Stanford Mobile vs Cal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stanford Mobile
Access essential Stanford University information, including campus maps, dining options, events, and news. It also functions as a digital extension of your Stanford ID card.
- Campus dining information
- Upcoming events listings
- Featured news stories
- Campus and shuttle maps
- Digital Stanford ID card
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Stanford Mobile is the official mobile app of Stanford University, where Stanford students, staff, faculty, alumni, parents, and friends connect to essential information on The Farm. The app allows you to explore campus dining options, upcoming events, featured news stories, campus and shuttle maps, public arts and location-based self-guided tours, and more at your fingertips. Mobile ID acts as the digital version of your physical Stanford ID, mirroring all your physical card’s information. Stanford Unlock (formerly Mobile Key), powered by HID and Apple Wallet, allows you to access card readers for buildings and elevators across campus, pay with Cardinal Dollars, and access Cardinal Print, gyms, and libraries.
Cal
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The Cal-Bridge CampusGroups app allows community members to track Cal-Bridge activities, communicate with others in the community, register for and sign into events, submit forms, and find program resources
Screenshots
Verdict
Stanford Mobile and Cal are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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.
Stanford Mobile ships an update every 6 weeks, Cal every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stanford Mobile | Cal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (34 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 120 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Stanford University | University of California, Irvine |
In-app purchases
Stanford Mobile
No in-app purchases
Cal
No in-app purchases
