SMC Go vs MARVLS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SMC Go
This official college app helps students navigate their academic journey. It provides resources, tips, and tools to manage daily tasks, connect with the campus community, and achieve educational goals.
- Ask Pearl virtual assistant
- Quick Links to resources
- Class finding assistance
- Message Channels for communication
- Events & Workshops listings
- Pearl's Marketplace
- Programs & Services information
- Student Life updates
Read full descriptionHide full description
Stay connected with SMC GO, the official app of Santa Monica College. SMC GO is more than a resource, it’s a journey, full of tips, videos, and ways to keep achieving. Begin with Start, then Manage your day, Connect to enrich your college experience, and GO towards your goals. Ready, Set, SMC GO! Favorite Features: · Ask Pearl · Quick Links · Finding Classes · Message Channels · Events & Workshops · Pearl’s Marketplace · Programs & Services · Student Life
MARVLS
Explore plasma physics concepts with interactive augmented reality models. Visualize and manipulate these models using your phone and a downloadable Merge Cube. Navigate through various topics and bring complex scientific ideas to life.
- Augmented reality models
- Plasma physics concepts
- Merge Cube integration
- Interactive visualization
- Topic navigation
Read full descriptionHide full description
View augmented reality models of plasma physics concepts through your phone. You'll need a Merge Cube (downloadable from the internet). Click on different button to navigate to different topics. Tap the camera icon and point your camera towards the Merge Cube to visualize and interact with our MARVLS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MARVLS at 5.0 against SMC Go's 4.1. MARVLS also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 12 months). SMC Go's advantage is ratings volume (18 vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
MARVLS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SMC Go has 18 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of SMC Go's written reviews are positive against 100% of MARVLS's.
SMC Go ships an update every 12 months, MARVLS every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SMC Go | MARVLS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (18 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 210 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Santa Monica Community College District | Michele McColgan |
Customer experience
SMC Go
MARVLS
In-app purchases
SMC Go
No in-app purchases
MARVLS
No in-app purchases
