Cal Poly Orientation vs SumTotal Next
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cal Poly Orientation
This app provides resources and support for new students and their families to ensure a smooth transition to university life. It serves as a central hub for information and assistance.
- New student resources
- Family support
- Transition assistance
- University information hub
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Cal Poly Orientation is hosted by New Student and Transition Programs which serves as a home and resource to all new students and their supporters and to ensure their successful transition to Cal Poly.
SumTotal Next
This business app offers a modern, intuitive interface for streamlined workflows and simplified navigation. It features optimized dashboard widgets, recommended learning modules, and redesigned search and library pages for enhanced usability and faster access to training information.
- Modern, flat design interface
- Optimized dashboard widgets
- Vertically scrollable widgets
- Recommended learnings with tabs
- Redesigned search and library
- Saved search filters
- Activity mini-summary slide-out
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To improve the user experience, we have redesigned the SumTotal Mobile app to provide a more intuitive interface, simplify navigation, and streamline workflows. • Modern interface with minimalistic and flat design for a cleaner look and feel. • Optimized dashboard widgets to show elements that are of absolute significance and compulsion. • Introduced vertically scrollable widgets to keep user focus on important training along with larger activity cards for improved touch interaction. • Additional widgets exclusive to the new Mobile app: o Banners: Shows the mobile version of the banner (if configured). o Recommend Learnings: This mobile widget uses tabs to combine the browser widgets Top-Rated Recommendations, Skill-Based Recommendations, and Recent Search Recommendations. • Redesigned Search and Library pages for high usability with prioritized search elements for better clarity and focus. • Support for saved search filters. • New activity “mini summary” slide out so learners can quickly view key information about their training. • Redesigned Activity Details page to make it easier to view information and perform common tasks like launching or sharing an activity. • Faster load times through code optimization and caching strategies.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Cal Poly Orientation at 3.5 against SumTotal Next's 1.3. SumTotal Next's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months) and chart position (#93 vs unranked). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Cal Poly Orientation holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 24 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 0% and 0% positive.
Cal Poly Orientation ships an update every 5 months, SumTotal Next monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cal Poly Orientation | SumTotal Next |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (21 ratings) — better | 1.3 (24 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 21 | 24 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #93 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 87 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo | SumTotal Systems |
Customer experience
Cal Poly Orientation
SumTotal Next
In-app purchases
Cal Poly Orientation
No in-app purchases
SumTotal Next
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cal Poly Orientation free?
Is SumTotal Next free?
Which has better reviews, Cal Poly Orientation or SumTotal Next?
Do Cal Poly Orientation or SumTotal Next have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cal Poly Orientation or SumTotal Next?
Other comparisons
