# Clearing by Uni Compare vs Beacon

Clearing by Uni Compare and Beacon both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 36% of Clearing by Uni Compare's written reviews are positive against 21% of Beacon's. Clearing by Uni Compare also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 2). Beacon's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Clearing by Uni Compare against 4.5 for Beacon. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Clearing by Uni Compare's written reviews are positive against 21% of Beacon's.

Clearing by Uni Compare ships an update fortnightly, Beacon every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Clearing by Uni Compare | Beacon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clearing-by-uni-compare/id1085107223/reviews)** | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-digital-guide/id1435526583/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **36.4% of reviews** | 21.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 89 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [University Compare](https://appshunter.io/developer/899101420) | [University of Staffordshire](https://appshunter.io/developer/1157433122) |

## What reviewers say

### Clearing by Uni Compare

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clearing-by-uni-compare/id1085107223)

This app assists students in finding university courses during the Clearing process. It allows users to browse live course availability, connect with UK universities directly, and save favorite options. Features include a UCAS calculator and detailed course statistics to help secure a desired place.

**Highlights:** Browse live Clearing course availability, Call UK universities directly, Save favorite courses and universities, UCAS calculator for course options, Check graduate salaries and employment rates, Improved search and filters

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 💡 All information in one place
- 🚀 Streamlined university search
- 🤝 Direct contact with universities
- ✅ Helpful for Clearing

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Missing many universities/courses
- ⚠️ Inaccurate or incomplete data
- 🚫 Registration issues
- 📉 Poor navigation/layout
- 🐛 App crashes/errors

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot register: missing subject interest/preferred university
- Keyboard covers register button on iOS
- App crashes when calculating UCAS points
- Soft internal error preventing loading
- Black see-through screen during subject selection

**Requested features**

- Add missing universities and courses
- Improve accuracy of university/course data
- Fix registration process
- Add National 5 results option
- Add custom UCAS tariff points input


### Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-digital-guide/id1435526583)

This app serves as a comprehensive digital guide for student life, offering features like timetable viewing, campus navigation, and access to university services. It helps students find contact information, check resource availability, and stay updated on news and events.

**Highlights:** View timetable, Campus maps and points of interest, Staff and service contact details, PC availability checks, News and events browsing, Societies and clubs search, Answers to common service questions

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Clearing by Uni Compare free?

Clearing by Uni Compare is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Beacon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Clearing by Uni Compare or Beacon?

Clearing by Uni Compare is rated higher. Clearing by Uni Compare averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Beacon averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Clearing by Uni Compare or Beacon have ads?

Both Clearing by Uni Compare and Beacon show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Clearing by Uni Compare or Beacon?

Clearing by Uni Compare ships an update fortnightly, and Beacon every 3 weeks. Most recently, Clearing by Uni Compare was updated on October 20, 2026 and Beacon 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.*