# TIAA vs Award Advisor™

The clearest difference is rating: Award Advisor™ at 5.0 against TIAA's 4.6. TIAA's advantage is ratings volume (8.3K vs 3) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Award Advisor™ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TIAA has 8.3K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

TIAA ships an update monthly, Award Advisor™ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TIAA | Award Advisor™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (8.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiaa/id341447597/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/award-advisor/id6749672941/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8.3K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 35.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 166 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TIAA](https://appshunter.io/developer/341447600) | [Vermont Student Assistance Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1659702215) |

## What reviewers say

### TIAA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiaa/id341447597)

Manage your retirement and brokerage accounts securely with this app. Monitor investments, track fund performance, and trade equities, ETFs, and mutual funds. Set financial goals and access support tools.

**Highlights:** Secure login (password, Touch ID, Face ID), Investment and retirement plan management, Brokerage trading (equities, ETFs, mutual funds), Financial goal monitoring, Peek View for portfolio balances, Access to support and statements, Apple Watch integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient access to accounts
- 🔒 Secure with Face ID/Touch ID
- 💡 Helpful for tracking investments

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate
- 🔍 Missing key features from website
- 🔍 Cluttered and unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and session expiration
- Inconsistent display of account information
- Unreliable check deposit functionality
- Compatibility problems on certain devices

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve performance and stability
- Provide more customization options
- Streamline navigation and information access
- Integrate more advanced investment tools


### Award Advisor™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/award-advisor/id6749672941)

This app helps students and families understand and compare college financial aid awards. It processes award letters, provides clear cost breakdowns, and allows for personalized financial scenario planning to determine true college expenses.

**Highlights:** Process financial aid award letters, Standardized cost breakdown, Compare aid packages across schools, Personalize financial scenarios, Notifications for deadlines and opportunities

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TIAA free?

TIAA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Award Advisor™ free?

Award Advisor™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, TIAA or Award Advisor™?

Award Advisor™ is rated higher. TIAA averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8.3K ratings, while Award Advisor™ averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do TIAA or Award Advisor™ have ads?

Neither TIAA nor Award Advisor™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TIAA or Award Advisor™?

TIAA ships an update monthly, and Award Advisor™ every 3 months. Most recently, TIAA was updated on October 23, 2026 and Award Advisor™ on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*