Best PhD Application Tracker Tools for Indian Students (2026)
There are now four credible options for tracking PhD applications in 2026 — but only one is built specifically for Indian students applying abroad. Here's an honest comparison of phdpt.com, phdontrack.net, Notion templates, and PhD Tracker India.
Searching for a 'phd tracker' in 2026 returns a confusing mix of results: a MATLAB object documentation page, a GitHub project tracker, a Reddit thread, and a few actual PhD application tools. If you're an Indian student trying to manage applications to 10–20 universities across three continents, the right tool matters enormously.
We tested every credible PhD application tracker available in 2026 with the specific lens of an Indian applicant — someone applying to US, UK, Canada, and European programs, paying in rupees, and navigating the unique challenges of the Indian academic system. Here's what we found.
The Four Options: A Quick Overview
- phdpt.com — US-focused PhD tracker with program database, basic tracking
- phdontrack.net — PhD application pipeline tool, Kanban-style interface
- Notion/Spreadsheet templates — DIY approach, flexible but manual
- PhD Tracker (phdtracker.in) — India-specific tool with AI document generation
1. phdpt.com — The US-Centric Standard
phdpt.com is one of the older PhD tracking tools, built primarily for US-based or US-bound applicants. It has a reasonable program database for American universities and basic application status tracking. The interface is functional but dated.
What phdpt.com does well:
- Large database of US PhD programs with GRE/GPA stats from past admitted applicants
- Basic application status tracking (applied, interview, accepted, rejected)
- Community data — see admission statistics crowdsourced from past applicants
Where phdpt.com falls short for Indian applicants:
- No AI document generation — SOPs, emails, and CVs must be written entirely manually
- No professor research tools — you can't log faculty contact history or email status
- No India-specific features — no INR pricing context, no UPI payment, no Indian university LOR guidance
- Program database skewed to US — weak coverage of UK, Canadian, and European programs popular with Indian applicants
- No deadline reminders or calendar integration
2. phdontrack.net — Clean Pipeline, No Intelligence
phdontrack.net takes a Kanban-style approach: you move applications through columns (Researching → Applied → Interview → Decision). The interface is clean and modern, which makes it appealing at first glance.
What phdontrack.net does well:
- Clean visual pipeline — easy to see application status at a glance
- Simple data entry — add university, deadline, notes per application
- Works on mobile without friction
Where phdontrack.net falls short:
- Pure tracking — no AI, no document generation, no professor research
- No Indian market support — USD pricing, no UPI, no India-specific guidance
- No professor contact management — you can't track who you've emailed or what response you got
- Limited customization — the pipeline stages are fixed and don't match the Indian application workflow (e.g., no 'SOP draft in review' stage)
3. Notion / Google Sheets Templates — DIY but Fragile
A popular Notion PhD application template circulates on Reddit and ProductHunt every application season. It looks impressive in screenshots: color-coded status columns, deadline tracking, professor contact rows. The reality of using it is different.
The core problems with DIY trackers:
- Everything is manual — you populate every cell yourself, including deadline lookup, professor email research, and document status
- No intelligence layer — the template doesn't know when a deadline is approaching or flag missing documents
- No document generation — you still need a separate tool (or AI chat session) for SOP and email drafts, then manually paste results
- Breaks at scale — when you're tracking 15 universities with 3 professors each and 4 document types, a Notion template becomes a maintenance job
- No data persistence across devices without a Notion subscription — free tier has limitations
DIY templates are suitable for applicants targeting 3-5 universities with minimal document customization. For the typical Indian applicant targeting 12-20 programs across multiple countries, they create more overhead than they save.
4. PhD Tracker (phdtracker.in) — Built for Indian Applicants
PhD Tracker is built specifically for Indian students applying to PhD programs abroad. It's the only tool in this comparison that treats INR pricing, Indian professor recommendation dynamics, and the specific challenges of applying from India as first-class design constraints.
What PhD Tracker does that others don't:
- AI-powered SOP and email generation — Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Anthropic) generates tailored documents based on your profile, research interests, and target professor
- Professor research engine — tracks faculty contact status, email responses, and research fit per university
- LOR management — track recommender status, reminder dates, and which professors have submitted per program
- Visual application pipeline — Kanban + calendar view with deadline alerts
- India-first pricing — Free plan (3 universities, 5 AI docs/month), ₹999 one-time License (UPI/cash), ₹999/month Pro (unlimited)
- No subscription required for the License plan — pay once via UPI, GPay, PhonePe, or cash
Side-by-Side Comparison
Feature comparison (PhD Tracker vs competitors):
- AI document generation: PhD Tracker ✓ | phdpt.com ✗ | phdontrack.net ✗ | Notion ✗
- Professor contact tracking: PhD Tracker ✓ | phdpt.com ✗ | phdontrack.net ✗ | Notion manual
- LOR status management: PhD Tracker ✓ | phdpt.com ✗ | phdontrack.net ✗ | Notion manual
- India-specific pricing (INR/UPI): PhD Tracker ✓ | phdpt.com ✗ | phdontrack.net ✗ | Notion ✗
- UK/Canada/Europe program support: PhD Tracker ✓ | phdpt.com partial | phdontrack.net ✓ | Notion manual
- Free plan available: PhD Tracker ✓ | phdpt.com ✓ | phdontrack.net ✓ | Notion ✓
- Deadline reminders: PhD Tracker ✓ | phdpt.com ✗ | phdontrack.net partial | Notion manual
Which Tool Should You Use?
If you're an Indian student applying to 8+ PhD programs across multiple countries, PhD Tracker is the purpose-built choice. The AI document generation alone saves 20-30 hours per application cycle — and the professor tracking prevents the most common mistake Indian applicants make (cold-emailing without tracking responses or research context).
If you're applying to 3-4 US-only programs and already have a strong SOP from a counselor, phdpt.com's community admission statistics are useful for calibrating your school list. Use it alongside a basic tracker.
If you enjoy customizing tools and only have 3-5 applications, a Notion template works — but budget time to maintain it. It will not scale.
PhD Tracker's free plan covers 3 universities and 5 AI document generations per month — no card needed. Start tracking your applications today.
Start free — no card requiredFrequently Asked Questions
What is the best PhD application tracker for Indian students?
For Indian students, PhD Tracker (phdtracker.in) is the most relevant option — it includes INR pricing, India-specific professor research, AI-powered SOP generation in the Indian academic context, and UPI payment. Generic tools like phdpt.com work but aren't tailored to Indian application patterns.
Is there a free PhD application tracker?
Yes. PhD Tracker offers a free plan that lets you track up to 3 universities and generate 5 AI documents per month — no credit card required. phdpt.com also has a free tier, but with more limited functionality for Indian users.
Can I use a Notion template to track PhD applications?
You can, but Notion templates require significant manual setup, don't auto-populate professor data, can't generate SOPs or emails, and have no deadline reminder logic. They work as a basic spreadsheet substitute but aren't purpose-built for the PhD application workflow.
What features should a PhD tracker have?
A good PhD tracker should cover: university shortlist management, deadline tracking per program, professor research and contact logging, document status tracking (SOP, LOR, CV), AI-assisted document generation, and export functionality. For Indian students, INR pricing and UPI payment support are also relevant.