Lion Safe vs The Commons
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lion Safe
This official university safety app provides students, faculty, and staff with enhanced campus security. It offers real-time location sharing, emergency alerts, and direct communication with campus police.
- Mobile Bluelight location sharing
- Friend Walk real-time location tracking
- Direct emergency contact access
- Anonymous tip reporting
- Instant safety notifications
- Emergency preparedness plans
- Live chat with campus police
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Lion Safe is the official safety app of East Texas A&M University. It is the only app that integrates with East Texas A&M University's safety and security systems. The Department of Emergency Management and Safety and the University Police Department have worked to develop a unique app that provides students, faculty, and staff with added safety on the East Texas A&M University campus. The app will send you important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources. Lion Safe features include: - Mobile Bluelight: Send your location to East Texas A&M University Police Department in real-time in case of a crisis - Friend Walk: Send your location to a friend, who can watch you walk home in real-time. - Emergency Contacts: Contact the correct services for the East Texas A&M University area in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern - Tip Reporting: Multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to East Texas A&M University Police Department. - Safety notifications: Receive instant notifications and instructions from campus safety when on-campus emergencies occur. - Emergency Plans: Learn what to do in case of an emergency - Chat with University Police: Communicate live with East Texas A&M University Police Department staff. - Campus safety resources: access all important safety resources in one convenient app. Download today and ensure that you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.
The Commons
This app helps students stay focused during school hours by pausing access to distracting apps like social media and games. It automatically activates at school and deactivates when the day ends, ensuring essential academic and communication apps remain accessible. It prioritizes privacy with no tracking or data collection.
- Automatic focus activation at school
- Blocks distracting apps during school hours
- Keeps essential academic apps accessible
- Privacy-first with no tracking
- Builds stronger tech habits
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The Commons™ – Airplane Mode For Schools Let’s be real phones are amazing. But at School? They can be a total distraction. The Commons helps students stay focused during the school day without giving up their phones. No pouches. No locks. Just fewer distractions. Built with privacy first, The Commons automatically pauses access to distracting apps like social media, games, and other non-academic content during school hours while keeping school-approved, medical, and essential communication apps available. The result? More focus. Better learning. Stronger habits. Features • Automatically activates when you arrive at school • Restricts distracting apps during school hours • Keeps approved educational and essential apps available per your school's phone policy • Automatically turns off when the school day ends Privacy First Your privacy matters. The Commons never accesses your messages, browsing history, photos, social media content, or location history. Learn more about our privacy commitment: the-commons.app/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lion Safe at 100% against The Commons's 13%. Lion Safe also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.3). The Commons's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 41 months) and ratings volume (230 vs 4). 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.
Lion Safe holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Commons has 230 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Lion Safe's written reviews are positive against 13% of The Commons's.
Lion Safe ships an update every 41 months, The Commons fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lion Safe | The Commons |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better | 1.3 (230 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 13.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 230 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 41 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TAMUC Official | The Commons, Inc. |
Customer experience
Lion Safe
The Commons
Bugs and requests
Lion Safe
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
The Commons
Reported bugs
2 issues- VPN doesn't work properly when traveling
- Slows down messaging and other apps
Requested features
3 requests- Allow access to certain apps during school hours
- Improve VPN functionality when traveling
- Provide more transparency on data collection and usage
In-app purchases
Lion Safe
No in-app purchases
The Commons
No in-app purchases
