Crash Course vs Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Crash Course
Access thousands of free educational videos covering humanities and sciences. Enhance your learning with supplemental flashcards and quizzes for select courses. Join a community dedicated to making education fun and engaging.
- Thousands of educational videos
- High school and college level courses
- Humanities and sciences subjects
- Supplemental flashcards
- Quizzes for review
- Community of learners
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Watch thousands of educational videos and review your learning with the Crash Course App! At Crash Course, we believe that high-quality educational content should be available to everyone for free. We produce courses that accompany high school and college-level classes ranging from the humanities to the sciences. On YouTube we have created a community of over 10 million subscribers that believe, like us, that learning should be fun, engaging, and thoughtful (and silly when appropriate). This app is a portal to our thousands of videos online and a place to review your learning with supplemental flashcards and quizzes. Flashcard decks are currently available for all episodes of Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry, and we'll be continually adding more content. So please join our community of learners because you are the exception!
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Access your Pearson eTextbooks and supplementary learning materials in one app. Watch short video explanations of complex topics and utilize study tools like notes, highlights, and flashcards. The app also offers an audiobook feature for most eTextbooks and powerful search functionality.
- eTextbook access
- Video explanations
- Notes and highlights
- Audiobook feature
- Searchable content
- Flashcard creation
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The Pearson+ mobile app provides you access to all your Pearson eTextbooks in one place, as well as curated bite-sized video explanations of complex topics for your toughest college courses. Get started by logging in with the same username and password you created via the web-based version of Pearson+. Feature highlights: -- Anytime, anywhere access to eTextbook content and embedded media assets -- Short video explanations of complex topics to help you succeed in the classroom -- Ability to easily create and refer to your notes and highlights within the eTextbook -- Have your eTextbook read aloud to you with our audiobook feature (available for most eTextbooks) -- Search across all the content in the eTextbook to easily find exactly what you need -- Create your own flashcards or use pre-built ones to help you study -- Personalize the reading experience to best meet your needs For bug reports or general feedback, please reach out to us at PearsonPlusFeedback@pearson.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
Crash Course and Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Crash Course's written reviews are positive against 31% of Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts's. Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ads 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. Crash Course sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Crash Course against 4.8 for Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts has 63K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Crash Course's written reviews are positive against 31% of Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts's.
Crash Course ships an update every 4 months, Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Crash Course | Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.6K ratings) | 4.8 (63K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.7% of reviews — better | 31.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K | 63K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #123 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 146 MB | 549 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Complexly LLC | Pearson Education, Inc. |
Customer experience
Crash Course
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
User reviews
Crash Course
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🙌 Helpful for students
- 🎓 Great for learning difficult topics
- 💕 High-quality, engaging content
- 🆓 Completely free to use
- 🙏 Grateful for the free education
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Limited course selection
- 🔄 Trouble downloading/accessing content
- 🔒 App is marked 17+, should be more accessible
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
From 63K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient access to textbooks
- 🎧 Useful audio feature
- 📚 Helpful study tools (flashcards, quizzes)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy highlighting and page navigation
- 📱 Poor usability on mobile devices
- 🔍 Lack of search and page number features
- 💰 Expensive for limited functionality
Bugs and requests
Crash Course
Reported bugs
4 issues- Courses disappearing after updates
- Search function not working
- Trouble downloading content
- App crashing during use
Requested features
6 requests- Add math and English courses
- Expand course selection
- Improve search functionality
- Allow offline video viewing
- Add progress tracking and favorites
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- Implement landscape mode on tablets
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
Reported bugs
3 issues- Textbooks failing to load or display properly
- Audio playback issues and lack of syncing
- Inconsistent behavior when switching apps or rotating devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improved highlighting and annotation tools
- Better syncing between devices and web version
- Page number support
- Split-screen and landscape mode on tablets
In-app purchases
Crash Course
- Contribute $1.99$1.99
- Contribute Tier 1$1.99
- Contribute $4.99$4.99
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- Contribute Tier 2$4.99
- Contribute Tier 3$9.99
- Contribute Tier 4$14.99
- Contribute Tier 5$19.99
- Contribute Tier 6$24.99
- Contribute Tier 7$29.99
- Contribute Tier 8$39.99
- Contribute Tier 9$49.99
- Contribute Tier 10$59.99
- Contribute Tier 14$99.99
Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Crash Course free?
Is Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts free?
Which has better reviews, Crash Course or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts?
Do Crash Course or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts have ads?
Which is updated more often, Crash Course or Pearson+ | Study Prep & eTexts?
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