Gies Groups vs HackIllinois
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Gies Groups
Connect with fellow students and access essential resources from Gies College of Business. Discover events, join student groups, and find information on academics, advising, and career services.
- College-wide event listings
- Student group information
- Academic department details
- Advising services
- Career services resources
- Exclusive member content
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Gies Groups is an online community for students at Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. Here you will find information on college-wide events, student groups, academic departments, advising, and career services. Each group has a page with exclusive content for its members and a website with information for all Gies Groups community members and the public.
HackIllinois
This app enhances the hackathon experience by providing event schedules, point-earning opportunities through QR scans and duels, and a shop for redeeming prizes. Users can track their progress, view rankings, and manage check-ins for food and events.
- Event schedule and details
- Point system via QR scans and duels
- Prize redemption in Point Shop
- Personal progress and rank tracking
- Event check-in functionality
- Countdown timer for hacking
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Download the official HackIllinois 2026 app for a complete in-person hackathon experience! With our app, you can: - See how much time you have left to hack! - View the time, location, and other details for all of our events. - Scan QR codes at events to obtain points! - Play duels against other members for points. - Get checked in by staff for food and other events. - Redeem points for merchandise and raffle prizes through our newly improved Point Shop! - View your rank, points, and other personal information. - and more!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HackIllinois at daily against Gies Groups's monthly. On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Gies Groups against 4.7 for HackIllinois. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 70 and 32 respectively.
Gies Groups ships an update monthly, HackIllinois daily. The most recent releases landed on September 1, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Gies Groups | HackIllinois |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (70 ratings) — better | 4.7 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | 32 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Novalsys, Inc | ACM UIUC |
Customer experience
Gies Groups
HackIllinois
In-app purchases
Gies Groups
No in-app purchases
HackIllinois
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Gies Groups free?
Is HackIllinois free?
Which has better reviews, Gies Groups or HackIllinois?
Do Gies Groups or HackIllinois have ads?
Which is updated more often, Gies Groups or HackIllinois?
Other comparisons
