Comparison

NIU Safe vs myKish

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

Head to head
About

NIU Safe

This app provides students, faculty, and staff with enhanced safety on campus. It offers real-time alerts, emergency contact options, and tools to share your location with friends or public safety.

Highlights
  • Emergency Contacts
  • Panic Button / Mobile Bluelight
  • Friend Walk location sharing
  • Tip Reporting to Public Safety
  • Virtual WalkHome monitoring
  • Safety Toolbox with live chat
  • Campus and Transit Maps
Read full description

NIU Safe is the official safety app of Northern Illinois University. It is the only app that integrates with Northern Illinois University's safety and security systems. NIU Department of Police and Public Safety has worked to develop a unique app that provides students, faculty and staff with added safety on the NIU campus. The app will send you important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources. NIU Safe features include: - Emergency Contacts: Contact the correct services for the NIU area in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern - Panic Button / Mobile Bluelight: Send your location to Public Safety in real-time in case of a crisis  - Friend Walk: Send your location to a friend through email or SMS on your device. Once the friend accepts the Friend Walk request, the user picks their destination and their friend tracks their location in real time; they can keep an eye on them to make sure they make it safely to their destination. - Tip Reporting: Multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to NIU Public Safety. - Virtual WalkHome: Allow NIU Public Safety to monitor a user’s walk. If a user feels unsafe when walking on campus, they can request a Virtual WalkHome and a dispatcher on the other end will monitor their journey until they reach their destination. - Safety Toolbox: Enhance your safety with the set of tools provided in one convenient app.       - Chat with Security: Communicate live with safety staff at NIU via chat.  - Notification History: Find previous Push Notifications for this app with the date and time.       - Share Map with your Location: Send your location to a friend by sending them a map of your position.       - I’m OK!: Send your location and a message indicating that “You’re OK” to a recipient of your choosing. - Campus Maps       - Campus Map: Navigate around the NIU area.      - Transit Map: Find transit routes currently in service. - Emergency Plans: Campus emergency documentation that can prepare you for disasters or emergencies. This can be accessed even when users aren’t connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data. - Support Resources: Access support resources in one convenient app to enjoy a successful experience at NIU. - Safety Notifications: Receive instant notifications and instructions from NIU Public Safety when on-campus emergencies occur. Download today to ensure you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.

About

myKish

Access all Kishwaukee College services for students and employees. Stay connected with campus resources and information through this official application.

Highlights
  • Access college services
  • Student resources
  • Employee resources
  • Campus information
  • Official college app
Features
Read full description

Download the myKish app for access to all the services Kishwaukee College provides for all students and employees.

Screenshots

NIU Safe4 screens
myKish4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: myKish at 5.0 against NIU Safe's 3.6. myKish also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 25 months). NIU Safe's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

myKish holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NIU Safe ships an update every 25 months, myKish every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
NIU Safe versus myKish: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNIU SafemyKish
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (5 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorthern Illinois UniversityKishwaukee College

Customer experience

NIU Safe

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

myKish

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

NIU Safe

No in-app purchases

None

myKish

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NIU Safe free?
NIU Safe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is myKish free?
myKish is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NIU Safe or myKish?
myKish is rated higher. NIU Safe averages 3.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while myKish averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do NIU Safe or myKish have ads?
Neither NIU Safe nor myKish shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NIU Safe or myKish?
NIU Safe ships an update every 25 months, and myKish every 3 months. Most recently, NIU Safe was updated on October 21, 2026 and myKish on October 3, 2026.

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