Comparison

JMU Be Involved vs Beam

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

Head to head
About

JMU Be Involved

Discover student organizations, campus events, and leadership opportunities at James Madison University. This platform helps students connect with campus life and explore involvement options.

Highlights
  • Discover student organizations
  • Explore involvement opportunities
  • Learn about campus events
  • Find leadership roles
  • Connect with JMU campus life
Features
Read full description

Be Involved is an involvement platform for James Madison University (JMU) students, organizations and departments. Students can discover student organizations, explore involvement and leadership opportunities, learn about campus events, and so much more!

About

Beam

This app provides ensembles with tools to organize, annotate, and perform music collaboratively. It streamlines rehearsal processes, allowing for easy score management and shared annotation layers for different roles. Access a library of free sheet music and integrate with other tools for attendance and drill management.

Highlights
  • Interactive music organization
  • Score annotation tools
  • Customizable annotation layers
  • Sheet music library access
  • Attendance tracking integration
  • Seamless page management
Features
Read full description

Beam transforms rehearsal into an interactive experience, giving ensembles powerful tools to organize, annotate, and perform music together. Built for bands, orchestras, choirs, drum corps, and performing ensembles of every kind, Beam makes it easy to keep every performer on the same page, whether you’re in rehearsal, on the field, or on stage. NEW * Completely redesigned interface now integrated with the full Arc ecosystem * Update licenses or access in Beam, and changes are reflected across all Arc products * Easily upload, re-order and crop scores in the re-designed upload center * Create and save customizable annotation tools Features for Members * One login grants you access to Beam, UDBapp, and Geo * Check-in with Geo without ever leaving Beam, no more interrupted rehearsals * Discover free sheet music in the Beam Public Library Features for Admins and Staff * Easily add, edit, or delete scores in your ensemble's account directly from the app * Assign collections, set lists and songs based on subject, group or subgroup * One tap access to UDB for drill, and Geo for attendance * Discover royalty free sheet music in the Beam Public Library ready to perform or record Integrated with the Arc Ecosystem As part of the Arc ecosystem, Beam integrates seamlessly with UDBapp and Geo, so your music, drill, attendance, and rehearsal tools all work together. With Arc, Beam now offers: * A single login for all your Arc apps: Directors, staff, and performers can access everything they need in one connected platform. * Seamless page management: Edit one or multiple pages at a time with the crop, cut, and delete tools. Reorder, or duplicate pages, and assign a single page to multiple parts all from the upload screens. * Custom Annotation Layers: Role-dependent layers offer directors, students and staff managed access to annotations and notes. * Calendar & Attendance Integration with Geo: See full rehearsal and performance schedules, check-in to events with multiple locations, and track attendance throughout the season. Use Live Attendance to get a real-time view of who is at rehearsal and who is not.

Screenshots

JMU Be Involved4 screens
Beam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Beam at 5.0 against JMU Be Involved's 4.2. Beam also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (12% vs 0%). JMU Be Involved's advantage is ratings volume (107 vs 3). 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

Beam holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JMU Be Involved has 107 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of JMU Be Involved's written reviews are positive against 12% of Beam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JMU Be Involved ships an update every 3 weeks, Beam every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
JMU Be Involved versus Beam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJMU Be InvolvedBeam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (107 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews11.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings107 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB108 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJames Madison UniversityUltimate Drill Book

Customer experience

JMU Be Involved

All ratings107 ratings
Positive78.5%
Neutral7.5%
Negative14.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Beam

Written reviews43 reviews
Positive11.6%
Neutral7.0%
Negative81.4%

In-app purchases

None

JMU Be Involved

No in-app purchases

None

Beam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JMU Be Involved free?
JMU Be Involved is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beam free?
Beam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, JMU Be Involved or Beam?
Beam is rated higher. JMU Be Involved averages 4.2 out of 5 from 107 ratings, while Beam averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do JMU Be Involved or Beam have ads?
Neither JMU Be Involved nor Beam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JMU Be Involved or Beam?
JMU Be Involved ships an update every 3 weeks, and Beam every 5 days. Most recently, JMU Be Involved was updated on October 25, 2026 and Beam on October 29, 2026.

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