# SIMS Student vs Cognito

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cognito at 67% against SIMS Student's 12%. Cognito also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.6) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). SIMS Student's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (9 vs 2). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cognito sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. SIMS Student asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cognito holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of SIMS Student's written reviews are positive against 67% of Cognito's.

SIMS Student ships an update every 2 months, Cognito every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SIMS Student | Cognito |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sims-student/id1191484989/reviews) | **[4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cognito-exam-prep-and-study/id6739693298/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 12.0% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 36 MB | 109 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Education Software Solutions Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568267003) | [Aleksei Usanov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786265723) |

## What reviewers say

### SIMS Student

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sims-student/id1191484989)

Access your school life details with this application. You must be invited by your school to use its features.

**Highlights:** Access school life details, School-specific access, Student portal

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works well for some users
- 💡 Useful for timetables and homework
- 🚀 Loads quickly for some
- 👍 Easy to submit work and receive feedback
- 👍 Informs about attendance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constantly logs out users
- 🐛 Fails to load or is very slow
- 🐛 Login issues (incorrect details, unauthorized access)
- 🐛 Password reset emails not sent
- 🐛 Homework not showing or disappearing

**Reported bugs**

- App logs users out randomly
- App gets stuck on loading screen
- Timetables not showing with poor internet
- Cannot log in even with correct details
- Password reset emails are not sent

**Requested features**

- Allow offline timetable access
- Improve login process for non-English speakers
- Add option to delete old homework
- Auto-delete messages after a certain period
- Ability to manually delete messages


### Cognito

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cognito-exam-prep-and-study/id6739693298)

Transform any content into AI-powered flashcards for effective learning. Utilize spaced repetition and multiple study modes to retain information long-term. Organize your learning materials and track progress across devices.

**Highlights:** AI-generated flashcards from various content types, Spaced repetition system (FSRS), Multiple study modes (flip, quiz, typed answer), Offline functionality, Export to Anki, CSV, TSV, Progress tracking and visualization, Cross-device sync

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SIMS Student free?

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

### Is Cognito free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SIMS Student or Cognito?

Cognito is rated higher. SIMS Student averages 1.6 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Cognito averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do SIMS Student or Cognito have ads?

Neither SIMS Student nor Cognito shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SIMS Student or Cognito?

SIMS Student ships an update every 2 months, and Cognito every 3 days. Most recently, SIMS Student was updated on October 21, 2026 and Cognito on October 28, 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.*