# VCU Mobile vs Top Hat

The clearest difference is rating: Top Hat at 4.6 against VCU Mobile's 2.7. Top Hat also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (23K vs 20). VCU Mobile's advantage is review sentiment (56% vs 15%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Top Hat holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Top Hat has 23K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of VCU Mobile's written reviews are positive against 15% of Top Hat's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

VCU Mobile ships an update every 5 months, Top Hat every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | VCU Mobile | Top Hat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vcu-mobile/id381552955/reviews) | **[4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 20 | **23K** |
| Positive reviews | **55.6% of reviews** | 14.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#204** |
| Size | 35 MB | 152 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Virginia Commonwealth University](https://appshunter.io/developer/381552958) | [Top Hat Monocle](https://appshunter.io/developer/411098284) |

## What reviewers say

### VCU Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vcu-mobile/id381552955)

Access Virginia Commonwealth University resources on your phone. Find campus events, course details, news, and multimedia. Navigate campus and track the bus system.

**Highlights:** Student and faculty lookup, Campus event listings, Course information, University news, Campus navigation and bus tracking, University multimedia gallery

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Top Hat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291)

**Currently charting:** #204 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Enhance your learning experience with interactive resources, in-class participation tools, and dynamic digital textbooks. Engage with professors and peers, and test your knowledge with quizzes and polls to improve comprehension and retention.

**Highlights:** Follow lecture slides on your device, In-class response system, In-app discussions with peers and professors, Dynamic, interactive digital textbooks, Take polls and quizzes, Access graded and non-graded homework

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive interface
- 👍 Useful for attendance and in-class quizzes
- 💡 Potential for interactive learning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with location tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Answers not registering correctly
- Slides not loading properly on mobile devices
- Inconsistent performance across platforms

**Requested features**

- Add page numbers and search functionality to ebooks
- Improve syncing between mobile and web versions
- Allow more flexible location settings for attendance


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VCU Mobile free?

VCU Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Top Hat free?

Top Hat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, VCU Mobile or Top Hat?

Top Hat is rated higher. VCU Mobile averages 2.7 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Top Hat averages 4.6 from 23K ratings.

### Do VCU Mobile or Top Hat have ads?

Neither VCU Mobile nor Top Hat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, VCU Mobile or Top Hat?

VCU Mobile ships an update every 5 months, and Top Hat every 2 weeks. Most recently, VCU Mobile was updated on October 17, 2026 and Top Hat on October 17, 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.*