# OpenStax + SE — user reviews > 50 indexed App Store user reviews of OpenStax + SE by STUDY EDGE, LLC, rated 4.10/5 from 305 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openstax-plus-se/id1473661166/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openstax-plus-se/id1473661166.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 184 · 4★ 45 · 3★ 28 · 2★ 17 · 1★ 31 ## What do users think of OpenStax + SE? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 💰 Free or affordable textbook access - 👍 Easy to navigate and intuitive interface - 📱 Convenient mobile access anytime, anywhere - 📚 Comprehensive course material coverage - 🎥 Helpful supplementary videos - ✅ Practice questions and assessments - 📖 Well-organized content with clear sections - ⚡ Fast performance without lagging - 🔗 Useful hyperlinks and cross-references - 📝 Chapter summaries for quick review - 🎯 Ability to zoom in on text and images - 🏫 School-specific course selection - 🌐 Multi-device accessibility **Cons** - 🐛 Session not saved between app closures - 🔐 Requires re-login every time app opens - ✏️ No highlighting feature on mobile version - 🚫 Limited annotation capabilities - ⏱️ App runs slowly at times - 📦 Not all latest textbook editions available - 🔔 Excessive notification pop-ups - 📍 Must reselect school info on each launch **Commonly reported bugs** - App does not maintain logged-in state - Must re-enter school name and subject selection on each launch - Page position not saved when closing app - Slow performance reported by some users - Mobile PDF compatibility issues on iPad - Highlighting feature unavailable on mobile despite being on desktop version **Most requested features** - Bookmark and save reading progress to account - Highlighting tool on mobile app - Text-to-speech/audiobook functionality - In-app speaker for audio narration - Tutorial or introduction guide for new users - Better visibility of 'Check Your Understanding' feature - Answer keys for all review questions - Navigation back to previous location after viewing answers - Updated textbook editions - Persistent login between sessions ## Newest reviews (13 of 50) ### 5/5 — Great resource & free! *2021-07-12, version 1.30* OpenStax is an amazing resource to get free textbooks and workbooks. They have the quality of those pesky access codes you have to buy every semester but for no cost which is great for a financially struggling college student like myself. Highly recommend using this free resource for extra help in many subjects ranging from math to sciences. ### 5/5 — Love it! *2021-07-10, version 1.30* Openstax has been really helpful for me in a lot of my college classes. It just helped me through a calculus exam. The textbooks give you explanations you can actually understand, and each section comes with videos and (my favorite part) practice questions that test your knowledge. And it definitely costs way less than any textbook than any terrible textbook they would make you pay a million dollars for in college! ### 5/5 — Great Resource! *2021-07-06, version 1.30* OpenStax + SE is great for using textbooks in many different subjects. I’ve found it extremely helpful in finding textbooks for my classes. This free app and service is really easy to navigate and even includes videos from Study Edge to help enhance my knowledge in my courses even further. Definitely recommend! ### 5/5 — Amazing!! *2021-06-28, version 1.30* OpenStax is such an easy to use app that allows you to access textbooks for your courses that are completely free online! It is so easy to plug in your school and then the courses you are taking in order to find the textbook you need. Such a life saver and you can access it on all of your devices!! ### 5/5 — Cheaper than real books *2021-06-27, version 1.30* I love the Openstax app because it’s easy to open up and use and way cheaper than buying physical textbooks through my college. The app is very useful as it includes your digital text as well as helpful videos that enhance your learning. As long as they have your course available, you won’t be disappointed. ### 5/5 — Flexible *2021-06-15, version 1.30* This app allows me to catch up on reading on the go. The formatting is really good and fits perfectly in my phone, making reading easy. I also love that there are videos to go along with the chapters. I prefer to watch the videos after I read the chapter, so I can review and reinforce what I’ve learned. Overall this is a really good app. ### 5/5 — Great *2021-04-16, version 1.30* Super useful app. Has the textbooks for almost all my classes so I’ve been using it a lot. I can keep up with my classes without having to spend money on a textbook when I’m just taking a class for the credit. The summaries of the chapter are also useful for when I’m crunched for time. It’s been so useful I’m considering subscribing to get the video content. Definitely recommend this app. ### 5/5 — Great App! *2021-03-31, version 1.30* This app has been very useful for me over the past few years. I am able to organize my textbooks all in one place and I have them on the go. The extra student resources that it provides have been a lifesaver and really useful when studying for exams or going over material that was more difficult. ### 4/5 — Helpful app! *2021-03-29, version 1.30* Pretty helpful course in regard to textbooks. This app has nearly any material I need for any of my college courses which is great. In addition to getting free/cheap access to textbooks, they are give practice problems which has definitely saved my grade on multiple exams. Also its nice having access to textbooks on my phone if I am out and about and need to work on an assignment. ### 5/5 — Life saver! *2021-03-23, version 1.30* This app is too good to be true! The sign up process was seamless and the app is extremely easy to navigate. I only wish I could have found it earlier in my college career. I would recommend this to any individual who wants to save money -- rather than buying expensive copies from the bookstore. ### 5/5 — Very well organized! *2021-03-10, version 1.30* This app is very convenient and well organized, and it has definitely saved my grade on some of my classes. Not only do you get access to the textbook, but you also get practice problems to help you prepare for the exam, and video tutorials as well! Very easy to navigate and the fact that I can do it right off my phone is super convenient too. Love it! ### 5/5 — Amazing app! *2021-03-09, version 1.30* I love OpenStax! This is a very easy app to navigate and utilize. I love the app layout and how I was able to access material without needing to make an account. This app allows to view most information you need and then makes it easy to purchase a subscription when ready. ### 5/5 — So convenient and easy! *2021-03-05, version 1.30* This app is great for reading my textbooks while I’m on the go! It’s so easy to pull out my phone or tablet while I’m at the library, on the bus, or just don’t feel like carrying a huge book around. This app has been a game changer in terms of doing work on the run. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 2/5 — Not user friendly *2019-09-08, version 1.03* I got the app because of the massive headache trying to get the pdf to download, and not being able to get it directly to iBooks anymore. When you use the app, it doesn’t keep your page when you leave, so you have to make a mental note and then scroll back through the section just to find it. My iPad just keeps having issues with the way they do their PDFs now (never had an issue in the past) so I’m forced to read it on a tiny screen on my phone, or try and set my laptop up somewhere to read it. ### 3/5 — I would love it but, *2021-12-01, version 1.30* It WILL NOT keep me logged in. Every time I open the app, I have to type in my school’s name and pick a subject before I can even get to the login option. It is very annoying. Also, I would prefer to have the option of highlighting info like the desktop site allows. Other than that (which unfortunately makes it a worse option than using the browser version), it would be a very nice app as the subjects and content within the subjects are well organized. ### 3/5 — Decent, could improve *2021-01-07, version 1.30* I downloaded this app to read my school textbooks while I work and there’s a few things that I wish they had. I wish that I didn’t have to go find my specific text every time I reopened the app. I would love to be able to bookmark and save the book in my account so that I may go back and find my place. Another great feature on my other reading apps I wish this one had is a speaker. Someone who reads aloud to you so that you may multitask. I like to listen to my textbook when I’m at work and I can put my headphones on when I’m free to listen and work and the same time. A highlighter! I like to highlight key terms and sentences that I find important but the app doesn’t allow that. I would give this an average score of 3 stars because it could be better and it runs a little slowly. ### 3/5 — Very Useful, but can be improved *2020-03-21, version 1.23* Like the rest, I use Openstax for text reading when I’m on the go and when I’m at a computer. The online version gives the option to highlight key text and find your annotations. If the mobile version could do that, that would make it 100% better! Having to RE-find the important material that I highlighted already is time consuming. That is my only problem’ (if you can call it that) with the app, otherwise, great job and thank you. ### 4/5 — Great resource! *2022-07-18, version 1.32* I think the app overall acts as a great resource for both college and middle/high school students; there isn’t an overwhelming number of tabs to navigate within the app which makes for easy access between the textbook and the extra videos and bonus content. Having everything accessible within the app rather than having to navigate to a bunch of different platforms has also been really convenient for studying. ### 4/5 — Easy and super convenient *2022-07-17, version 1.32* I often have difficulty navigating apps like these, but this app could not be easier to figure out. It’s organized into simple sections and each hyperlink takes you exactly where you want to go. It’s super convenient to have an online form of a textbook, allowing you to study whenever and wherever you need. ### 4/5 — Needs updating *2022-06-15, version 1.32* App works great. Easy to navigate. Text is readable, better than using the mobile site. My only issue is that the app needs updated to include the latest editions. For example, American Government Third Edition is my required course material. I have been reading it on the website, but only the Second Edition is available in the app. Once that is up to date it will be so much easier for me to read my textbooks! ### 4/5 — Pretty Great App! *2022-04-11, version 1.31* I really like how the apps are organized into sections of reading and videos within the book. I have no complaints about the price and how many hyperlinks are provided within the textbooks. However, it would be nice if my progress within the textbook was saved so that I can go back to where I left off. ### 4/5 — Great overall set up *2021-10-29, version 1.30* This app features an excellent general assembly and setup. I really enjoy how I can switch between books or chapters at the touch of a drop down menu. I wish there were more options in the menu to show additional features of the app. I think a introduction or tutorial of some sort would be fantastic in order to best explain the layout and intention of the app. Other than that, great application for preparation for college and middle/high school courses. ### 4/5 — I would grade this app a B-, there’s opportunity here *2021-04-05, version 1.30* The product and material saves money in education. From that perspective this product rates highly. It’s easy to navigate and the data presented is open source. That said, there’s opportunity here. Much of this could have been presented in audiobook format, leveraging a more contemporary delivery method and supporting more efficient use of valuable time. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — So much material *2022-11-30, version 1.32* There’s so much material you can access and the price isn’t bad at all. It’s definitely helped a lot in understanding the material for my courses that involved a lot of math because I’m not very great at understanding but the videos break everything down well. I even found material for Business Law which is a class I take as well so that was a pleasant suprise! ### 5/5 — Best thing for students *2022-11-20, version 1.32* This app might be the best thing ive come across since I started college. It helps me navigate my courses and narrow done my sections I want to study in a very organized matter, which is super convenient for me! Also, make sure to check out the videos, they really help explain course content!!! ### 5/5 — Phenomenal free textbook resource *2022-07-25, version 1.32* It’s truly great to see that such a practical and useful solution has been put together for the benefit of those who otherwise would have little accessibility to expensive textbooks. I’ve been reading the text on Astrology and find it is well put together and deeply insightful. ### 5/5 — Amazing app for all students! *2022-07-20, version 1.32* This app is such a great resource for all students. It is easy to access info when you are on the go. Everything is connected and organized so you don’t have to go on different platforms to find course content. If you need an app that stores all your course info get this app!! Highly recommend to anyone especially if you want to access material anytime and anywhere! ### 5/5 — So amazing!! *2022-04-11, version 1.31* I love OpenStax. The app makes it so easy to navigate through my courses and watch videos that correspond with concepts I don’t understand. It’s also really easy to subscribe and unsubscribe, and it’s just a great way to access class material and my textbook literally anywhere. Totally recommend getting it if your school is available!!! ### 5/5 — Free and easy to use! *2022-03-26, version 1.31* Openstax is a great program and I am so happy to have come across it! The app makes learning so easy to do and has helped me do well in a lot of my classes. The textbooks have great examples and explain everything easy to comprehend. The app is almost perfect it’s quick and easy to navigate. I can learn on my phone at anytime I want! Definitely recommend downloading the app and using it !!!! ### 5/5 — Great App! *2022-03-21, version 1.31* Open Stax is a great way to get a better understanding of the topics that you are learning about in class. The app is really easy to navigate as you can find the material in the textbook and which video goes along with it very quickly. It is a great study tool! Definitely recommend! ### 5/5 — Openstax is great!! *2022-03-15, version 1.31* This app is great because it allows students to access textbooks online and from their phone, which is extremely convenient. The textbook is highly organized and provides key summaries which are great for studying over come exam time. Plus the videos are a great addition! ### 5/5 — Super helpful! *2021-10-30, version 1.30* I am the type of person to always have my phone on me so I found this app super convenient and helpful when it came to accessing my textbooks whenever and wherever. I also like how easy it is to navigate between the chapters in the textbook that I have been using. Overall, it’s super helpful and easy to use! ### 5/5 — Really helpful! *2021-10-26, version 1.30* The mobile app makes it so convenient to use form phone. Very easy to navigate and looks really nice, and the table of contents makes it easy to move through textbooks. The ability to zoom in on text and images is also really nice - no need for buttons, you can just pinch to zoom. The app is also super nice to look at it. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*