NU Connect vs Brightside Mentoring
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NU Connect
This app serves as a comprehensive resource for university students, providing access to important messages, academic timetables, campus maps, and event listings. It also offers features for finding campus facilities, booking open day tours, and exploring student union activities.
- University messages and notifications
- Class and exam timetables
- Campus maps and location finder
- Event listings and open day booking
- Student Union information
- PC/Mac availability and accommodation tours
- Campus travel information
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NU Connect - your on-the-go companion for various Northumbria resources and services. Messages: Receive important messages from Northumbria University and push notifications on your Ask4Help Online enquiries. Essential Info: Check important information before you arrive at Northumbria University, including a checklist of enrolment actions you need to complete when you arrive, and your Student Conduct documentation. My Learning: Access class and exam timetables with times and locations. View and record absences. Quick access to Blackboard and the University Library. Maps: Find your way around City, Coach Lane, London and Amsterdam campuses. Locate buildings, halls, services and facilities. What’s On: Discover what’s happening on campus, including upcoming Careers Fairs and events. Undergraduate Open Days: Book up, find your way here, and tour the campus. View sessions and build up your own personalised schedule for the day. Students’ Union: Learn more about what’s going on at the SU, including information on Freshers’ Week, Societies, Gigs & Live Music, Academic Advice, and more. Finder: Search for available PCs and Macs across campus, along with available software. Explore University Accommodation with 360° room tours in select locations. Connect and stay safe on campus with Safezone. Travel: Get around via the free campus bus, view times and estimated walking times while on campus. Note: On login you must use 'studentid' within the email and not name and email. For example: student id 'w24123456' -> login email is used as follows: w24123456@northumbria.ac.uk
Brightside Mentoring
This app connects young people with experienced mentors to explore future career and education paths. It offers insights into university life, jobs, and financial planning.
- Mentor connections
- Future options exploration
- Career insights
- University life information
- Financial planning advice
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Brightside connects trained mentors with young people who are exploring options for their future. Using this app, volunteer mentors from all professions share their knowledge and experience with young people in order to help them make informed decisions about their future. This app also provides interesting and useful information about university life, careers, money, jobs and much more.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Brightside Mentoring at fortnightly against NU Connect's every 3 months. Brightside Mentoring also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). NU Connect's advantage is review sentiment (25% vs 0%) and ratings volume (67 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.
Brightside Mentoring holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NU Connect has 67 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of NU Connect's written reviews are positive against 0% of Brightside Mentoring's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
NU Connect ships an update every 3 months, Brightside Mentoring fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NU Connect | Brightside Mentoring |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (67 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 67 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 264 MB | 127 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Northumbria University | The Brightside Trust |
Customer experience
NU Connect
Brightside Mentoring
In-app purchases
NU Connect
No in-app purchases
Brightside Mentoring
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NU Connect free?
Is Brightside Mentoring free?
Which has better reviews, NU Connect or Brightside Mentoring?
Do NU Connect or Brightside Mentoring have ads?
Which is updated more often, NU Connect or Brightside Mentoring?
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