# Brightspace Pulse vs STEM at SFA

The clearest difference is review sentiment: STEM at SFA at 100% against Brightspace Pulse's 36%. STEM at SFA also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.1). Brightspace Pulse's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (271K vs 7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

STEM at SFA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brightspace Pulse has 271K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Brightspace Pulse's written reviews are positive against 100% of STEM at SFA's.

Brightspace Pulse ships an update fortnightly, STEM at SFA every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brightspace Pulse | STEM at SFA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (271K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightspace-pulse/id1001688546/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stem-at-sfa/id1097369804/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **271K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#63** | — |
| Size | 55 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [D2L Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/422392651) | [Elemental Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/413024474) |

## What reviewers say

### Brightspace Pulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightspace-pulse/id1001688546)

**Currently charting:** #63 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Stay connected with your courses on the go. Visualize upcoming deadlines, manage your time effectively, and receive real-time updates on course activities. Access course content offline and participate in discussions.

**Highlights:** Visualize upcoming dates and deadlines, Receive push notifications for course updates, Offline access to course content, Participate in Activity Feed discussions, Seamless browser login to D2L Brightspace, Apple Continuity support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Makes taking online courses easier
- 👍 Easy to access course content
- 👍 Convenient for studying on the go
- 🚀 Helpful for staying organized

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constant log-out issues
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications and content loading
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🔍 Lacks key features like file downloads

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent log-out problems
- Inability to load course content
- Notifications not working as expected
- Compatibility issues with older devices

**Requested features**

- Allow file downloads and exports
- Improve notification reliability
- Optimize for tablet/iPad use
- Add more customization options


### STEM at SFA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stem-at-sfa/id1097369804)

Engage with professors on science, technology, engineering, and math topics. Explore the outdoors with a GPS-based activity feature.

**Highlights:** Ask professors questions, STEM subject focus, Outdoor GPS activity, Interactive learning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brightspace Pulse free?

Brightspace Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is STEM at SFA free?

STEM at SFA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Brightspace Pulse or STEM at SFA?

STEM at SFA is rated higher. Brightspace Pulse averages 4.8 out of 5 from 271K ratings, while STEM at SFA averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do Brightspace Pulse or STEM at SFA have ads?

Neither Brightspace Pulse nor STEM at SFA shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brightspace Pulse or STEM at SFA?

Brightspace Pulse ships an update fortnightly, and STEM at SFA every 6 months. Most recently, Brightspace Pulse was updated on October 16, 2026 and STEM at SFA on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*