Campuswire vs HackIllinois
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Campuswire
This tool simplifies class discussions, Q&A, and announcements for college courses. It offers a straightforward interface for easy communication between students and instructors. The app aims to streamline academic interactions within a course setting.
- Class discussions
- Q&A functionality
- Announcements
- Simple interface
- Convenient communication
- Low data mode
Read full descriptionHide full description
Campuswire is the tool for college classes that makes class discussions, Q&A and announcements extremely simple.
HackIllinois
This app enhances the hackathon experience by providing event schedules, point-earning opportunities through QR scans and duels, and a shop for redeeming prizes. Users can track their progress, view rankings, and manage check-ins for food and events.
- Event schedule and details
- Point system via QR scans and duels
- Prize redemption in Point Shop
- Personal progress and rank tracking
- Event check-in functionality
- Countdown timer for hacking
Read full descriptionHide full description
Download the official HackIllinois 2026 app for a complete in-person hackathon experience! With our app, you can: - See how much time you have left to hack! - View the time, location, and other details for all of our events. - Scan QR codes at events to obtain points! - Play duels against other members for points. - Get checked in by staff for food and other events. - Redeem points for merchandise and raffle prizes through our newly improved Point Shop! - View your rank, points, and other personal information. - and more!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: HackIllinois at 100% against Campuswire's 10%. HackIllinois also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.5) and update cadence (daily vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.
HackIllinois holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 67 and 32 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 10% of Campuswire's written reviews are positive against 100% of HackIllinois's.
Campuswire ships an update monthly, HackIllinois daily. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Campuswire | HackIllinois |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (67 ratings) | 4.7 (32 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 9.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 67 — better | 32 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 108 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CampusTech, Inc. | ACM UIUC |
Customer experience
Campuswire
HackIllinois
Bugs and requests
Campuswire
Reported bugs
25 issues- App crashes
- App doesn't update
- Notifications do not work
- Search and chats do not work
- Replies are not present
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Answers do not show up
- Can't access thread posts
- No refresh for Q&As
- Can't send links to posts
- Can't navigate back in iPhone
- Can't write a question after entering title
- Text disappears while typing
- Deep links don't work
- Live rooms don't work
- Cannot get a link to a post
- Receiving negative number of notifications
- Assessment test graphics are not visible
- App prompts to update when already updated
- App closes on its own
- App closes every 10 seconds
- App is bricked/unusable after update
- App won't let me sign in and crashes without opening
- App crashes when visiting a post
- Answer did not send, retry causes crash
- Post has duplicate replies
Requested features
17 requests- Add a calendar option
- Access campus calendar from the app
- Fix the back button navigation on iPhone
- Allow writing questions after entering a title
- Improve reply functionality
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Show all responses on posts
- Enable access to thread posts
- Allow sending links to posts
- Implement a refresh feature for Q&As
- Fix disappearing text while typing
- Enable deep linking for sharing
- Fix live rooms functionality
- Allow getting links to posts
- Fix notification system (show positive counts)
- Ensure assessment test graphics are visible
- Improve staff interactions
- Address school's high turnover rate
HackIllinois
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Campuswire
No in-app purchases
HackIllinois
No in-app purchases
