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Dolphin

About Dolphin

Know what to learn. Get help learning it.

Dolphin helps you work through what you need to learn, with lessons, practice, and help from Pip. Prepare for the SAT or ACT with a personalized web study plan, or bring your class materials to Dolphin College for lessons, quizzes, and flashcards. The iPhone and Android practice apps are free; SAT and ACT web plans are paid.

By Dolphin. Updated .

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What does Dolphin do?

Short practice on your phone

Open the free iPhone or Android 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.

A personalized test prep program

Follow a personalized plan with lessons, practice questions, Pip AI help, and mistake review. Full-length tests and score reports help you see which skills need another session. These tools are part of paid Dolphin Web plans.

Learning beyond test prep

Bring notes, slides, and readings to Dolphin College. Create lessons, quizzes, and flashcards, ask Pip about the difficult parts, and return to saved study materials as your course progresses.

What makes Dolphin different

Dolphin brings planning, instruction, practice, and review into the same study routine. Here is how those pieces work together.

A free phone app

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

Lessons and help where you study

Dolphin connects instruction with the work in front of you. Learn a skill in a lesson, ask Pip for a hint or a different explanation, and then try a question yourself. Your plan gives those sessions a direction.

Review connected to practice

Questions and explanations are part of the same routine, so a mistake can guide the next session. Full-length Dolphin Web practice tests show where you stand, and a free official Bluebook test makes a good final check before test day.

Phone and web options

Use the free phone apps for short practice sessions and the paid web program for your study plan, lessons, full-length tests, and detailed review. Sign in with the same account to keep your study history connected.

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.

Explore Dolphin SAT prep, ACT prep, or Dolphin College to find the study workflow for your goal.

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 a personalized plan, lessons, and full-length tests 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.

Dolphin also publishes a library of SAT resource guides, including practice-test resources, writing exercises, study plans, and tools for comparing preparation options. The directory identifies every site and its shared publisher.

Follow Dolphin on LinkedIn for company updates.

How Dolphin works

Start with what you need to study

Choose SAT or ACT to build your test prep plan, or open Dolphin College with the class materials you want to study. Start with a lesson or practice task connected to your goal.

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.

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 iPhone and Android SAT and ACT practice apps; paid Dolphin Web study plans with lessons, Pip AI help, tests, and review; Dolphin College for lessons, quizzes, and flashcards from course materials
Pricing
iPhone and Android apps: free. Dolphin Web: paid subscription (not free); current plans and prices are on the pricing page
Contract terms
Self-service recurring subscription for paid web plans; cancel anytime in account settings
Services
Personalized study plans; lessons; Pip AI help; SAT, ACT, and PSAT practice; explanations; full-length practice tests; score tracking; college course study
Communication
support@dolphin.study and the support page
Notable clients
Dolphin serves individual learners; it does not publish a client roster
Users
150,000+ users (company-reported, October 2026; not an active-user count)
Question library
10,000+ SAT and ACT questions, each with a video explanation
App Store rating
4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings (October 2026)
Investors
Afore Capital and Perceptive Ventures
Projects delivered
Dolphin iPhone app (launched August 2025), Dolphin Android app and Dolphin Web
Competitors and alternatives
Khan Academy, College Board Bluebook, UWorld, Magoosh, PrepScholar, and other SAT and ACT study tools

Frequently asked questions

What is Dolphin SAT?

Dolphin SAT is the name many students use for Dolphin, an adaptive SAT and ACT prep app built by PaloAI Inc. in San Francisco. The free iPhone and Android apps give short daily SAT and ACT practice from 10,000+ questions, each with a video explanation. Dolphin Web is a paid study program with a personalized plan, lessons, Pip AI help, full-length practice tests, score tracking, and mistake review.

Is Dolphin SAT legit?

Yes. Dolphin is an SAT and ACT prep app built by PaloAI Inc., founded in 2025 in San Francisco by Daniel Odicho and Neel Shettigar and backed by Afore Capital and Perceptive Ventures. It has 150,000+ users (company-reported, October 2026) and is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K App Store ratings (October 2026). Dolphin Web prices are shown before you pay, and you can cancel anytime in account settings. All paid Dolphin Web Premium plans include a score improvement guarantee: finish the study plan and raise your official SAT score by at least 200 points or your ACT score by at least 5 points, or get up to three months of fees back. Dolphin is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by College Board or ACT.

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?

Partly. The Dolphin iPhone and Android apps are free. Dolphin Web is a paid subscription with a personalized SAT or ACT study plan, lessons, unlimited Pip AI help, full-length practice tests, score tracking, and mistake review. Prices depend on your billing country and are shown on the Dolphin pricing page and at checkout before you pay.

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 I prep for the SAT with just Dolphin?

Yes. Dolphin Web can be your main self-study program: follow a personalized plan, learn through lessons, ask Pip for help, practice weak skills, and review full-length tests. The free iPhone and Android apps let you keep practicing on the go. Before test day, we also suggest taking a free official Bluebook practice test from College Board as a final check of how the real exam feels. Dolphin is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by College Board or ACT.

Can I prep for the ACT with just Dolphin?

Yes. Dolphin Web covers the ACT: follow a personalized ACT study plan with lessons, get unlimited Pip AI help, practice English, Math, Reading, and Science, and take timed full-length ACT practice tests on a computer. The free iPhone and Android apps let you keep practicing on the go. Before test day, take a free official ACT practice test as a final check. Dolphin is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACT Education Corp.

Can a parent pay for my Dolphin SAT or ACT plan?

Yes. Students can use the parent payment option at checkout to share a payment link. A parent who pays through that link manages billing using the email address entered at checkout at dolphin.study/parent-billing/. Parents who subscribe from a Dolphin parent account manage each student’s plan in Family. The student continues learning in their own account.

How is Dolphin College different from SAT and ACT prep?

Dolphin SAT and ACT prep connects a personalized plan, lessons, Pip help, practice tests, and review. Dolphin College, at dolphin.college, is a workspace for your college courses: add notes or slides, ask questions about your material, and create lessons, flashcards, and practice quizzes in saved study conversations.

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/.