Scholarship apps and websites, compared honestly
Last updated October 2026 · By the Scholarly team
Short answer
Free sites like BigFuture, Bold.org, Fastweb, and Scholarships360 are good at finding scholarships. Scholarly and ScholarshipOwl charge a subscription to do the applying. Going Merry shut down in March 2026, and Scholly now lives on Sallie.com. Pick one free search and, if time is your problem, one tool that applies.
We make Scholarly, so weigh our take accordingly. Every fact about another company on this page links to its source at the bottom, checked in October 2026. Prices and features change; confirm on their site before you pay.
Lists and alternatives
Best scholarship websites (2026-27)Ten sites ranked, free ones included
Scholarship apps that apply for youWhat auto-apply can and can't do
Going Merry alternativesGoing Merry closed in March 2026
Scholly alternativesScholly now lives on Sallie.com
Head to head
Scholarly vs Bold.org
Exclusive donor awards vs applying everywhere
Scholarly vs Fastweb
A free database vs an app that applies
Scholarly vs ScholarshipOwl
Two paid auto-apply services
Scholarly vs Scholarships360
Free vetted listings vs auto-apply
Scholarly vs Niche
Sweepstakes scholarships vs real applications
Scholarly vs Award Scholar
Two apply-for-you tools, one very new
Scholarly vs BigFuture
College Board's free search vs auto-apply
Everything in one table
| Service | Price to students | Applies for you? | Status, Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scholarlytryscholarly.app | $59.99/yr or $19.99/mo (web) | Yes, after you approve | Active |
| BigFuturebigfuture.collegeboard.org (opens in a new tab) | Free | No | Active |
| Bold.orgbold.org (opens in a new tab) | Free | On Bold.org only | Active |
| Fastwebfastweb.com (opens in a new tab) | Free | No | Active |
| Scholarships360scholarships360.org (opens in a new tab) | Free | No | Active |
| Nicheniche.com (opens in a new tab) | Free | No | Active |
| ScholarshipOwlscholarshipowl.com (opens in a new tab) | $10 to $20/mo; VIP $69/mo | Partly | Active |
| Award Scholarawardscholar.com (opens in a new tab) | Shown at checkout | Partly | New (domain from June 2026) |
 Schollysallie.com (opens in a new tab) | Free | No | Moved to Sallie.com; app gone |
| Going Merry | n/a | n/a | Shut down March 2026 |
Also useful
Best scholarship appsThe short version, apps only
Browse scholarshipsOpen awards with amounts and deadlines
Free toolsCalculators and checklists, no signup
Try Scholarly free
Scholarly is free to set up. You'll see which scholarships you qualify for before you decide whether auto-apply is worth paying for.