Common App vs Athena Network
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
Athena Network
Easily browse college courses, plan your academic schedule, and discover campus events. Build a custom profile and explore campus happenings. Designed for students at participating institutions.
- Browse course catalogs
- Plan academic schedules
- Add classes and events to calendar
- Explore campus Discover Page
- Build custom user profiles
Read full descriptionHide full description
Athena is the easy way to browse through courses, plan your schedule, and explore what's happening on campus. · Browse the whole 5C catalog · Add classes or custom events to your calendar · Explore and add posts on the Discover Page · Build your custom profile *Only for Claremont College students (More colleges coming soon!)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Athena Network at 67% against Common App's 23%. Athena Network also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 10 months). Common App's advantage is ratings volume (656 vs 12) and chart position (#29 vs unranked). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Athena Network holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Common App has 656 ratings behind it against 12, 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 67% of Athena Network's.
Common App ships an update every 10 months, Athena Network every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and June 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Common App | Athena Network |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (656 ratings) | 4.0 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 656 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #29 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | The Common Application | Ammar Fakih |
Customer experience
Common App
Athena Network
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
Athena Network
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Common App
No in-app purchases
Athena Network
No in-app purchases
