Scholarships.com vs College Countdown
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scholarships.com
Discover and apply for scholarships and grants quickly. This platform connects students and families with billions in financial aid opportunities, offering a free and trusted resource for college funding.
- Scholarship and grant search
- Apply in minutes
- No essay scholarships
- Local scholarships by state
- Merit-based scholarships
- Scholarships for diverse students
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Find and apply for scholarships and grants fast. Scholarships.com is the most trusted scholarship search platform, connecting over 26 million students and families with more than $19 billion in financial aid opportunities, completely free. Scholarships for High School Students Junior or senior, start your college scholarship search today. Browse scholarships for high school juniors, seniors, and first-generation students all in one place. No Essay Scholarships Apply in minutes, no essays required. Local Scholarships by State Search scholarships by state to find local awards near you. Nearly 50% of our database is location-based, giving you better odds of winning. Merit-Based Scholarships Earn scholarships for academic achievement, GPA, and talent, regardless of financial need. Scholarships for Every Student Hispanic scholarships, scholarships for Black students, first-generation college scholarships, and more. Over 3.7 million scholarships and grants available, all free. From unusual scholarships to full-tuition college scholarships, start your search today
College Countdown
This app guides teens and parents through college preparation, offering test prep, a 4-year roadmap, and tools to track scholarships and savings. It provides AI-driven study plans and readiness assessments to help students succeed.
- Full-length SAT/ACT tests
- AI-driven daily study plans
- 4-year college readiness roadmap
- Readiness Index score
- Scholarship tracking
- 529 savings planner
- Parent progress reports
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CollegeCountdown helps teens and parents prepare for college together, starting with test prep. TEST PREP • Full-length SAT and ACT tests in the app • Daily AI study plan that targets your weak spots • Mini practice sessions and AI coaching COLLEGE READINESS • 4-year roadmap with grade-by-grade milestones • Readiness Index (0-100) across academics, tests and applications • Career Compass and activities tracker • Compare colleges with real data and build your list SCHOLARSHIPS AND SAVINGS • Track every scholarship from research to won • Plan your 529 and see your funding gap FOR PARENTS Weekly progress reports, goals and nudges for your teen. PLANS Free trial. Family $4.99/month or $49.99/year (up to 4 children). Teen Only $1.99/month. Terms: https://collegecountdown.app/terms | Privacy: https://collegecountdown.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: College Countdown at 5.0 against Scholarships.com's 4.3. College Countdown also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 weeks). Scholarships.com's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (6 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ads 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
Both are free to download. College Countdown sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Scholarships.com asks for nothing beyond the download.
College Countdown holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Scholarships.com ships an update every 5 weeks, College Countdown every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scholarships.com | College Countdown |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scholarships.com, LLC | Julian Smiles |
Customer experience
Scholarships.com
College Countdown
In-app purchases
Scholarships.com
No in-app purchases
College Countdown
- CollegeCountdown Plus - Teen$1.991 Month
- CollegeCountdown - ScoreLab$1.991 Month
- CollegeCountdown Plus$4.991 Month
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- CollegeCountdown - ScoreLab$19.991 Year
- CollegeCountdown Plus$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Scholarships.com free?
Is College Countdown free?
Which has better reviews, Scholarships.com or College Countdown?
Do Scholarships.com or College Countdown have ads?
Which is updated more often, Scholarships.com or College Countdown?
Other comparisons
