# Gies Groups vs HackIllinois

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gies Groups | HackIllinois |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gies-groups/id1419813512/reviews)** | [4.7 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackillinois/id1451755268/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **70** | 32 |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 66 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Novalsys, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566688507) | [ACM UIUC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1200368579) |

## What reviewers say

### Gies Groups

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gies-groups/id1419813512)

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.

**Highlights:** College-wide event listings, Student group information, Academic department details, Advising services, Career services resources, Exclusive member content

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### HackIllinois

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackillinois/id1451755268)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gies Groups free?

Gies Groups is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HackIllinois free?

HackIllinois is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Gies Groups or HackIllinois?

Gies Groups is rated higher. Gies Groups averages 4.8 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while HackIllinois averages 4.7 from 32 ratings.

### Do Gies Groups or HackIllinois have ads?

Neither Gies Groups nor HackIllinois shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Gies Groups or HackIllinois?

Gies Groups ships an update monthly, and HackIllinois daily. Most recently, Gies Groups was updated on September 1, 2026 and HackIllinois on June 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*