Comparison

Pathway vs Alchemy

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

Head to head
About

Pathway

This app acts as a personal college admissions assistant for high school students. It offers AI-powered mock interviews, extracurricular analysis, and college-specific feedback to help build a competitive application. The tool prioritizes user privacy by operating entirely offline.

Highlights
  • AI mock interviews with feedback
  • Extracurricular activity optimization
  • College-specific admissions advice
  • 100% offline and private operation
  • Free to use with no ads or purchases
Features
Read full description

Pathway is the ultimate local-first college admissions assistant for high school students. Whether you are aiming for a Top 20 university or just need to organize your extracurriculars, Pathway gives you the tools to build a highly competitive application without compromising your privacy. The college admissions process is more competitive and expensive than ever. Private consultants can charge thousands of dollars, leaving many highly qualified students at a disadvantage. Pathway levels the playing field by putting a state-of-the-art AI admissions counselor right in your pocket, all while being completely free and 100% offline. Features: Realistic AI Mock Interviews: Practice for your college and alumni interviews in real-time. The AI will ask you dynamic questions based on your profile and provide actionable feedback to help you refine your answers and speak with confidence. Extracurricular Analysis: Don't just list your activities, optimize them. Input your clubs, sports, and volunteer work, and Pathway will give you strategic advice on how to position them for maximum impact on the Common App. College-Tailored Feedback: Get specific, actionable insights tailored to the exact universities you are targeting. Understand what different admissions committees are looking for and align your narrative to fit. 100% Offline & Private: Your data is yours. Pathway is engineered to run its AI models completely locally on your device. Zero server calls, zero data harvesting, and zero cloud processing. Your personal application details never leave your phone. Completely Free: No hidden subscriptions, no in-app purchases, and zero ads. Just pure, uninterrupted college prep. BUILT FOR iOS Pathway is hyper-optimized. By utilizing native on-device AI frameworks, the entire app sits at an incredibly lightweight 14MB, ensuring it runs lightning-fast without eating up your storage or draining your battery. Take control of your college applications today, stress-free and cost-free.

About

Alchemy

Features
Read full description

Alchemy Lite: a free periodic table and molar mass calculator for students, teachers and curious minds. MOLAR MASS CALCULATOR • Type formulas such as H2O or Ca(OH)2 • See the mass of each element and the atom count, with the working INTERACTIVE PERIODIC TABLE • Tap any element for its photo, summary and technical data • Density, melting and boiling points, electronegativity, electron configuration and more • Zoom the table and share an element's data with one tap TRY A 3D CRYSTAL — FREE • Rotate and zoom a rock salt (NaCl) unit cell • See how the atom count and density are worked out NEED MORE? Alchemy PRO adds 3D crystal structures, spectroscopy, XRD analysis, a virtual lab and offline use. Alchemy Lite stays free. Languages: app interface in English. Alchemy PRO's interface is in English and Thai.

Screenshots

Pathway4 screens
Alchemy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pathway at every 2 weeks against Alchemy's every 2 months. Alchemy's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pathway ships an update every 2 weeks, Alchemy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Pathway versus Alchemy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPathwayAlchemy
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperARJUN SUDHEERRajaphan Padithaporn

In-app purchases

None

Pathway

No in-app purchases

None

Alchemy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pathway free?
Pathway is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alchemy free?
Alchemy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pathway or Alchemy have ads?
Neither Pathway nor Alchemy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pathway or Alchemy?
Pathway ships an update every 2 weeks, and Alchemy every 2 months. Most recently, Pathway was updated on November 5, 2026 and Alchemy on November 11, 2026.

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