673 ratings behind it against 84, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Common App's written reviews are positive against 21% of Open's.
Common App ships an update every 9 months, Open every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Common App | Open |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (673 ratings) — better | 2.6 (84 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 22.9% of reviews — better | 21.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 673 — better | 84 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #39 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | The Common Application | PeopleFluent, Inc. |
Customer experience
Common App
Open
Bugs and requests
Common App
Reported bugs
3 issues- White screen on login
- App doesn't load past logo
- Redirects transfer students to website
Requested features
3 requests- Keep user logged in for longer
- Increase text box size
- Add back button navigation
Open
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Common App
No in-app purchases
Open
No in-app purchases
