Scholly alternatives: what to use now that Scholly lives on Sallie.com

Last updated October 2026 · By the Scholarly team

Short answer

Scholly isn't a standalone app anymore. Sallie Mae bought it in July 2023, its search now lives on Sallie.com, and the old App Store page returns "not found." If you want the Scholly experience on your phone, Scholarly matches you to scholarships and also submits the applications after you approve them ($59.99 a year on the web). For free options, try BigFuture and Bold.org.

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.

What happened to Scholly

Scholly launched in 2013, was on Shark Tank, and became one of the best-known scholarship apps. The timeline since:

July 2023: Sallie Mae acquires Scholly and says it will make Scholly free.
July 2024: Scholly's founding team is laid off, according to founder Chris Gray's lawsuit as reported by TechCrunch.
Around December 2024: Sallie.com launches and hosts the Scholly platform.
April 2026: Gray sues Sallie Mae in Delaware. Sallie Mae denies the allegations.
October 2026: myscholly.com redirects to sallie.com/scholarships/scholly. The old Scholly iPhone app page (id1048625540) returns "not found," and no Scholly app from Sallie Mae appears in a U.S. App Store search.

The search itself still works, it's free, and it showed 10,858 results when we checked. It also pushes Sallie's own no-essay scholarships: one form enters you into 18 of them, worth up to $18,000 in total. The trade-off is that it's run by a student lender, and TechCrunch reported that Sallie.com's privacy policy discloses selling customer data.

Scholly alternatives

Scholarly

tryscholarly.app

Our app

The phone-first replacement: Scholly-style matching, then the applying too.

Paid · $59.99/yrBest for Applying to a lot of scholarships from your phone

Fills in each form from your profile and one personal statement, and sends it once you approve
iPhone (4.7 stars, 4,100+ ratings) and web

Paid, and there's no free trial

Price: $59.99/yr or $19.99/mo on the web

How it compares with other apply-for-you apps

Sallie.com (Scholly search)

sallie.com

Scholly's old search, plus one form for 18 no-essay awards.

FreeBest for Keeping the Scholly search you know

Free; 10,858 results when we checked
One form enters you into 18 no-essay scholarships worth up to $18,000

Run by a student lender
TechCrunch reported that Sallie.com's privacy policy discloses selling customer data
Web only

BigFuture

bigfuture.collegeboard.org

The best free search, run by the College Board, a nonprofit.

FreeBest for Free searching

43,513 listings, with essay requirements on every listing
Good filters and opt-in data sharing
No-essay drawings for high schoolers

Web only
Doesn't apply for you

Scholarly vs BigFuture

Bold.org

bold.org

Free, with its own iPhone app, for scholarships that exist only on Bold.org.

FreeBest for Free scholarships in an app

iPhone app with 4.7 stars from 3,100+ ratings
Exclusive donor-funded scholarships, applied to on-site

Its scholarships are exclusive to Bold.org, so it's an add-on to a search tool, not a replacement for one

Scholarly vs Bold.org

Fastweb

fastweb.com

A big free database with email reminders.

FreeBest for Deadline reminders

Big database
Email reminders

Its iPhone app was last updated in 2020
Its privacy policy discloses selling some user data

Scholarships360

scholarships360.org

A vetted free directory with its own $10,000 no-essay award.

FreeBest for A curated list

Vetted directory
Own $10,000 no-essay award

Web only
Privacy policy says it sells personal info to college and scholarship-provider partners

Questions people ask

Is Scholly still available?

Not as its own app. Sallie Mae acquired Scholly in July 2023, and Scholly's scholarship search now runs on Sallie.com. myscholly.com redirects there, and the old Scholly App Store page returns "not found" as of October 2026.

Is Scholly free now?

Yes. The Scholly search on Sallie.com is free and lists 10k+ scholarships, including 5k+ no-essay ones.

Who owns Scholly?

Sallie Mae, the private student lender, which bought Scholly in July 2023. TechCrunch reported in April 2026 that founder Chris Gray sued Sallie Mae; Sallie Mae called his allegations "without merit or substance."

Does Sallie.com sell my data?

According to TechCrunch's April 2026 reporting, Sallie.com's privacy policy says it sells customer data, including age, race, gender, and geolocation, to third parties. Read the current policy before signing up.

What's the best Scholly alternative on iPhone?

If you want an iPhone app that matches you to scholarships, Scholarly (4.7 stars, 4,100+ ratings) goes a step further and submits applications after you approve them. It's paid. Bold.org has a free iPhone app for its own exclusive scholarships.