Links:
Competitor Comparison and Analysis (essay.cafe, NextAdmit, SupsAI)
SupsAI Ambassador Program Walkthrough
Google Drive Folder (contains edited essays)
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Table of Contents:
Within the college consulting business, there are companies (ElevatEd, Essay.Cafe, NextAdmit, SupsAI) that are more modern and those that are more old-fashioned (Harvard Square Essays, PaperTrue, Scribendi, WordVice, SOS Admissions). 10 years ago, in a world without free and accessible AI and grammar-checking services, the old-fashioned companies might’ve been competitive in the industry, but they are now outdated and impractical.
Unlike ElevatEd, Essay.Cafe, NextAdmit, and SupsAI all have free essay services on their website that utilize the power of AI. In addition, many companies require students to create a free account before using their services, whether free or paid. Although the free AI services offered by each company still do not surpass the quality of human-provided services, they serve as valuable tools for instant feedback and initial engagement, encouraging students to explore paid services.
Essay.Cafe free “Brainstorm” tool uses AI to help students generate unique essay ideas and outlines. NextAdmit’s free “Essay Scanner” tool uses AI to provide mostly grammatical feedback to students. SupsAI uses AI to revise students’ essays, and SupsAI created the “Sups Ambassador Program,” a referral program where students can earn money for bringing in other students.
| ElevatEd (2023) | essay.cafe | NextAdmit | SupsAI | Harvard Square Essays | PaperTrue | Scribendi | WordVice | Elevated (2024) | Prompt | Sundial | Athena AI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edited Essay | link | link | link | link | link | link | link | link | link | link | link | link |
| Pricing for Service* | $160 | $50 | $75 | free | $199 | $25 | $30 | $60 | $294 | $99 | $113.55 | $15 |
| Turnaround Time* | 3 days | 2 days | 1 week | instant | 2 days | 2 days | 2 days | 2 days | 3 days | 2 days | 2 days | instant |
| Number of Editors | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Summary/ Paragraph after Essay? | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Essay Feedback Quality Ranked** | 2 (tied) | 2 (tied) | 5 (tied) | 6 | not of quality | not of quality | not of quality | 7 (worst) | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 (tied) |
| Noticeable AI Usage*** | no | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes |
| AI Quality Ranked | N/A | 1 (best) (tied) | 3 | 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 (tied) |
*****These are just the prices I paid and turnaround time I chose. These are the most basic, and each company determines pricing differently and has different rates. For example, pricing could’ve increased if I had chosen a faster turnaround time.
**In my personal opinion.
***Whether it be website services, in the paid service, etc.