Comparison

Bark vs XJTLU APP

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

Head to head
About

Bark

Send custom push notifications to your iPhone via an HTTP API. Supports advanced features like custom icons, grouping, and critical alerts. Offers privacy-protected, end-to-end encrypted pushes with self-deployable server options.

Highlights
  • HTTP API for push notifications
  • Custom icons and grouping
  • Continuous and critical alerts
  • End-to-end push encryption
  • Self-deployable server options
  • Privacy-protected notifications
Features
Read full description

You can send push notifications to your iPhone by simply calling an HTTP API. Bark supports many advanced iOS push features, such as custom icons, notification grouping, custom ringtones, continuous alerts, critical alerts, and encrypted pushes. Bark does not consume device battery, as its core functionality relies on system push services and push extensions, and the app itself does not need to be running. Bark ensures your privacy and security with high reliability. Bark supports self-deploying the server, which can be deployed via Docker, Serverless, or Cloudflare Worker. The bark-server supports most operating systems, and you can also run it manually. The app is compiled and uploaded through Github Action, ensuring that the version you’re using is compiled from open-source code, without any modifications by anyone (including the author). Bark supports end-to-end push encryption with a custom key, ensuring that the push content is not accessed or leaked by the Bark server or Apple’s APNs server during transmission. The notification message history saved locally by Bark is also very secure. Using the NotificationServiceExtension, the push message is only stored on the device when the push is received. Feedback email: to@day.app Privacy Policy: https://api.day.app/privacy User Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

XJTLU APP

This app offers XJTLU staff and students unified access to campus data from various application systems. It provides an easy-to-use mobile interface for accessing important information.

Highlights
  • Unified data access
  • Mobile interface
  • Access campus systems
  • Easy to use
Features
Read full description

XJTLU APP intended to provide XJTLU staff and students with the means to benefit from accessing to data produced by a wide range of application systems across the campus in a uniform and easy way on mobile devices.

Screenshots

Bark3 screens
XJTLU APP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XJTLU APP at none against Bark's 2. XJTLU APP also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Bark's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (110 vs 5). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Bark sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.69 per year. XJTLU APP asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Bark against 4.8 for XJTLU APP. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bark has 110 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 98% of Bark's written reviews are positive against 100% of XJTLU APP's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, XJTLU APP every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bark versus XJTLU APP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarkXJTLU APP
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (110 ratings) — better4.8 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews98.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings110 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer丰 黄Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Customer experience

Bark

All ratings109 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive98.4%
Neutral1.6%
Negative0.0%

XJTLU APP

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bark

Subscriptions1
  • Continuous support$2.691 Year
One-time1
  • One-time donation$2.69
None

XJTLU APP

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bark free?
Bark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is XJTLU APP free?
XJTLU APP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bark or XJTLU APP?
Bark is rated higher. Bark averages 4.9 out of 5 from 110 ratings, while XJTLU APP averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Bark or XJTLU APP have ads?
Neither Bark nor XJTLU APP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bark or XJTLU APP?
Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, and XJTLU APP every 5 months. Most recently, Bark was updated on October 22, 2026 and XJTLU APP on October 6, 2026.

Other comparisons