# ApplyWise App vs College Trail

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: College Trail at none against ApplyWise App's 1. ApplyWise App's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ApplyWise App sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. College Trail asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ApplyWise App against 5.0 for College Trail. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

ApplyWise App ships an update every 5 days, College Trail every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ApplyWise App | College Trail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/applywise-app/id6764584703/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/college-trail/id6775035396/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 47 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MARC SCOTT ARDIZZONE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895839696) | [Frontier Innovation Technologies LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775035398) |

## What reviewers say

### ApplyWise App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/applywise-app/id6764584703)

This app helps students, families, and counselors manage the college application process. It tracks applications, financial aid, deadlines, and allows for communication between users. Features include progress tracking, deadline alerts, and AI-powered appeal letter drafting.

**Highlights:** Phase-by-phase college application progress tracking, Financial aid comparison and net price calculator, Deadline alerts and overdue notifications, Side-by-side college comparison, AI-powered appeal letter drafting, In-app messaging for students, counselors, and parents, Privacy controls for student data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Access | $9.99 | one-time |


### College Trail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/college-trail/id6775035396)

This AI-powered assistant helps high school students plan their college journey. It offers personalized college recommendations, tracks application deadlines, and provides support for essays and extracurricular activities.

**Highlights:** AI-powered college recommendations, Personalized college search, Application deadline tracker, Essay and activity tracking, Connect with expert counselors

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ApplyWise App free?

ApplyWise App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is College Trail free?

College Trail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ApplyWise App or College Trail?

ApplyWise App and College Trail are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do ApplyWise App or College Trail have ads?

Neither ApplyWise App nor College Trail shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ApplyWise App or College Trail?

ApplyWise App ships an update every 5 days, and College Trail every 5 weeks. Most recently, ApplyWise App was updated on October 19, 2026 and College Trail on October 23, 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.*