Comparison

SafeExamBrowser vs GradelyGPA

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

Head to head
About

SafeExamBrowser

This secure browser creates a locked-down kiosk environment for online assessments, preventing students from accessing other apps or websites during exams. It supports various exam systems and can be configured via files, links, or QR codes for flexible deployment.

Highlights
  • Secure kiosk mode
  • Prevents app switching
  • Blocks unauthorized websites
  • Supports various exam systems
  • Configurable via files/links/QR codes
  • Optional dock and slider menu
Features
Read full description

SafeExamBrowser (SEB) is a secure kiosk web browser environment used to carry out e-assessments that run on exam servers. SEB opens a web browser without an address and search bar, loads a pre-configured webpage and locks an iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch) into an assessment kiosk mode. This mode prevents students from switching to other apps (unless additional permitted apps are configured), accessing websites and communicating with other students during an exam. SEB enables secure exams on unmanaged iOS devices like students' own iPads as well as on iOS devices owned and managed by an institution. SEB doesn't use a centralized server or cloud service; it can be configured with an API, configuration files, links and QR codes. It can be used with most web-based quiz and e-assessment systems. For improved security and usability, some exam systems provide additional built-in support for SEB. Currently, SEB integrates especially well with learning management systems (LMS) such as Moodle, OpenOlat, ILIAS and with several non-commercial and commercial exam systems, such as Inspera Assessment, Dugga, Exam.net, EvaExam and Ans. SEB uses one of the single app modes provided by iOS. After an exam is submitted, SEB can automatically end the app self-lock assessment mode (an exam invigilator could also use a quit password to end the SEB exam session and unlock the device if necessary). SEB features an optional Dock displaying buttons for various commands. Instead or in addition, a left slider menu shows a list of open browser tabs and commands which can be used to (if enabled in settings) quit an exam session, jump back to the start page of an exam, reload a web page, and navigate back/forward in the browsing history. SEB for iOS uses the same format for encrypted .seb configuration files as the SEB versions for other platforms. Those config files allow to individually configure SEB to display the start page of an exam system or an exam portal page with a list of links to current exams. If SEB for iOS is installed using a mobile device management (MDM) system, its initial configuration can easily be deployed using the "MDM Managed Configuration" feature. You can also directly start an exam with an individual configuration in SEB for iOS using a special config hyperlink. This link can be opened by examinees from Safari, Mail or a messenger app. In addition, you can use QR codes containing SEB links or even full, individual configurations. An exam can directly be started in SEB by using the iOS Camera app or the built-in QR code scanner. SEB also works together with Apple Classroom, teachers can start individually configured exams on all student devices. See https://safeexambrowser.org/ios for more information. SafeExamBrowser for iOS was developed by Daniel R. Schneider, ETH Zurich, IT Services, based on the original idea of Safe Exam Browser by Stefan Schneider, University of Giessen Project concept: Thomas Piendl, Daniel R. Schneider, Damian Büchel, Andreas Hefti, Nadim Ritter, Dirk Bauer, Michael Kern, Kai Reuter, Tobias Halbherr, Karsten Burger, Marco Lehre, Brigitte Schmucki, Oliver Rahs. Safe Exam Browser is released as freeware. The code is subject to the Mozilla Public License Version 1.1 (the "License"); you may only use these files in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/ . Important parts of this project have been carried out as part of the program "AAA/SWITCH – e-Infrastructure for e-Science" led by SWITCH, the Swiss National Research and Education Network and the cooperative project "Learning Infrastructure" (part of the CRUS program "Information scientifique: accès, traitement et sauvegarde") coordinated by SWITCH, and was supported by funds from the ETH Board and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

About

GradelyGPA

Features
Read full description

Meet GradelyGPA — Your GPA’s Best Friend. Stressed about your GPA? Confused about how grades add up? Want to know what score you need to reach First Class, Second Class Upper, or your target grade? GradelyGPA does it all for you. Built for university students who want clarity, confidence, and control over their academic performance. Core Features Accurate GPA & CWA Calculation Enter your courses, credit hours, grades, and instantly see: Your semester GPA Your cumulative GPA Your target GPA vs. actual GPA Real-time performance insights Supports 2-semester and 3-semester systems and university-specific grading scales. Target Grade Planning Set your target grade for each course and let GradelyGPA show you: Whether you’re on track Whether you’re above, achieving, or below target What to aim for in the next assessment Actual Grade Entry After writing exams, simply update your course with your actual grade. The app automatically recalculates your GPA—no spreadsheets, no stress. Smart Insights & Charts Visualise your performance using: GPA trend charts Grade distribution charts Semester performance breakdowns Turn your academic data into actionable insights. Manage Semesters Easily Create, rename, or delete semesters with one tap. Courses are automatically grouped for easy tracking. Secure Local Storage Your academic data stays on your device. No login required. No cloud sync needed. Daily Motivational Messages Stay inspired with brief, uplifting study-motivating messages delivered inside the app. Clean & Modern Interface Designed with students in mind: Simple Beautiful Fast Distraction-free Who Is GradelyGPA For? University students Distance education students Colleges with GPA/CWA grading Anyone who wants a clearer picture of progress toward graduation classifications Why Students Love GradelyGPA Removes GPA confusion Eliminates manual calculation errors Keeps you focused on your academic goals Motivates you daily Shows you exactly where you stand and where you’re going

Screenshots

SafeExamBrowser4 screens
GradelyGPA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: GradelyGPA at every 11 days against SafeExamBrowser's every 3 months. SafeExamBrowser's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SafeExamBrowser ships an update every 3 months, GradelyGPA every 11 days. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SafeExamBrowser versus GradelyGPA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSafeExamBrowserGradelyGPA
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.6 (50 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews7.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings50 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperETH ZurichJonathan Appiah

Bugs and requests

SafeExamBrowser

Reported bugs

24 issues
  • App crashes
  • Freezes and becomes unresponsive
  • Cannot exit kiosk mode
  • Blank page errors
  • Slow performance
Show 19 more
  • High battery consumption
  • Device locking issues
  • Setup difficulties
  • Poor instructions
  • Errors during exams
  • Unreliable behavior
  • Difficulty uninstalling/quitting
  • Device issues (black screen, viruses)
  • Inconsistent camera support
  • Cheating still possible (reported by some users)
  • Data privacy concerns raised
  • Unintuitive interface
  • Incompatibility with older/newer OS versions
  • Configuration issues
  • Leads to exam failure
  • Developer unresponsiveness
  • Not working with iOS 18
  • Camera access issues
  • Kiosk mode not activating properly on iOS 17

Requested features

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

GradelyGPA

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SafeExamBrowser

No in-app purchases

None

GradelyGPA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SafeExamBrowser free?
SafeExamBrowser is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GradelyGPA free?
GradelyGPA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SafeExamBrowser or GradelyGPA have ads?
Neither SafeExamBrowser nor GradelyGPA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SafeExamBrowser or GradelyGPA?
SafeExamBrowser ships an update every 3 months, and GradelyGPA every 11 days. Most recently, SafeExamBrowser was updated on November 9, 2026 and GradelyGPA on November 9, 2026.

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