Dolphin vs AP® Core
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dolphin
Build a consistent study habit for SAT and ACT exams with daily practice questions and detailed explanations. Track your progress and focus on areas needing improvement, with optional features to block distracting apps.
- Daily practice questions
- Worked explanations
- Vocabulary review
- Focus Mode for distraction blocking
- Progress and streak tracking
- Widgets for quick access
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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.
AP® Core
Prepare for AP exams with interactive lessons, AI-powered explanations, and practice questions. Master topics step-by-step, track your learning, and review mistakes to build confidence for your tests.
- Interactive unit walkthroughs
- AI-powered guided lessons
- Visual explanations with graphs
- Multiple-choice and free-response practice
- Mistake log and flashcards
- Daily challenges and study planner
- Covers 23 AP courses
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Understand the topic. Practice the skill. Feel more prepared for your AP exams. AP Core brings your AP courses together with interactive unit walkthroughs, guided lessons, visual explanations, and practice questions. Whether you're reviewing for a test or trying to understand something that didn't click in class, find a clear place to start. LEARN ONE STEP AT A TIME Explore units through named subsections and short, focused lessons. Read an explanation, try a related question, and understand the answer before moving on. Open the unit notes whenever you want a broader review. GET HELP WITH WHAT'S TRICKY Tell AP Core what you're struggling with. AI-powered guided lessons break the topic into manageable parts, with examples, interactive checks, hints, and explanations. SEE WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING Supported lessons include graphs and charts to make abstract ideas easier to follow—from distributions in Statistics to functions in Calculus. PRACTICE WITH PURPOSE Work through multiple-choice and free-response questions, read answer explanations, and create practice sets around the topics you want to review. Keep your own notes alongside a practice set. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES Revisit missed questions in your mistake log. Review key terms with flashcards and return to concepts that need another look. MAKE A LITTLE TIME EACH DAY Take the three-question Daily Challenge, review your answers, and keep your study streak going. Use the planner to organize study sessions, deadlines, and upcoming exam dates. KEEP YOUR COURSES TOGETHER Study across 23 AP courses, including: • Calculus AB and BC • Statistics • Biology and Chemistry • Physics 1, Physics 2, and Physics C • U.S., World, and European History • Psychology and Human Geography • U.S. Government • English Language and Literature • Computer Science A and Principles • Environmental Science • Macroeconomics and Microeconomics • Spanish Language FREE TO START, WITH EVERY UNIT OPEN Access every course's units, notes, and standard practice sets without a subscription. AP Core includes ads. Personalized AI features have usage limits, with optional rewarded ads for additional uses where available. Spend less time deciding how to study and more time understanding what you're learning. AI-generated content may contain errors. AP Core is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by College Board. AP and Advanced Placement are registered trademarks of College Board.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Dolphin at none against AP® Core's shown. Dolphin also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 4) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). AP® Core's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 85%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AP® Core holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dolphin has 1.4K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Dolphin's written reviews are positive against 100% of AP® Core's.
Dolphin ships an update every 2 weeks, AP® Core monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dolphin | AP® Core |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.4K ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #124 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 220 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | PaloAI Inc. | Michael LaBarbera |
Customer experience
Dolphin
AP® Core
In-app purchases
Dolphin
No in-app purchases
AP® Core
No in-app purchases








