Comparison

Safe Redbirds vs Illini

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

Head to head
About

Safe Redbirds

This app provides Illinois State University students, faculty, and guests with enhanced campus safety. It offers emergency alerts, direct access to safety resources, and tools for personal safety and reporting concerns.

Highlights
  • Emergency alerts and contacts
  • Campus safety guides (text/video)
  • Virtual Blue Light emergency feature
  • Request campus escorts (Redbird Safe Walk)
  • Friend Walk location sharing
  • Tip reporting to campus police
  • Interactive campus maps
Read full description

Safe Redbirds is the official safety app of Illinois State University. It is the only app that integrates with ISU's safety and security systems. ISU Police and Emergency Management worked together to develop a unique app that provides students, faculty, staff, and guests with added safety on the Illinois State University campus. The app will send you important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources. Safe Redbirds features include: - Emergency Numbers: Contact the correct services for the Illinois State University area in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern.  - Emergency Guides: Campus emergency documentation with instructions on what to do in different types of emergency situations. Guides are available in both plain text and short video clips. Text guides can be accessed even when users aren’t connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data, but video clips do require a data connection. - Virtual Blue Light: Similar to the blue light emergency phones located around campus, the Virtual Blue Light feature allows you to speak with an ISU Police dispatcher and simultaneously share your location with them in real time. This feature is only available on or near campus. - Redbird Safe Walk: Request ISU Police have a representative walk with you on campus. - Virtual Safe Walk: Allow an ISU Police dispatcher to monitor your walk. If you would like an added level of safety when walking on or near campus, you can request a Virtual Safe Walk and a dispatcher on the other end will monitor your journey until you reach your destination. - Friend Walk: The app sends your location to a friend through email or SMS from your device. Once the friend accepts the Friend Walk request, you pick your destination and your friend tracks your location in real time; they can keep an eye on you to make sure you make it safely to your destination. Your friend does not need the Safe Redbird app for this feature. - Tip Reporting: Multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to ISU Police and other key offices on campus. - Safety Toolbox: Enhance your safety with the set of tools provided in one convenient app.       - 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 ISU’s campus and see details about each campus building. - Where’s My Bus?: Track the Redbird Express or other Connect Transit lines in real time. - Campus Parking Map: See details of all parking lots on campus. - Campus AEDs: Interactive map with the locations of all AEDs on campus. - Evacuation Assembly Areas: Interactive map with pre-designated emergency evacuation assembly areas. - Blue Light Phones: Interactive map showing all physical blue light phones on campus. - Pawfficer Sage page: Pawfficer Sage now has her own page in the Safe Redbirds App, with details about her and a form to request Sage and the University Police Community Engagement Unit for your event. - Alerts, Crime Advisories, and Community Updates: Learn about the difference between ISU Emergency Alerts, Crime Advisories, and Community Updates, and see a history of notifications received through the app. Download today to ensure you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.

About

Illini

Read full description

Illini-Alert+ features: • Emergency Notifications: Receive Illini-Alerts on your phone. • Call and text 911. • Take Emergency Action (TEA) guides for general emergency actions. • Emergency Action Plans (EAP) for building-specific emergency actions. • Friend Walk: Send your location to a friend through email or text. Once your friend accepts the Friend Walk request you pick your destination and your friend can track your location in real time until you arrive safely. • University emergency plans. Download today to best ensure you're prepared for emergencies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Screenshots

Safe Redbirds4 screens
Illini4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Illini at daily against Safe Redbirds's every 11 months. Safe Redbirds's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Safe Redbirds ships an update every 11 months, Illini daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Safe Redbirds versus Illini: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSafe RedbirdsIllini
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIllinois State UniversityUniversity of Illinois

In-app purchases

None

Safe Redbirds

No in-app purchases

None

Illini

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Safe Redbirds free?
Safe Redbirds is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Illini free?
Illini is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Safe Redbirds or Illini have ads?
Neither Safe Redbirds nor Illini shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Safe Redbirds or Illini?
Safe Redbirds ships an update every 11 months, and Illini daily. Most recently, Safe Redbirds was updated on October 24, 2026 and Illini on October 17, 2026.

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