# Beacon vs Academia @ CECOS

The clearest difference is ads: Academia @ CECOS at none against Beacon's shown. Academia @ CECOS also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Beacon's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (21% vs 0%). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Beacon ships an update every 3 weeks, Academia @ CECOS every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beacon | Academia @ CECOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-digital-guide/id1435526583/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | **21.4% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 40 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [University of Staffordshire](https://appshunter.io/developer/1157433122) | [Siddharth Badjatiya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1191175984) |

## What reviewers say

### Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-digital-guide/id1435526583)

This app serves as a comprehensive digital guide for student life, offering features like timetable viewing, campus navigation, and access to university services. It helps students find contact information, check resource availability, and stay updated on news and events.

**Highlights:** View timetable, Campus maps and points of interest, Staff and service contact details, PC availability checks, News and events browsing, Societies and clubs search, Answers to common service questions

**In-app purchases:** none


### Academia @ CECOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/academia-cecos/id1489459902)

This college management app provides students with essential academic information, including attendance, assignments, marks, and event updates. It offers a user-friendly interface for easy access to documents and real-time notifications, serving as a 24/7 information hub.

**Highlights:** Attendance records, Assignment notifications, Marksheet and results, Event and exam updates, Timetable access, Fee details

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beacon free?

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

### Is Academia @ CECOS free?

Academia @ CECOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Beacon or Academia @ CECOS have ads?

Beacon shows ads; Academia @ CECOS does not.

### Which is updated more often, Beacon or Academia @ CECOS?

Beacon ships an update every 3 weeks, and Academia @ CECOS every 3 months. Most recently, Beacon was updated on October 24, 2026 and Academia @ CECOS on October 24, 2026.

---

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