Comparison

Safe APU vs RedShelf

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

Head to head
About

Safe APU

This official university safety app provides students, faculty, and staff with enhanced security on campus. It delivers critical safety alerts, offers direct access to campus safety resources, and includes tools for emergency contact and location sharing.

Highlights
  • Emergency Contacts
  • Mobile Bluelight with real-time location
  • Friend Walk location sharing
  • Tip Reporting to campus security
  • Safety Toolbox with location sharing and 'I'm OK!'
  • Campus and Crime Maps
  • Offline Emergency Plans
Features
Read full description

Safe APU is the official safety app of Azusa Pacific University. It is the only app that integrates with Azusa Pacific University's safety and security systems. Campus Safety has worked to develop a unique app that provides students, faculty and staff with added safety on the Azusa Pacific University campus. The app will send you important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources. Safe APU features include: - Emergency Contacts: Contact the correct services for the Azusa Pacific University area in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern - Mobile Bluelight: Send your location to Azusa Pacific University security 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 Azusa Pacific University security. - Safety Toolbox: Enhance your safety with the set of tools provided in one convenient app.       - 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. - Maps       - Campus Map: Navigate around the Azusa Pacific University area.       - Crime Map: View recent crimes that have occurred on and near campus. - 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 Azusa Pacific University. - Safety Notifications: Receive instant notifications and instructions from Azusa Pacific University safety when on-campus emergencies occur. Download today to ensure you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.

About

RedShelf

Access and read your digital textbooks on any device. Highlight text, take notes, create flashcards, and have content read aloud. Your notes and highlights sync across all your devices.

Highlights
  • Access textbooks on any device
  • Highlight text and take notes
  • Create flashcards from content
  • Define unfamiliar words
  • Text-to-speech functionality
  • Sync notes and highlights across devices
Features
Read full description

The RedShelf eReader companion app provides access to read and engage with your textbooks located in your RedShelf account on the My Shelf page. Access your textbooks no matter where you go with a unified experience across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. eReader Features: - Access textbooks on your device for seamless reading - Easily highlight text, take notes, and share with classmates - Create flashcards while reading to test your understanding of the content - Define unfamiliar words quickly and easily - Have text read aloud and select the voice and pace - Sync all of your notes and highlights to your account and across devices App Requirements: - Active RedShelf account - One or more books available in your RedShelf account

Screenshots

Safe APU4 screens
RedShelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Safe APU at 5.0 against RedShelf's 4.5. Safe APU also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). RedShelf's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (7.1K vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

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

Safe APU holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RedShelf has 7.1K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Safe APU ships an update every 9 months, RedShelf every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Safe APU versus RedShelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSafe APURedShelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.5 (7.1K ratings)
Positive reviews—3.1% of reviews
Number of ratings27.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAzusa Pacific UniversityRedShelf

Customer experience

Safe APU

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

RedShelf

All ratings7,078 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews228 reviews
Positive3.1%
Neutral4.4%
Negative92.5%

Bugs and requests

Safe APU

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

RedShelf

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Books not loading or showing blank screens
  • Highlighting issues (selecting wrong text, unable to edit)
  • Sync issues between devices and web version

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve highlighting and annotation tools
  • Add support for split-screen mode
  • Enhance text-to-speech capabilities
  • Allow offline access to downloaded books

In-app purchases

None

Safe APU

No in-app purchases

None

RedShelf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Safe APU free?
Safe APU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RedShelf free?
RedShelf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Safe APU or RedShelf?
Safe APU is rated higher. Safe APU averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while RedShelf averages 4.5 from 7.1K ratings.
Do Safe APU or RedShelf have ads?
Neither Safe APU nor RedShelf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Safe APU or RedShelf?
Safe APU ships an update every 9 months, and RedShelf every 5 weeks. Most recently, Safe APU was updated on October 1, 2026 and RedShelf on October 16, 2026.

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