GradGPT is an AI feedback tool for college application essays, part of a wider application platform. Its homepage describes a GradGPT score out of 100 with comments that mark the exact lines to fix, and says it never writes a word of the essay. Its plans also include application guides and college and deadline tracking, and its Max plan adds full applications from students who were admitted, with notes on every essay.

How much does GradGPT cost?

Their pricing page, read 10 October 2026: a free plan with one essay review and no card; Plus, $36 a month for 50 essay reviews a month, or $144 paid once for the season; Max, $96 a month or $243 for the season, with unlimited reviews. The season pass runs until 28 February 2027 and does not renew. Students eligible for free or reduced school meals or a Common App, SAT or ACT fee waiver, wards of the state and students at Title I schools can ask for free access. Check their page for the current price.

Is GradGPT or NudgeEssay cheaper?

For many drafts, GradGPT. Its Plus season pass is $144 for up to 50 reviews a month until 28 February 2027, which is less than NudgeEssay's $150 pack of 10. NudgeEssay is $25 for one essay, $150 for 10 or $200 for 20, and each essay includes one free re-read of the revised draft. It is paid once and nothing expires, so an essay bought now can still be used after February.

Does either one write my essay?

No. GradGPT’s homepage says it never writes a word of the essay, and NudgeEssay never hands you a sentence you could paste into your draft. Both point at what you wrote and tell you what to change. Every college sets its own rule on AI, and checking your school’s policy is on you.

Can I try NudgeEssay free?

Yes. Paste your essay and you see the verdict, the standout line and the six rubric bands before any payment step. Seven complete sample reports are also published in full, free to read with no account.

Is NudgeEssay affiliated with GradGPT?

No. NudgeEssay is not affiliated with, endorsed by or partnered with GradGPT, and has no relationship with any college. Every GradGPT fact on this page was read from their own site on 10 October 2026 and is linked below with that date. GradGPT is a trademark of its owner.

A GradGPT alternative, for when you would rather pay per essay than buy a season

Have a draft? Get a free read on it below

GradGPT is an AI feedback tool for college application essays, part of a wider application platform. Its pricing page lists three plans: a free one with one essay review, Plus at $36 a month for 50 essay reviews a month, and Max at $96 a month for unlimited reviews. Either can instead be bought once for the season, $144 for Plus or $243 for Max, running until 28 February 2027 with no renewal. Its homepage describes a score out of 100 with comments on the exact lines to fix, and says plainly that it never writes a word of the essay. Students who qualify for free school meals or a fee waiver can ask for free access.

NudgeEssay is priced per essay, not per month or per season: $25 for one essay, $150 for 10, or $200 for 20, about $10 an essay. What comes back in about 2 minutes is a document: the one sentence a tired reader would carry out of your essay, six rubric bands built for that essay type, notes attached to your exact sentences, a paragraph-by-paragraph map of where attention drops, and a revision plan ranked by payoff. Every essay includes one free re-read of the revised draft, and nothing expires. You see the verdict and the bands on your own essay before you pay anything.

The short version: if you will run many drafts before February, GradGPT’s season pass costs less, and that is worth knowing. If you have a set number of essays and want each one taken apart closely, then read again once you have revised it, a pack is paid once and does not run out on a date.

Updated 10 October 2026. Written and maintained by NudgeEssay; how facts on this site are sourced and corrected is on the about page.

GradGPT vs NudgeEssay

How you pay

GradGPT: Monthly: $36 (Plus) or $96 (Max). Or once for the season: $144 (Plus) or $243 (Max), running until 28 February 2027 with no renewal.
NudgeEssay: Per essay: $25 for one, $150 for 10, $200 for 20. Paid once; nothing renews or expires.

What is free

GradGPT: One essay review, no card. Free access on request for students who qualify for free school meals or a Common App, SAT or ACT fee waiver, wards of the state and students at Title I schools.
NudgeEssay: The verdict, the standout line and the six rubric bands on your own essay. The full marked report is paid.

How many reads

GradGPT: Up to 50 reviews a month on Plus; unlimited on Max.
NudgeEssay: One full read per essay, plus one free re-read of the revised draft. Further re-reads $10.

How long it takes

GradGPT: Their homepage: "Get instant expert feedback".
NudgeEssay: About 2 minutes, at any hour.

What the score is

GradGPT: A GradGPT score out of 100 (their Common App example scores Narrative, Authenticity, Detail, Writing style and Structure).
NudgeEssay: Six criteria built for the essay type, each with a band label and the quote from your essay that drove it. No comparison with other applicants.

What comes back

GradGPT: Their pricing page: "Comments and a score on every draft". Their homepage example marks the exact lines to fix.
NudgeEssay: A marked manuscript: the memory line, notes on your exact sentences, an attention map paragraph by paragraph, and a ranked fix list.

Does it write sentences for you

GradGPT: No. Their homepage: "It never writes a word of the essay."
NudgeEssay: No. It points at your own material and never hands you a sentence to paste in.

A person reading it

GradGPT: Their pricing page lists no human-reader plan.
NudgeEssay: Optional: a written read from an expert reviewer within 48 hours, $150 for one essay or $400 for 5.

Beyond the essay

GradGPT: Application guides and college and deadline tracking; Max adds full applications from admitted students, with notes on every essay.
NudgeEssay: Nothing beyond the essays. NudgeEssay reads one essay at a time.

GradGPT compared with NudgeEssay across price, free tier, number of reads, scoring and what comes back
	GradGPT	NudgeEssay
How you pay	Monthly: $36 (Plus) or $96 (Max). Or once for the season: $144 (Plus) or $243 (Max), running until 28 February 2027 with no renewal.	Per essay: $25 for one, $150 for 10, $200 for 20. Paid once; nothing renews or expires.
What is free	One essay review, no card. Free access on request for students who qualify for free school meals or a Common App, SAT or ACT fee waiver, wards of the state and students at Title I schools.	The verdict, the standout line and the six rubric bands on your own essay. The full marked report is paid.
How many reads	Up to 50 reviews a month on Plus; unlimited on Max.	One full read per essay, plus one free re-read of the revised draft. Further re-reads $10.
How long it takes	Their homepage: "Get instant expert feedback".	About 2 minutes, at any hour.
What the score is	A GradGPT score out of 100 (their Common App example scores Narrative, Authenticity, Detail, Writing style and Structure).	Six criteria built for the essay type, each with a band label and the quote from your essay that drove it. No comparison with other applicants.
What comes back	Their pricing page: "Comments and a score on every draft". Their homepage example marks the exact lines to fix.	A marked manuscript: the memory line, notes on your exact sentences, an attention map paragraph by paragraph, and a ranked fix list.
Does it write sentences for you	No. Their homepage: "It never writes a word of the essay."	No. It points at your own material and never hands you a sentence to paste in.
A person reading it	Their pricing page lists no human-reader plan.	Optional: a written read from an expert reviewer within 48 hours, $150 for one essay or $400 for 5.
Beyond the essay	Application guides and college and deadline tracking; Max adds full applications from admitted students, with notes on every essay.	Nothing beyond the essays. NudgeEssay reads one essay at a time.

GradGPT figures and quotations were read from gradgpt.com and gradgpt.com/pricing on 10 October 2026 and are linked below. Rows saying their page “lists no” something are claims about what is published, not about what the service does; ask them. Prices change, so check theirs and ours before you buy. GradGPT is a trademark of its owner and is not affiliated with NudgeEssay.

Paste your essay for a free read

Have it in a document? or drop one here (Word, PDF, or Text).

Paste the draft here and see the verdict and the six bands on it before any payment step, then decide which way of paying suits how you work.

When GradGPT is the better buy

If you plan to run many drafts through a reader before February, the season pass is the cheaper way to do it: $144 once for up to 50 reviews a month, which is less than NudgeEssay’s pack of 10 at $150. If you qualify for free school meals or a fee waiver, GradGPT offers free access on request, which nothing here matches. And if you want application guides and deadline tracking in the same place as the essay feedback, their plans include them and NudgeEssay does not.

When a per-essay read is the better buy

If you have a known number of essays, say a personal statement and a handful of supplements, and you want each one taken apart closely, revised, and then read again, a pack costs the same whether you finish in a week or in March. It does not end on a date, and nothing renews. And if you want a person as well, the expert-read plans put a written human read on top of the same report.

All 23 checks are listed on what the review includes, and seven complete unedited reports are free to read on the samples page. Read one before deciding whether this is worth paying for. If the other option on your list is an AI reviewer sold by the month, the Esslo comparison and the Kolly comparison set a monthly plan beside a per-essay read.

What NudgeEssay is not

It is not an admissions decision, a prediction or a chance calculator, and it has no relationship with any college.
It is not a school list, an activities review or an application strategy. It reads one essay at a time.
It will not write your essay, and it should not. Every college sets its own rule on AI, and checking your school’s policy is on you.

GradGPT vs NudgeEssay, answered

What is GradGPT?: GradGPT is an AI feedback tool for college application essays, part of a wider application platform. Its homepage describes a GradGPT score out of 100 with comments that mark the exact lines to fix, and says it never writes a word of the essay. Its plans also include application guides and college and deadline tracking, and its Max plan adds full applications from students who were admitted, with notes on every essay.
How much does GradGPT cost?: Their pricing page, read 10 October 2026: a free plan with one essay review and no card; Plus, $36 a month for 50 essay reviews a month, or $144 paid once for the season; Max, $96 a month or $243 for the season, with unlimited reviews. The season pass runs until 28 February 2027 and does not renew. Students eligible for free or reduced school meals or a Common App, SAT or ACT fee waiver, wards of the state and students at Title I schools can ask for free access. Check their page for the current price.
Is GradGPT or NudgeEssay cheaper?: For many drafts, GradGPT. Its Plus season pass is $144 for up to 50 reviews a month until 28 February 2027, which is less than NudgeEssay's $150 pack of 10. NudgeEssay is $25 for one essay, $150 for 10 or $200 for 20, and each essay includes one free re-read of the revised draft. It is paid once and nothing expires, so an essay bought now can still be used after February.
Does either one write my essay?: No. GradGPT’s homepage says it never writes a word of the essay, and NudgeEssay never hands you a sentence you could paste into your draft. Both point at what you wrote and tell you what to change. Every college sets its own rule on AI, and checking your school’s policy is on you.
Can I try NudgeEssay free?: Yes. Paste your essay and you see the verdict, the standout line and the six rubric bands before any payment step. Seven complete sample reports are also published in full, free to read with no account.
Is NudgeEssay affiliated with GradGPT?: No. NudgeEssay is not affiliated with, endorsed by or partnered with GradGPT, and has no relationship with any college. Every GradGPT fact on this page was read from their own site on 10 October 2026 and is linked below with that date. GradGPT is a trademark of its owner.

Where these numbers come from

GradGPT: one free essay review; Plus $36/month (50 reviews a month) or $144 for the season; Max $96/month or $243 for the season, unlimited reviews; the season pass runs until 28 February 2027 and does not renew; purchases are non-refundable once Plus or Max has been used. www.gradgpt.com/pricing, read 10 October 2026.
GradGPT free access: students eligible for free and reduced school meals or fee waivers from Common App, SAT or ACT, wards of the state, and students at Title I schools can email founders@gradgpt.com for free access to the platform. Max adds full applications from students who got in, with notes on every essay. www.gradgpt.com/pricing, read 10 October 2026.
GradGPT product description: a GradGPT score out of 100 (the Common App example scores Narrative, Authenticity, Detail, Writing style and Structure), a review marking exact lines to fix, "Get instant expert feedback", and "It never writes a word of the essay." www.gradgpt.com, read 10 October 2026.

Other companies’ prices and features change without notice, and everything above is what their own pages said on the date given. Check the current version before you buy anything, including ours. Company and product names are the trademarks of their owners; NudgeEssay is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with any of them. Every option here is set beside the others on the full comparison. The same figures are read from the other side on a CollegeVine alternative, a private consultant versus a per-essay read, what each price of college essay review buys, where to get a Common App essay reviewed, what an AI college essay review can and cannot do, what a college essay grader leaves out, how to write a college essay, from seven marked-up reports, what OpenAI's own rules say about essays written with ChatGPT, what Anthropic's own rules say about AI-assisted work, Gemini and a college essay, and what Google does not say about it, a MaxAdmit alternative, and what their site does and does not publish, an Esslo alternative, paid per essay instead of per month, a GradPilot alternative, and what the extra per review buys, a Kolly alternative, paid once instead of a plan that renews and a LumiSource alternative, paid once instead of monthly.

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