Comparison

IEEE vs Deftly

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

Head to head
About

IEEE

Access the latest technology news and innovations. Read and download IEEE magazines, manage virtual meetups, and connect with members. Discover conferences and stay informed about the world of technology.

Highlights
  • Personalized experience and recommendations
  • Latest technology and innovation news
  • Read and download IEEE magazines
  • Schedule and join virtual meetups
  • Locate IEEE members
  • Discover conferences and meetings
Features
Read full description

The IEEE App gives you the ability to engage and connect with all things IEEE: • Personalize your experience and recommendations • Stay up-to-date with news on the latest technology and innovations • Read and download your IEEE magazines • Schedule, manage or join meetups virtually • Locate IEEE members by location, interests, and affiliations • Discover conferences and meetings Staying connected to the latest technology and innovation resources has never been easier. The world of technology is in your hands with the IEEE app.

About

Deftly

This app offers personalized certification preparation through adaptive, interactive learning. It features focused lessons, scenario-based questions, and targeted review to help professionals build mastery and track progress. Case simulations and progress tracking are included to reinforce learning and prepare for exams.

Highlights
  • Personalized certification learning paths
  • Interactive, scenario-based practice questions
  • Adaptive learning based on performance
  • Targeted review and concept reinforcement
  • Realistic case simulations (Case Lab)
  • Progress and mastery tracking
  • Daily study habit building
Features
Read full description

Practice smarter. Learn faster. Build lasting mastery. Deftly is a personalized certification learning companion designed to help professionals prepare through adaptive, interactive learning not endless repetition. Six certification paths: PMP®, CAPM®, AIGP, CISSP, CISA® and CISM®. Learn concepts through short, focused lessons, then apply what you learn with interactive, scenario-based questions. Deftly adapts practice to your performance, helps you focus on areas that need more attention, and brings concepts back through targeted review so what you learn sticks. With Deftly, you can: • Follow a personalized certification learning path • Learn through short, focused concepts • Practice with interactive questions and real-world scenarios • Get clear explanations that help you understand the reasoning • Turn mistakes into targeted learning • Practice the concepts you need most • Step into realistic situations in Case Lab, make the call, and see how your outcome compares with the one the case rewards • Reinforce earlier learning with Super Levels • Track progress, mastery, and areas to improve • Download a certificate of completion recording your study hours when you finish a path or a Case Lab • Build a consistent study habit with focused daily sessions • Study on your own schedule and keep progressing toward exam readiness Deftly is built for professionals who want certification preparation to feel more focused, interactive, adaptive, and personal. WHAT IS FREE AND WHAT REQUIRES A PURCHASE Deftly is free to download, and every certification includes a free sample: onboarding, your personalized study plan, and the first level of the certification. Continuing beyond that free level requires a one-time in-app purchase. Each certification is sold separately, and buying one does not unlock another: • Certification Path — unlocks every remaining level for that certification, including Super Levels, Areas to Improve and exam readiness • Case Lab — unlocks that certification's scenario simulations. Each case gives you a brief, the evidence behind it and a series of decisions, then compares the outcome you reached with the one the case rewards. The library and every case's brief can be read for free; making the decisions is what the purchase opens. It is separate from the Certification Path and does not unlock any levels • Practice Package — adds 100 further practice questions for that certification. It is separate from the Certification Path and does not unlock any levels • Complete — the Certification Path, the Case Lab and the Practice Package for one certification in a single purchase, at about 25% less than buying the three separately Deftly offers paths for PMP®, CAPM®, AIGP, CISSP, CISA® and CISM®. All purchases are one-time. There are no subscriptions and nothing renews. Every purchase applies to one certification only — buying Complete for one certification unlocks all three of its products and nothing belonging to any other certification. PMP® and CAPM® are registered trademarks of Project Management Institute, Inc. AIGP is a certification mark of the IAPP. CISSP is a registered mark of ISC2, Inc. CISA® and CISM® are registered trademarks of ISACA. Deftly is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or authorised by PMI, the IAPP, ISC2 or ISACA.

Screenshots

IEEE4 screens
Deftly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Deftly at 100% against IEEE's 7%. Deftly also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks). IEEE's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). 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

IEEE ships an update every 5 weeks, Deftly every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
IEEE versus Deftly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIEEEDeftly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (123 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews6.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings123 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInstitute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers IncUmair Baig

Customer experience

IEEE

All ratings123 ratings
Positive74.8%
Neutral7.3%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive6.5%
Neutral10.9%
Negative82.6%

Deftly

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

IEEE

Reported bugs

49 issues
  • Cannot download magazines
  • Cannot read magazines in PDF format
  • Membership card to Apple Wallet does not work
  • Email address input format validation error
  • App sticks on a loop when adding card to wallet
Show 44 more
  • Sign in doesn't work
  • Cannot sign in with IEEE password
  • Cannot read Computer Magazine online or PDF
  • Magazine zoom in is not good
  • No panning when zoomed
  • Downloaded PDFs don't have navigation
  • 404 errors when reading content online
  • Privacy settings not properly appearing
  • App crashes when opening
  • App crashes every time trying to open
  • App crashes when opening on iPhone
  • App crashes after showing splash screen
  • App crashes after trying to open a notification
  • Magazines get out of focus on iPad
  • Extra white bar appears on iPad
  • Zooming on page blocks text
  • Taping screen causes zoom out
  • Download button has no effect
  • App freezes and crashes all the time
  • Orientation locked
  • Cannot access magazines
  • No working links in magazines
  • Cannot copy text from articles
  • UI not flexible for phone, not supportive for tablets
  • Only magazines show up for content
  • Glitchy, slow magazine interface
  • Cannot highlight or clip articles
  • Unintuitive magazine interface
  • No offline reading
  • Crazy phone-based UX
  • iPhone screen too small to read journals
  • App nonfunctional on latest iOS
  • IEEE Magazines not available
  • Articles in Trending section disappear if not bookmarked
  • No iPad version
  • Forces portrait mode on iPad
  • Cannot read Spectrum
  • Lost ability to read offline
  • Impossible to use entire screen on iPad
  • Cannot make displayed magazine larger
  • Multi-step process to download PDF
  • iPhone screen size for iPad
  • Out of focus when enlarging on iPad
  • Articles don't show text

Requested features

16 requests
  • Add membership card to Apple Wallet
  • Improve magazine zoom and panning
  • Consistent online reader experience
  • Allow saving reading progress
  • Improve UI for better readability
Show 11 more
  • Develop a dedicated iPad version
  • Enable offline magazine reading
  • Add navigation features to PDFs
  • Improve sign-in process
  • Fix email format validation errors
  • Make privacy settings visible
  • Add horizontal reading support
  • Improve search functionality
  • Improve back and done navigation
  • Allow copying text from articles
  • Enable external links in articles

Deftly

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

IEEE

No in-app purchases

None

Deftly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is IEEE free?
IEEE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Deftly free?
Deftly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do IEEE or Deftly have ads?
Neither IEEE nor Deftly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IEEE or Deftly?
IEEE ships an update every 5 weeks, and Deftly every 4 days. Most recently, IEEE was updated on October 6, 2026 and Deftly on October 8, 2026.

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