Comparison

Brightspace Pulse vs Dakota State University

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Brightspace Pulse

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
Currently charting
Read full description

Stay connected to learning anytime, anywhere with Brightspace Pulse. Brightspace Pulse gives learners and their authorized parents and guardians a convenient way to follow coursework, deadlines, progress, and important updates. Learners can: - Access their course content - View important dates and deadlines across their courses - Manage upcoming and overdue coursework - Receive notifications for Announcements, Grades, Quizzes, Assignments, Activity Feed posts, and more - Access supported course content offline, including video and audio - Participate in Activity Feed discussions - Open Brightspace in a browser to complete additional activities Parents and guardians can: - View upcoming and overdue work, grades, shared Portfolio items, and classroom updates - Receive notifications about quizzes and assignments with upcoming due dates - Follow multiple learners from one account, when supported by their school or organization Features vary by role and by your institution or organization’s Brightspace configuration. An account provided by your school, district, or organization is required. Parent and guardian access must be enabled by the learner’s school or organization. NOTE: iPhone, iPad, and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.

About

Dakota State University

Access essential university information, including a faculty directory, campus maps, news, and events. Stay informed with important announcements and messages from the institution.

Highlights
  • Faculty and staff directory
  • Campus maps
  • University news
  • Event listings
  • Campus information
  • University announcements
Features
Read full description

The official app of Dakota State University. Quick and easy access to the faculty and staff people directory, campus info, campus maps, news, events, and more. Stay connected and receive important University announcements and messages.

Screenshots

Brightspace Pulse4 screens
Dakota State University4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Brightspace Pulse at 4.8 against Dakota State University's 1.8. Brightspace Pulse also leads on review sentiment (37% vs 0%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brightspace Pulse holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brightspace Pulse has 273K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Brightspace Pulse's written reviews are positive against 0% of Dakota State University's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brightspace Pulse ships an update fortnightly, Dakota State University every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Brightspace Pulse versus Dakota State University: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrightspace PulseDakota State University
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (273K ratings) — better1.8 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews36.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings273K — better5
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#116 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperD2L CorporationSTATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA DIVISION OF OASI

Customer experience

Brightspace Pulse

All ratings271,102 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews976 reviews
Positive36.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative52.4%

Dakota State University

All ratings5 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Brightspace Pulse

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Dakota State University

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Brightspace Pulse

No in-app purchases

None

Dakota State University

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Brightspace Pulse free?
Brightspace Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dakota State University free?
Dakota State University is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Brightspace Pulse or Dakota State University?
Brightspace Pulse is rated higher. Brightspace Pulse averages 4.8 out of 5 from 273K ratings, while Dakota State University averages 1.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Brightspace Pulse or Dakota State University have ads?
Neither Brightspace Pulse nor Dakota State University shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brightspace Pulse or Dakota State University?
Brightspace Pulse ships an update fortnightly, and Dakota State University every 7 months. Most recently, Brightspace Pulse was updated on November 7, 2026 and Dakota State University on November 3, 2026.

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