CSUSM vs Second Course
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CSUSM
Stay connected with campus life, academic resources, and events. This app provides personalized experiences, a digital ID, and access to course information, campus maps, and dining details. It also helps you find parking and stay updated on athletics.
- Personalized campus experiences
- Digital ID and MyCSUSM access
- Parking information and permit purchase
- Dining hours and locations
- Dynamic campus maps
- Cougar Courses and academic resources
- Campus event listings
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Connect with CSUSM on the go with our official campus mobile app! Keep up to date on your classes, never miss a campus event, enjoy access academic resources, and engage with our vibrant campus life all from your phone. This application is an ongoing project and we welcome your feedback. Current features include: Personalized experiences Digital ID MyCSUSM Get the most of your CSUSM Experience Find a parking spot and purchase parking permits Dining hours and locations Campus directory Dynamic campus maps Cougar Athletics game schedules and news Campus discounts Campus events Ace Your Classes Cougar Courses Find an open study space or chat with a librarian Check your campus email
Second Course
Discover free food events on your college campus. Receive alerts for snacks, meals, and desserts, claim your portion, and pick it up. It's also a tool for organizations to attract members and for universities to address food insecurity and waste.
- Free food alerts
- Claim food portions
- Event notifications
- Food waste reduction
- Food security improvement
- Campus-wide availability
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Second Course is a new way for students to get themselves fed on their college campus! Students can get notifications of free food, snacks, refreshments, or even desserts on campus. Simply see an alert, claim a portion, then you are ready to pick up your prize. Great for clubs and event organizers who ordered too much food. Use Second Course to get more members! Also an effective resource for universities to improve food security among college students, as well as food waste on campus! Currently only available at San Diego State University.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Second Course at 100% against CSUSM's 18%. Second Course also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). CSUSM's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and ratings volume (25 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Second Course holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of CSUSM's written reviews are positive against 100% of Second Course's.
CSUSM ships an update every 4 months, Second Course every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CSUSM | Second Course |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (25 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | California State University San Marcos | Daniel Self |
Customer experience
CSUSM
Second Course
In-app purchases
CSUSM
No in-app purchases
Second Course
No in-app purchases
