Comparison

Common App vs Codon

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Apply to 1000+ colleges
  • Research financial aid
  • Get counselor advice
  • Secure application process
  • Mobile convenience
Features
Currently charting
Read 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.

About

Codon

Master biology from molecules to ecosystems with a comprehensive, offline curriculum. Explore 100 lessons, researcher profiles, and landmark experiments. Learn mechanisms and track progress with spaced repetition and interactive quizzes.

Highlights
  • Offline biology curriculum
  • 100 lessons with narration
  • Researcher profiles
  • Interactive quizzes with explanations
  • Spaced repetition learning
  • Offline access, no account needed
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

A four-year biology curriculum, offline, with no account and no network. Codon covers what an introductory sequence and the first two years of a degree teach: molecules and cells first, then inheritance and molecular biology, then evolution, diversity and ecology, then whole organisms and physiology. WHAT IS INSIDE 100 lessons across four years, each 15 to 25 minutes, with on-device narration 60 researcher profiles, from Mendel and Darwin to McClintock and Doudna 735 glossary terms, cross-linked to the lessons that use them 20 quizzes with worked explanations for every answer 18 landmark experiments reconstructed: Meselson and Stahl, Hershey and Chase, Luria and Delbruck Spaced repetition that schedules the terms you keep forgetting Bookmarks and notes on any lesson, profile or term Three Home Screen widgets: a quote, a term and a figure, each changing daily HOW IT TEACHES The course teaches mechanisms rather than vocabulary. Where a textbook says respiration yields 38 ATP, this one gives the real figure of roughly 30 to 32 and explains why the number moved. Where the field is unsettled, such as the origin of eukaryotes or the tempo of speciation, the lesson gives the competing accounts and who holds them. FREE AND PAID The first ten lessons are free. One purchase of $9.99 unlocks the remaining 90 and everything else, permanently. There is no subscription, there are no ads, and there is no account to create. Family Sharing is supported. OFFLINE BY DESIGN The app makes no network connections. Every lesson, profile, glossary entry, quiz and case study is bundled in the download, so the whole course works in airplane mode. Nothing you read or write here leaves your device.

Screenshots

Common App4 screens
Codon3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Codon at 5.0 against Common App's 3.0. Codon also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 9 months). Common App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (673 vs 1). On price, ads 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. Codon sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Common App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Codon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Common App has 673 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Common App ships an update every 9 months, Codon every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Common App versus Codon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCommon AppCodon
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (673 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings673 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#37 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB5 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperThe Common ApplicationOMAR DANIEL GRAZIANO

Customer experience

Common App

All ratings673 ratings
Positive47.8%
Neutral8.3%
Negative43.8%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive22.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative72.0%

Codon

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Codon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Common App

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Codon

One-time1
  • Codon Full Access$9.99

Questions

Is Common App free?
Common App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Codon free?
Codon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Common App or Codon?
Codon is rated higher. Common App averages 3.0 out of 5 from 673 ratings, while Codon averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Common App or Codon have ads?
Neither Common App nor Codon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Common App or Codon?
Common App ships an update every 9 months, and Codon every 10 days. Most recently, Common App was updated on October 17, 2026 and Codon on October 13, 2026.

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