Comparison
Pave vs CollegePlannerPro for independent counselors
CollegePlannerPro is practice software for independent college counselors, priced by the number of active students. This page compares it with Pave on price, essays, billing and family updates, using each company's public pages.
Free to try with full product access.
Facts about other products come from their own public pages, checked on . Prices and features change, so confirm them on each company's site before you decide.
Pave and CollegePlannerPro at a glance
- Who it is for
- Pave: Independent counselors, counseling firms and school counseling teams
- CollegePlannerPro: Independent college counselors and planners, with discounts for IECA, HECA and NCAG members
- Pricing
- Pave: One plan with every feature: $100 a month billed monthly, $90 quarterly or $80 yearly
- CollegePlannerPro: Tiers by active students: $69 a month for up to 10, rising to $229 a month for unlimited
- Per-student and team costs
- Pave: No per-student fees
- CollegePlannerPro: No fees per contact; each extra team member adds $20 a month
- Free trial
- Pave: Yes, with full product access
- CollegePlannerPro: 30 days, with a $0 setup fee
- Essay feedback
- Pave: Essays for Common App, UCAS and college prompts, with comments and AI feedback included
- CollegePlannerPro: Athena AI essay feedback, priced separately at $120 per student or $108 each for 50 or more
- College data
- Pave: Verified data across 13+ countries and an AI shortlist from the student profile
- CollegePlannerPro: College profiles with costs, requirements and deadlines, Fiske Guide profiles and a campus map
- Billing
- Pave: A timesheet per student and invoices from logged time, emailed or shared by link
- CollegePlannerPro: Time tracker, billing and invoicing, with payment tracking
- Family communication
- Pave: Student logins; parents can be copied on task reminders and invoices
- CollegePlannerPro: Email, text messages, broadcast email and appointment reminders to students and parents
- Meetings
- Pave: A free Meeting Recorder that turns calls into notes and follow-up tasks
- CollegePlannerPro: Calendar, scheduling and alerts
- Contract
- Pave: Monthly, quarterly or yearly billing; cancel any time
- CollegePlannerPro: Month to month; cancel anytime
Where CollegePlannerPro is stronger
- It costs less for a small caseload: $69 a month for up to 10 active students.
- Text messages and broadcast email to students and families are built in.
- IECA, HECA and NCAG members and non-profits get 25% off.
- Fiske Guide college profiles and a campus map view are included.
Where Pave is stronger
- AI essay feedback is part of the plan, with no per-student charge.
- The price does not rise as your caseload grows.
- Verified college data covers 13+ countries, which helps students applying outside the US.
- Leads, letter templates and a free Meeting Recorder sit in the same workspace.
CollegePlannerPro pricing compared with Pave
CollegePlannerPro prices by active students. Its plans run from $69 a month for up to 10 students to $229 a month for unlimited students. Each extra team member adds $20 a month.
Pave has one plan with every feature and no per-student fees. It costs $100 a month billed monthly, $90 a month billed quarterly or $80 a month billed yearly.
With 10 or fewer active students, CollegePlannerPro costs less. From 21 active students, Pave costs less on any billing period. Between those, it depends on how you pay.
Two things change the sums. IECA, HECA and NCAG members get 25% off CollegePlannerPro. Its Athena essay feedback costs extra per student, while Pave includes AI feedback.
Essays and AI feedback
Athena is CollegePlannerPro's AI essay feedback tool. It opens from the student profile, does not rewrite essays, and can push comments into Google Docs.
Athena is priced per student: $120 each, or $108 each when you buy 50 or more. It has a 10-day free trial.
In Pave, students write essays for Common App, UCAS or a college's own prompt. You comment, AI feedback points to weak spots, and versions are saved. AI feedback is part of the plan.
Billing and family communication
Both products track time and turn it into invoices. CollegePlannerPro adds payment tracking, text messages, broadcast email and appointment reminders by email and text.
Pave keeps a timesheet per student and creates invoices from it. You email each invoice with the parent copied, or share its link. Students log in to see their own tasks and essays.
Moving from CollegePlannerPro to Pave
If you can put your student list in a spreadsheet, Pave can import it. It reads CSV or XLSX files with a header row; name and email are required.
On annual plans, Pave's team migrates your existing records and trains you. You can start with a free trial before you move anything.
Which one should you choose?
Choose CollegePlannerPro if
- You have 10 or fewer active students and want the lowest monthly price.
- You text families often and want texting and broadcast email in the same tool.
- You are an IECA, HECA or NCAG member and can use the 25% discount.
Choose Pave if
- You want AI essay feedback included rather than paid per student.
- Your caseload is growing and you do not want the price to grow with it.
- Your students apply outside the US and need college data beyond it.
See everything Pave does on the college counseling software page, and current prices on the pricing page.
Questions about Pave and CollegePlannerPro
How much does CollegePlannerPro cost?
Its public plans run from $69 a month for up to 10 active students to $229 a month for unlimited students. Extra team members cost $20 a month each. IECA, HECA and NCAG members get 25% off.
Is Athena included in CollegePlannerPro plans?
No. Athena, its AI essay feedback tool, is priced per student: $120 each, or $108 each for 50 or more. Pave includes AI essay feedback in its plan.
Can I move my students from CollegePlannerPro to Pave?
Yes, if you can put your student list in a spreadsheet. Pave imports CSV and XLSX files. On annual plans, Pave's team migrates your records for you.
Do both have a free trial?
Yes. CollegePlannerPro offers a 30-day free trial with no setup fee. Pave's free trial gives full product access.
Sources
- All-Inclusive Subscription Plans, CollegePlannerPro (checked October 28, 2026)
- Features, CollegePlannerPro (checked October 28, 2026)
- Athena AI essay feedback, CollegePlannerPro (checked October 28, 2026)
- CollegePlannerPro vs GuidedPath, CollegePlannerPro (checked October 28, 2026)
- Pave pricing, Pave (checked October 28, 2026)
See Pave with your own students
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