Comparison

Blugold Connect+ vs Beam

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

Head to head
About

Blugold Connect+

This platform connects university students to campus life, offering event information, club participation, and involvement tracking. It facilitates engagement through features like QR code check-ins, group chats, and personalized feeds to enhance the college experience.

Highlights
  • Campus event discovery and registration
  • Club and organization joining
  • QR code event check-ins
  • Involvement tracking
  • Group chat and meeting scheduling
  • Discussion feeds
Features
Read full description

Blugold Connect+ the official student engagement platform at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. A one-stop-shop app for campus events, engagement, involvement, and campus-wide app hub - to ensure your success in connecting to all of the right places throughout your college journey! The Blugold Connect+ app allows you to join clubs and organizations, register and receive push notifications about campus events, check into events via QR code, track your involvement, chat with others, schedule meetings, gamify your experiences, create discussion feeds 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

Blugold Connect+4 screens
Beam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blugold Connect+ at 4.2 against Beam's 3.3. Blugold Connect+ also leads on ratings volume (33 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Beam's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks). 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

Blugold Connect+ holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blugold Connect+ has 33 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blugold Connect+ ships an update every 5 weeks, Beam every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Blugold Connect+ versus Beam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlugold Connect+Beam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (33 ratings) — better3.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—11.6% of reviews
Number of ratings33 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB107 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUniversity of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireUltimate Drill Book

Customer experience

Blugold Connect+

All ratings33 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%

Beam

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive11.6%
Neutral7.0%
Negative81.4%

In-app purchases

None

Blugold Connect+

No in-app purchases

None

Beam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Blugold Connect+ free?
Blugold Connect+ 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, Blugold Connect+ or Beam?
Blugold Connect+ is rated higher. Blugold Connect+ averages 4.2 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Beam averages 3.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Blugold Connect+ or Beam have ads?
Neither Blugold Connect+ nor Beam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blugold Connect+ or Beam?
Blugold Connect+ ships an update every 5 weeks, and Beam every 4 days. Most recently, Blugold Connect+ was updated on October 7, 2026 and Beam on October 10, 2026.

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