Comparison

Dolphin vs College Countdown

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

Head to head
About

Dolphin

Master the Digital SAT with a unique, social media-inspired interface. Swipe through thousands of official practice questions with instant, short video explanations. The app intelligently adapts to your learning, focusing on your weak areas for efficient score improvement.

Highlights
  • 10,000+ Official Digital SAT Questions
  • Short Video Solutions for Every Problem
  • Personalized Learning Algorithm
  • Spaced Repetition for Retention
  • Frictionless Study Design
  • Score Tracking
Read full description

Build a steady SAT and ACT study habit with Dolphin. Practice in a swipeable feed, work through explanations, and return to the questions and skills that need more attention. PRACTICE A LITTLE EVERY DAY Answer Math, Reading, English, and Science questions, review vocabulary, and set a daily learning goal. UNDERSTAND YOUR ANSWERS Use worked explanations, video solutions where available, and Pip the Tutor to explore a problem. Save questions and revisit mistakes as you study. MAKE ROOM TO FOCUS With your permission, Focus Mode uses Apple's Screen Time controls to block apps you choose on your selected schedule. Complete your lesson goal to unlock them, or take a break when you need one. KEEP YOUR MOMENTUM Track your streak and progress, and add Dolphin widgets to keep your learning goal close by. Dolphin offers optional in-app subscriptions. Features and content availability may vary. SAT is a trademark of the College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Dolphin is not affiliated with or endorsed by either organization.

About

College Countdown

This app helps high school students and their parents plan and save for college. It integrates college savings, scholarship tracking, and college readiness tools, including AI-powered study plans and career matching.

Highlights
  • Link bank accounts for savings tracking
  • Scholarship application pipeline
  • AI-powered study plans
  • Career and major matching
  • College readiness index
  • Parent and teen dashboards
Features
Read full description

CollegeCountdown is the only app that brings together college savings, scholarship tracking, and teen college readiness in one place — for both parents and students. PLAN YOUR COLLEGE SAVINGS - Link your 529 college savings plan, savings accounts, and investment accounts via Plaid - See your real-time funding gap against inflation-adjusted costs at any school - Calculate exactly how much you need to save each month to stay on track - Track your SECURE 2.0 Roth IRA rollover eligibility ($35,000 lifetime opportunity) - Share a family gift link so grandparents and relatives can contribute directly TRACK AND WIN SCHOLARSHIPS - Build a scholarship pipeline — track every application from research to won - Discover scholarships matched to your teen's profile, grade, and interests - Generate AI-powered financial aid appeal letters for any school offer - Watch your funding gap shrink in real time as scholarships are won GUIDE YOUR TEEN'S COLLEGE READINESS - Personalized 4-year high school roadmap with grade-by-grade milestones - Daily AI-generated study plan tailored to your teen's weak areas and goals - SAT and ACT diagnostic tests, mini practice sessions, and AI coaching - Career Compass: discover careers, matched college majors, and the high school courses to take now - Activities tracker with AI profile analysis — see exactly what colleges will see - College Readiness Index (0–100): one score that tracks academic, test prep, application, and financial progress FOR PARENTS - Parent Hub with Finance, Planner, Goals, Progress, and Nudge tabs - AI financial coach for gap analysis, scenario planning, and SECURE 2.0 guidance - Send challenges and goals to your teen — they accept and track progress - Weekly AI progress report on your teen's college readiness - AI-suggested nudges — the right message to send at the right moment FOR TEENS - Personal dashboard with countdown to college, challenges, and daily plan - My Day — AI-generated daily schedule targeting SAT/ACT weak spots - Application Profile Score — understand what admissions officers will see - Career and major matching based on your interests and strengths - College Journey timeline — a record of every milestone, score, and win - Full Length SAT and ACT tests in-app - Career based prep for future and college COLLEGE SEARCH - Browse and compare colleges with real data: tuition, acceptance rate, graduation rate, median earnings, and median debt - Build your college list with Target, Reach, Safety, and Considering categories - See test score ranges and after-graduation outcomes for every school - AI-recommended schools based on your teen's career and major interests PLANS Free trial available. Monthly Family plan $4.99/month or $49.99/year (up to 4 children). Monthly Teen Only plan $1.99/month. CollegeCountdown is built for families with high school students planning for college enrollment 1–5 years from now. Start free and upgrade when you're ready. Terms of Use: https://collegecountdown.app/terms | Privacy Policy: https://collegecountdown.app/privacy

Screenshots

Dolphin4 screens
College Countdown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dolphin at none against College Countdown's 5. Dolphin also leads on ratings volume (1.3K vs 2). College Countdown's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 84%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. College Countdown sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Dolphin asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

College Countdown holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dolphin has 1.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Dolphin's written reviews are positive against 100% of College Countdown's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dolphin ships an update every 2 weeks, College Countdown weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Dolphin versus College Countdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDolphinCollege Countdown
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.3K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size229 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPaloAI Inc.Julian Smiles

Customer experience

Dolphin

All ratings1,333 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive83.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative14.3%

College Countdown

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Dolphin

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

College Countdown

Subscriptions5
  • CollegeCountdown Plus - Teen$1.991 Month
  • CollegeCountdown - ScoreLab$1.991 Month
  • CollegeCountdown Plus$4.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • CollegeCountdown - ScoreLab$19.991 Year
  • CollegeCountdown Plus$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Dolphin free?
Dolphin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is College Countdown free?
College Countdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dolphin or College Countdown?
College Countdown is rated higher. Dolphin averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while College Countdown averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Dolphin or College Countdown have ads?
Neither Dolphin nor College Countdown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dolphin or College Countdown?
Dolphin ships an update every 2 weeks, and College Countdown weekly. Most recently, Dolphin was updated on October 16, 2026 and College Countdown on October 17, 2026.

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