Pricing

Start free. Upgrade when you're ready.

100 AI thoughts (≈10 First Read sessions) on signup, no credit card. Plus is $39 for a year of 850 AI thoughts included (≈85 First Read sessions) on the lighter engine; the Pass is $99 for a year of 2,000 AI thoughts included (≈10 schools, 5 supplementals each, with revisions) on our top-quality AI. Both are one-time — no subscription, no auto-renew.

  • Scaffolding Plus

    Same committee. Lighter engine. Lighter price.

    $39for 1 year

    $39 for one full year of access. 850 AI thoughts on a faster, lighter engine — the same five-critic committee, less editorial bite, way more thoughts than free. One-time payment; nothing to cancel.

    • 850 AI thoughts included (≈85 First Read sessions)
    • Full agent committee — same five critics as the Pass
    • Synthesizer Report with top-3 priority issues
    • Socratic revision loop on every essay
    • $9 for 50-thought top-ups when you need more
    • One-time payment — no auto-renew, no subscription to cancel
    • Faster, less detailed AI than the Pass
  • Recommended

    Scaffolding Pass

    One year of college essay help.

    $99for 1 year

    $99 for one full year of access. 2,000 AI thoughts included — enough for a typical multi-school applicant. $9 for 50 more if you need them. One-time payment; nothing to cancel.

    • 2,000 AI thoughts included (≈10 schools, 5 supplementals each, with revisions)
    • First First Read free — try before you buy
    • Full agent committee (Senior Editor at V1; expanding through Mechanic 2+8)
    • Socratic revision loop on every essay
    • Per-school Readiness Signals
    • $9 for 50-thought top-ups when you need more
    • One-time payment — no auto-renew, no subscription to cancel

The free tier exists, but new accounts are invitation-only during the private beta.

What's a thought?

One thought is one piece of agent feedback — a single critique from the senior editor, one Socratic question, one structural note. A typical First Read produces about ten thoughts. The Pass's 2,000 included thoughts is enough for ten schools at five supplementals each, with revisions. Most students never see the cap. 100 AI thoughts (≈10 First Read sessions) on the free tier is enough for about ten First Reads — plenty to decide whether the committee finds things worth fixing.

What's the difference between Free, Plus, and the Pass?

Same agents, same five-critic committee, same Socratic revision loop on every tier. Free and Plus run them on a faster, less expensive AI that finds the same issues but reads them with a little less editorial bite; the Pass runs them on our top-quality AI. Free is 100 thoughts, one-time, no card. Plus is $39/year for 850 thoughts on the lighter engine — the budget option for a full applicant. Pass is $99/year for 2,000 thoughts on the top-quality engine. $9/50-thought top-ups available on both Plus and Pass; top-ups run on whichever engine your tier uses.

No surprise charges

The free tier requires no credit card. Plus and the Pass are one-time payments— pay once, get a full year, then it's done. There's no subscription, no auto-renew, no recurring charge. If you want another year next admissions cycle, you actively re-purchase.

Refund policy

Within three days of purchase, full refund — no questions, even if you've used it. Within seven days, full refund if you haven't spent any thoughts. After that, Plus and the Pass are non-refundable. The free tier has nothing to refund.

Are you a counselor?

The Counselor Circle gives independent college counselors a free Pass, referral codes for your students (20% off), and a structured channel to shape our V1.5 prompt iterations. Learn more →