# SafeExamBrowser vs Thea

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thea at 93% against SafeExamBrowser's 7%. Thea also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.6) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 50). SafeExamBrowser's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Thea sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.00 per month. SafeExamBrowser asks for nothing beyond the download.

Thea holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thea has 2.6K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 7% of SafeExamBrowser's written reviews are positive against 93% of Thea's.

SafeExamBrowser ships an update every 3 months, Thea monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SafeExamBrowser | Thea |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.6 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safeexambrowser/id1155002964/reviews) | **[4.9 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thea-study-smart/id6742800289/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 50 | **2.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 7.1% of reviews | **92.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 67 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [ETH Zurich](https://appshunter.io/developer/438432132) | [Thea Study](https://appshunter.io/developer/1800055800) |

## What reviewers say

### SafeExamBrowser

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safeexambrowser/id1155002964)

This app creates a secure browser environment for online exams, preventing students from accessing other apps or websites. It locks down devices into an assessment kiosk mode, ensuring exam integrity on both personal and institutional iOS devices.

**Highlights:** Secure kiosk browser environment, Prevents app switching and website access, Assessment kiosk mode, Supports unmanaged and managed iOS devices, Configurable via API, files, links, and QR codes, Integrates with LMS and exam systems, Optional Dock and slider menu for commands

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Prevents cheating
- 👍 Facilitates secure exams
- 👍 Good for exam integrity
- 👍 Works when used correctly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Freezes and becomes unresponsive
- 🐛 Prevents exiting kiosk mode
- 🐛 Blank page errors
- 🐛 Slow performance

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes
- Freezes and becomes unresponsive
- Cannot exit kiosk mode
- Blank page errors
- Slow performance

**Requested features**

- Better instructions/homepage
- Support for Thai language
- Update for iOS 18
- More user-friendly setup


### Thea

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thea-study-smart/id6742800289)

Transform your course materials into interactive study tools with an AI-powered platform. Upload notes, PDFs, or videos to generate flashcards, practice tests, and summaries. Learn efficiently and master your subjects with personalized study plans.

**Highlights:** AI-powered study material transformation, Interactive flashcards and game modes, Adaptive learning question generation, Practice test simulation, Automatic summarization and guide creation, Multi-language support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $12.00 | per month |
| Yearly | $48.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful AI features
- 💰 Free version available
- 📚 Effective for studying and learning
- 🎓 Useful for AP and nursing exams

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Lack of spaced repetition setting
- 🔒 Potential for paywalls in the future

**Reported bugs**

- Answers not mixed up in matching game

**Requested features**

- Spaced repetition setting
- More customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SafeExamBrowser free?

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

### Is Thea free?

Thea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SafeExamBrowser or Thea?

Thea is rated higher. SafeExamBrowser averages 1.6 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Thea averages 4.9 from 2.6K ratings.

### Do SafeExamBrowser or Thea have ads?

Neither SafeExamBrowser nor Thea shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SafeExamBrowser or Thea?

SafeExamBrowser ships an update every 3 months, and Thea monthly. Most recently, SafeExamBrowser was updated on November 2, 2026 and Thea on November 4, 2026.

---

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