# Crown Connect vs Cengage Read

The clearest difference is rating: Cengage Read at 4.2 against Crown Connect's 3.6. Cengage Read also leads on ratings volume (4.2K vs 39) and review sentiment (20% vs 0%). Crown Connect's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cengage Read holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cengage Read has 4.2K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Crown Connect's written reviews are positive against 20% of Cengage Read's.

Crown Connect ships an update every 6 weeks, Cengage Read every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crown Connect | Cengage Read |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crown-connect/id1578205228/reviews) | **[4.2 (4.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cengage-read/id6444260893/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 39 | **4.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **19.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 61 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Crown College](https://appshunter.io/developer/1151556587) | [Cengage Learning](https://appshunter.io/developer/371168145) |

## What reviewers say

### Crown Connect

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crown-connect/id1578205228)

This app provides a safe space for college students to connect, share information, and access campus resources. Discover events, join groups, and stay updated on campus initiatives to foster a strong community. It also offers a digital ID card for campus access and in-app messaging.

**Highlights:** Campus event discovery, Community feed for interaction, Digital ID card functionality, Group participation, Direct and group messaging, Access to campus resources

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cengage Read

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cengage-read/id6444260893)

Access and study your digital textbooks from anywhere. This app allows students to read, take notes, highlight, bookmark, and use text-to-speech for a flexible learning experience on the go.

**Highlights:** Read eTextbooks on the go, Take notes and highlight, Bookmark important sections, Text-to-speech functionality, Search keywords, Navigate via table of contents

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to read textbooks
- 🚀 Convenient for on-the-go learning
- 👍 Useful for listening to audio while commuting
- 👍 Allows highlighting and note-taking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔥 Poor text formatting and layout
- 👎 Difficult to navigate and use
- 🔒 Login and account issues
- 🔍 Missing key features like split-screen and assignment tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and sign-outs
- Inconsistent highlighting and note-taking functionality
- Inability to view full pages and content
- Text-to-speech feature not working properly

**Requested features**

- Improve text formatting and layout
- Add split-screen support for note-taking
- Enhance accessibility features like text-to-speech
- Integrate assignment and due date tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crown Connect free?

Crown Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cengage Read free?

Cengage Read is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Crown Connect or Cengage Read?

Cengage Read is rated higher. Crown Connect averages 3.6 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Cengage Read averages 4.2 from 4.2K ratings.

### Do Crown Connect or Cengage Read have ads?

Neither Crown Connect nor Cengage Read shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Crown Connect or Cengage Read?

Crown Connect ships an update every 6 weeks, and Cengage Read every 2 months. Most recently, Crown Connect was updated on October 17, 2026 and Cengage Read on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*