# Dolphin vs College Countdown

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Dolphin | College Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dolphin-sat-prep/id6748280981/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/college-countdown/id6763329640/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 83.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 229 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PaloAI Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1824977301) | [Julian Smiles](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883160234) |

## What reviewers say

### Dolphin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dolphin-sat-prep/id6748280981)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### College Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/college-countdown/id6763329640)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CollegeCountdown Plus - Teen | $1.99 | per month |
| CollegeCountdown - ScoreLab | $1.99 | per month |
| CollegeCountdown Plus | $4.99 | per month |
| CollegeCountdown - ScoreLab | $19.99 | per year |
| CollegeCountdown Plus | $49.99 | per year |


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