Comparison

Acadly vs UIC SAFE

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

Head to head
About

Acadly

Enhance classroom engagement with real-time polls, quizzes, and attendance tracking. Facilitate live discussions and share resources seamlessly. This tool aims to make teaching and learning more efficient for educators and students.

Highlights
  • One tap attendance
  • Live in-class polls and quizzes
  • Record class participation
  • Math expression supported chat
  • Real-time analytics
  • File and link sharing
Features
Read full description

Now convert every college classroom into a smart classroom with Acadly. Welcome more efficient teaching-learning with - - One tap attendance - Record class participation - Live in-class polls, quizzes - Math expression supported chat What is Acadly? Acadly is a realtime tool for live in-class polling, quizzing, Q&A, attendance and analytics on student behaviour. Compared to clickers and other in-class apps Acadly is free, can save a class of 50 more than $1000 a semester, has a built-in class chat platform so that you don't have to use too many tools for your class. Given the unique course structure that is exclusive to Acadly, it can facilitate various pedagogical methods. An instructor can use Acadly to practice - * Flipped Classrooms * Active Learning Classrooms * Blended Learning * Collaborative Teaching * BYOD teaching Using Acadly, course instructors can - * Conduct Attendance with One Tap * Create and Conduct Live Quizzes * Create Live Polls * Track student attendance during lectures * Conduct live discussions * Share files, videos and links * Make Announcements * Post Lecture Summaries * Create and Grade Assignments Students in the meanwhile can raise queries, as themselves or anonymously. Discussions on Acadly are auto-created and contextual, which means the students don't have to navigate away from the context to make a point. Since Acadly is realtime, all the members of a course get instant in-app and push notifications. 1000+ professors have signed up in the last few months and are using Acadly actively in their classrooms. Acadly aims to be the last ed-tech tool to be ever used and we are only just getting started. Happy teaching and learning!

About

UIC SAFE

This official campus safety app connects students, faculty, and staff to university security systems. It offers real-time location sharing, emergency alerts, and direct communication with campus police for enhanced safety.

Highlights
  • Emergency call button
  • Real-time location sharing with friends
  • Instant safety notifications and alerts
  • Live chat with campus police
  • Anonymous tip reporting
  • Emergency preparedness guidance
Features
Read full description

UIC SAFE is the official safety app of University of Illinois at Chicago. It is the only app that integrates with UIC's safety and security systems. The Office of Preparedness and Response, along with the Office of Public and Government Affairs, and the UIC Police Department, have worked to develop a new mobile application that provides students, faculty and staff with added safety on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. The new app is just one part of a number of strategies being implemented to enhance public safety and emergency preparedness on- and off-campus. The apps user-friendly interface allows users to easily connect and share their location with family and friends in real-time as they walk and report information to UIC Police, anonymously if needed. UIC SAFE features include: -Emergency call button: contact UIC Police quickly for help in an emergency. -Friend Walk: Send your location to a friend, who can watch you walk home in real-time. -Safety notifications: receive instant notifications, emergency UIC ALERTs, and instructions when on-campus emergencies occur. -Chat with UIC Police: Communicate live with a UIC Police officer via chat. -Emergency Contacts: Contact the correct services for the UIC area in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern. -Tip Reporting: Multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to UIC Police. -Emergency Preparedness Protractive Measures: Learn what to do in case of an emergency. -Campus safety resources: access all important safety resources and student and employee services. Download today and ensure that you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.

Screenshots

Acadly4 screens
UIC SAFE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: UIC SAFE at 3.6 against Acadly's 2.6. Acadly's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

UIC SAFE holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 24 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Acadly's written reviews are positive against 36% of UIC SAFE's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Acadly ships an update every 2 weeks, UIC SAFE every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Acadly versus UIC SAFE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAcadlyUIC SAFE
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (48 ratings)3.6 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews — better36.4% of reviews
Number of ratings48 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size258 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAcetone DesignsUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Customer experience

Acadly

All ratings48 ratings
Positive41.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative56.3%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative56.3%

UIC SAFE

All ratings24 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive36.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative63.6%

In-app purchases

None

Acadly

No in-app purchases

None

UIC SAFE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Acadly free?
Acadly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is UIC SAFE free?
UIC SAFE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Acadly or UIC SAFE?
UIC SAFE is rated higher. Acadly averages 2.6 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while UIC SAFE averages 3.6 from 24 ratings.
Do Acadly or UIC SAFE have ads?
Neither Acadly nor UIC SAFE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Acadly or UIC SAFE?
Acadly ships an update every 2 weeks, and UIC SAFE every 4 months. Most recently, Acadly was updated on September 8, 2026 and UIC SAFE on June 3, 2026.

Other comparisons