smartUST vs HKUST Student
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
smartUST
This app enhances the university experience by connecting students to campus life. Discover activities, events, facilities, housing, and special offers for a seamless integration into the university community.
- Campus activities and events
- Facility information
- Housing services
- University services
- Special offers
- Seamless campus connection
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We would like to extend our warmest welcome to you at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(HKUST), one of the top universities in Hong Kong and Asia, and wish you a very pleasant living, studying and researching here. To support smart campus, "smartUST" App aims at providing you an exciting lifestyle with seamless connections to every aspect of the university, like activities, events, facilities, housing, services, and special offering. Download "smartUST" App now and strat to discover and experience. "smartUST" is one of the Cloud-based Interactive Communities(CIC) designed and developed by CardApp Limited, a Hong Kong based Internet company focusing on smart community solution develpment and operation.
HKUST Student
This app provides students with convenient access to academic and non-academic university resources. Students can view news, manage their academic information, check schedules, book facilities, and access student services.
- Latest news and announcements
- Student e-Card
- Academic information access
- Course catalog browsing
- Class and exam schedules
- Facility booking
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The App aims at helping students of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to access both academic and non-academic resources provided by the University anytime anywhere. By using your iPhone or iPad, you can access following information easily: - Latest News or announcement; - Display electronic copy of student ID card (student e-Card); - View your academic information; - Update your contact and emergency contact; - Browse / search courses catalog; - Browse / search class schedule and quota; - View your own class timetable on weekly calendar; - View your own exam schedule; - View your courses’ grades, TGA, and CGA - Book sport facilities or event rooms - Access non-academic services provided by Dean of Students’ Office and much more in future…
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: HKUST Student at 1.3 against smartUST's 1.0. HKUST Student also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). smartUST's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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.
HKUST Student holds the better App Store score, 1.3 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.
smartUST ships an update monthly, HKUST Student every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | smartUST | HKUST Student |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 1.3 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CardApp Limited | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology |
Customer experience
smartUST
HKUST Student
In-app purchases
smartUST
No in-app purchases
HKUST Student
No in-app purchases
