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About Dolphin

Make the next study session easier to start.

Dolphin is an adaptive study app that helps high school and college students practice for the SAT, ACT, and college courses in short daily sessions. The iOS app is free; Dolphin Web is a paid subscription that adds full-length practice tests and deeper review.

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What Dolphin does

Short practice on iOS

Open the free iOS app for a few minutes of SAT or ACT practice. It draws from 10,000+ SAT and ACT questions, each with a short video explanation, and adapts to the topics you miss most.

Deeper test prep on the web

Dolphin Web is a paid subscription that adds full-length practice tests, score tracking, and detailed review. Students can see where they missed questions and decide what to work on next.

Learning beyond test prep

Dolphin also helps learners study college courses and other subjects with guided lessons and practice. The goal is to make progress on the material in front of you, one session at a time.

What makes Dolphin different

The useful comparison is the study routine you can actually sustain. These are the choices we have made for Dolphin.

A free iOS starting point

Students can begin SAT and ACT practice in the iOS app without buying anything. Dolphin Web is the paid part of Dolphin; its current price and renewal terms are shown before checkout.

Practice built for spare minutes

Dolphin emphasizes short sessions you can return to regularly. Khan Academy's free Official Digital SAT Prep is a useful lesson resource; Dolphin can complement it when starting and reviewing a quick session is the harder part.

Review connected to practice

Questions and explanations are part of the same routine, so a mistake can guide the next session. You can use official Bluebook tests as full-length checkpoints, then use Dolphin for practice between them.

Phone and web options

The iOS app is built for short practice, while the web experience provides more room for full-length tests and detailed review. Students can choose the format that fits the work they are doing that day.

Built with students in mind

Dolphin began with a specific problem Daniel saw in his own family: test prep was hard to keep doing. The team builds around that problem, pairing approachable sessions with feedback students can use.

Comparing options? Read our Khan Academy alternatives guide for a fuller view of what each tool does well.

Who uses Dolphin

  • High school students preparing for the SAT, ACT, or PSAT
  • Students who want to practice in short sessions on their phone
  • Students who want full-length tests and deeper review on the web
  • College learners studying a course or another subject
  • Parents helping a student find a study routine

The team behind Dolphin

Daniel Odicho and Neel Shettigar founded Dolphin in 2025. Daniel started it after seeing his younger sisters struggle to stay engaged with test prep. Dolphin is built by a small team at PaloAI Inc. in San Francisco and is backed by Afore Capital and Perceptive Ventures.

Daniel Odicho

Daniel Odicho

Founder and CEO

Daniel started Dolphin after watching his younger sisters grow frustrated with test prep. He wanted to make a study tool students would choose to open, even when they only had a few minutes.

Daniel on LinkedIn
Neel Shettigar

Neel Shettigar

Co-founder, engineering

Neel studied computer science and philosophy at the University of Illinois. He leads the engineering that connects practice, review, and progress across web and iOS.

Follow Dolphin on LinkedIn for company updates.

How Dolphin works

Start with what you need to study

Create an account, choose your learning goal, and begin a session. You can start with the iOS app or use Dolphin Web for a larger test prep workspace.

Practice, then review

Answer questions and use explanations to understand the ones you missed. Return for another short session or set aside time for a full-length test when that fits your plan.

Get help from the team

For account, billing, privacy, or product questions, email support@dolphin.study or visit the support page. Dolphin does not promise a fixed response or lesson turnaround time.

Key facts

Company name
Dolphin (legal entity: PaloAI Inc.)
Type
Education technology company; adaptive SAT, ACT, and college study app
Founded
2025
Founders
Daniel Odicho (founder and CEO) and Neel Shettigar (co-founder, engineering)
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Core offering
Free iOS app with adaptive SAT and ACT practice and video explanations; Dolphin Web, a paid subscription with full-length practice tests, score tracking, and detailed review
Pricing
iOS app: free. Dolphin Web: paid subscription (not free); current plans and prices appear at checkout
Contract terms
Self-service recurring subscription for paid web plans; cancel anytime in account settings
Services
SAT, ACT, and PSAT practice; video explanations; full-length practice tests; score tracking; vocabulary; college course study
Communication
support@dolphin.study and the support page
Notable clients
Dolphin serves individual learners; it does not publish a client roster
Customers served
100,000+ students: high school and college learners, and families supporting them
Question library
10,000+ SAT and ACT questions, each with a video explanation
App Store rating
4.8 out of 5 from 1,200+ ratings (September 2026)
Investors
Afore Capital and Perceptive Ventures
Projects delivered
Dolphin iOS app (launched August 2025) and Dolphin Web
Competitors and alternatives
Khan Academy, College Board Bluebook, UWorld, Magoosh, PrepScholar, and other SAT and ACT study tools

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Dolphin?

Dolphin was founded in 2025 by Daniel Odicho and Neel Shettigar. Daniel started it after seeing his younger sisters struggle to stay engaged with test prep, and Neel leads engineering. Dolphin is built by PaloAI Inc. in San Francisco.

Is Dolphin free?

The Dolphin iOS app is free. Dolphin Web is not free: it is a paid subscription that adds full-length practice tests, score tracking, and deeper review. Current plans and prices are shown at checkout, and you can cancel anytime in account settings.

Does Dolphin cover the ACT?

Yes. Dolphin covers the SAT and the ACT, including ACT English, Math, Reading, and Science practice, in the same account.

Where is Dolphin based, and when was it founded?

Dolphin is based in San Francisco, California, and was founded in 2025. The iOS app launched on the App Store in August 2025.

Can Dolphin replace official SAT or ACT practice?

No. Use official practice tests, such as College Board Bluebook for the SAT, as exam-style checkpoints. Dolphin helps you practice and review between those checkpoints. Dolphin is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by College Board or ACT, Inc.

How do I contact Dolphin?

Email support@dolphin.study for product, account, privacy, or billing help. Account and data-deletion instructions are on the support page at dolphin.study/support/.