# Brightspace Pulse vs Dakota State University

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.

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

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brightspace Pulse | Dakota State University |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (273K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightspace-pulse/id1001688546/reviews)** | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dakota-state-university/id1472945867/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **273K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **36.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#116** | — |
| Size | 55 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [D2L Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/422392651) | [STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA DIVISION OF OASI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1467507540) |

## What reviewers say

### Brightspace Pulse

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

**Currently charting:** #116 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


### Dakota State University

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dakota-state-university/id1472945867)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


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