Comparison

Encourage | College Planning vs Ace ACT Tutor

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

Head to head
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.

About

Ace ACT Tutor

Prepare for the ACT with over 1,000 practice questions and a personalized study plan. An AI coach provides explanations, tracks progress, and offers motivation to help you achieve your target score.

Highlights
  • Adaptive study plan
  • 1,000+ official-style practice questions
  • AI Coach for explanations and motivation
  • Real-time score prediction
  • Vocabulary builder
  • Progress dashboard
Features
Read full description

Score higher on the ACT with 1,000+ official‑style questions, a personalized study path, and your own AI Coach. WHY ACE ACT WORKS - Adaptive Study Plan — Set a target score and Ace ACT builds a daily route that adjusts after every quiz. - 500 Official Practice Questions — English, Math, Reading, and Science items crafted to mirror ACT difficulty. - Real‑Time Explanations & Predicted Score — Understand each answer and watch your projected ACT score update instantly. - AI Coach on Demand — Get mistake breakdowns, timing tips, and weekly motivation—like a private tutor in your pocket. - Power Tools: • Vocabulary Builder — master 500 high‑yield words in bite‑size drills. • Mental Math & Speed Reading — shave seconds off every section. - Healthy Study Breaks — Built‑in Pomodoro timers keep fatigue away. - Progress Dashboard — Track strengths, weaknesses, and score growth at a glance. Join thousands of students already gaining +4 points on average with Ace ACT. Study smarter, crush test day, and open the door to your dream college. TRY IT FREE TODAY - Download, take a diagnostic, and unlock your customized plan in under 3 minutes. - Upgrade anytime for full question bank, unlimited AI coaching, and advanced analytics. Some features require a subscription. Terms of Use: https://athenlabs.com/terms/aceact Privacy Policy: https://athenlabs.com/privacy/aceact Support: https://athenlabs.com/support

Screenshots

Encourage | College Planning4 screens
Ace ACT Tutor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Encourage | College Planning at none against Ace ACT Tutor's 2. Encourage | College Planning also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). Ace ACT Tutor's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 84%). On price, rating, monetization model 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. Ace ACT Tutor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Encourage | College Planning asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Encourage | College Planning holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Encourage | College Planning has 149 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Encourage | College Planning's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ace ACT Tutor's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Encourage | College Planning ships an update every 3 weeks, Ace ACT Tutor every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Encourage | College Planning versus Ace ACT Tutor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEncourage | College PlanningAce ACT Tutor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (149 ratings) — better4.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews84.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings149 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperadmittedlyAthen Labs, LLC

Customer experience

Encourage | College Planning

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

Ace ACT Tutor

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and 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

Ace ACT Tutor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Encourage | College Planning

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Ace ACT Tutor

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Unlimited Monthly$17.991 Month

Questions

Is Encourage | College Planning free?
Encourage | College Planning is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ace ACT Tutor free?
Ace ACT Tutor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Encourage | College Planning or Ace ACT Tutor?
Encourage | College Planning is rated higher. Encourage | College Planning averages 4.5 out of 5 from 149 ratings, while Ace ACT Tutor averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Encourage | College Planning or Ace ACT Tutor have ads?
Ace ACT Tutor shows ads; Encourage | College Planning does not.
Which is updated more often, Encourage | College Planning or Ace ACT Tutor?
Encourage | College Planning ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ace ACT Tutor every 6 months. Most recently, Encourage | College Planning was updated on November 3, 2026 and Ace ACT Tutor on October 30, 2026.

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