Shellback vs MilEd Benefits
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shellback
This app provides US Naval Surface Force personnel with offline access to essential information. It includes manuals and resources for administration, medical, operations, personnel management, safety, and navigation rules. Content is updated annually for relevance.
- Offline access to SURFOR information
- Admin/Training manuals
- Medical readiness resources
- Operations and navigation training
- Personnel management documents
- Safety information and lessons learned
- Rules of the Road quiz
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What is the Shellback app? Shellback, formerly known as eDivo, is a free mobile app developed to support US Naval Surface Force (SURFOR) personnel in an easy-to-access offline environment. What is a Shellback? In naval tradition, a Shellback is a nickname for a Sailor who has crossed the Equator and thus transitioned from a novice Sailor, or Pollywog, to an experienced Sailor. Why do I need Shellback? Shellback provides Sailors the ability to download key SURFOR information on their own portable devices and access it while underway without the need for an internet connection. Shellback provides the most relevant and current information to SURFOR Sailors in one location. Content is scheduled for annual updates. What type of info can I find in Shellback? The information in Shellback is separated into several main categories: -Admin/Training: Contains the Correspondence Manual and the SURFOR Training and Readiness Manual. -Medical: Includes the Manual of the Medical Department, information on medical and physical readiness, mental health, Medical Evaluation Board procedures, the Disability Evaluation System, family member readiness, and more. -Operations: Includes information and training on bridge management, navigation basics, watch team tools, crew endurance, operating procedures for air-capable ships, Air Certification for Naval Surface Force Ships, and manuals for amphibs, maintenance, and other general ship operation resources. -Personnel Management: Provides documents on Navy personnel policy and administration. Also includes legal handbooks and manuals, resources for Surface Warfare Officers, and a variety of general personnel management resources. -Safety: Provides documents related to lessons learned, mishap reporting, notices, safety-related awards, and general safety resources. -Rules of the Road: This quiz tests a Sailor’s knowledge of maritime navigation rules.
MilEd Benefits
This app provides access to voluntary off-duty education benefits for military members. It supports recruitment, retention, and civilian transition goals by offering programs for professional development, academic skills, and career counseling.
- Off-duty education benefits
- Professional education
- Career counseling
- Academic skills improvement
- High school completion
- College exam programs
- Joint Services Transcript
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The Department of Defense (DoD) provides off-duty, voluntary education benefits to support military recruitment, retention, readiness, and civilian transition goals. Under the direction of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness, Force Education, and Training) and the Defense Human Resources Agency, the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) maintains and delivers educational opportunities for military members worldwide, to include: Professional Education and Career Counseling Academic Skills Improvement Programs High School Completion Program College Acceptance Exam Programs College Credit-by-Examination Program Joint Services Transcript Troops to Teachers Program
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Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shellback at 45% against MilEd Benefits's 0%. Shellback also leads on ratings volume (38 vs 2) and rating (3.2 vs 3.0). MilEd Benefits's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 10 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Shellback holds the better App Store score, 3.2 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shellback has 38 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Shellback's written reviews are positive against 0% of MilEd Benefits's.
Shellback ships an update every 10 months, MilEd Benefits every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on June 9, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shellback | MilEd Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (38 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 38 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 71 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems, Sea Warrior Program | Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) |
Customer experience
Shellback
MilEd Benefits
In-app purchases
Shellback
No in-app purchases
MilEd Benefits
No in-app purchases
