IU Mobile vs Penji
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
IU Mobile
This app serves as a central hub for Indiana University students, consolidating essential information and services from various university systems. It provides a personalized experience to help students navigate their academic journey, access updates, and find support.
- University message center
- Access to updates and services
- Search for support
- Content from Knowledge base, People, One.IU
- Personalized student experience
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IU Mobile is a digital gateway for Indiana University students. It pulls together information and services from multiple systems to helps current students navigate learning at IU from one native environment. In other words, it’s a personalized, custom experience for all IU audiences. IU Mobile lets students get messages from the university, access updates and services on the main pages, or search for support. It pulls in content from Knowledge base, People, One.IU, and places information--so students are always up-to-date.
Penji
Connect with campus support services like tutoring, advising, and mentoring. Schedule appointments, join drop-in hours, and find study groups to enhance your academic journey. This app provides a modern, mobile-first experience for accessing university resources.
- Schedule tutors and mentors
- Attend drop-in hours
- Register for group sessions
- Find study groups
- Access advising resources
- Remote-friendly support
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Penji is the central hub for tutoring, advising, and other support resources on campus. We partner with support centers at your university, allowing them to provide a modern, mobile-first, and remote-friendly experience for scheduling tutors, mentors, and coaches. Book appointments, attend drop-in hours, register for large-group sessions, meet study groups, and more, all from the app. As recent students ourselves, we know how important friends, tutors, and mentors can be in developing your interest and confidence in different subjects. We hope Penji encourages you to take advantage of these resources more frequently. Each university is different, so sign up to see what your university offers in Penji. Enjoy!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Penji at 93% against IU Mobile's 36%. Penji also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Penji holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penji has 1.2K ratings behind it against 187, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of IU Mobile's written reviews are positive against 93% of Penji's.
IU Mobile ships an update monthly, Penji every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | IU Mobile | Penji |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (187 ratings) | 4.9 (1.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 35.6% of reviews | 92.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 187 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Indiana University | Penji, Inc. |
Customer experience
IU Mobile
Penji
User reviews
IU Mobile
From 187 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy navigation and user-friendly interface
- ⚡ Quick access to essential campus resources
- 🎓 Helpful for new students finding classes and campus
- 🚌 Useful bus tracking and schedule features
- 💳 Convenient digital Crimson Card access
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and app freezes
- 🔐 Constant forced re-authentication and logouts
- ⏳ Slow loading times and unresponsive performance
- 🌐 Functions as a web wrapper rather than native app
- 📵 Poor mobile optimization and screen compatibility
Penji
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Convenient scheduling
- 🚀 Helpful for tutoring
- 💡 Useful for improving grades
- 🙌 Great tutors and support
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitches and technical issues
- 💬 Messaging features need improvement
- 🤔 Penalty for missed appointments
Bugs and requests
IU Mobile
Reported bugs
15 issues- App crashes on startup or during use
- Login loops - requires re-authentication constantly
- Update required message with no available update
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Screen rotation issues on iPad
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- Crimson Card not visible on smaller devices (iPhone SE)
- Email loading icon stuck indefinitely
- Randomly opens wrong emails
- Class schedule reverts to previous semesters
- Widget fails to update schedule
- Duo authentication not displaying
- App closes immediately after opening
- Cannot access laundry, dining, or class information
- Keyboard doesn't display properly
- Connection failures despite strong internet
Requested features
14 requests- Save username and password securely
- Biometric login (Face ID/fingerprint)
- Grade book access
- Reply to class messages functionality
- Faculty-specific features for instructors
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- Syllabus tab access
- OneStart integration
- Canvas/course assignment details
- Laundry status checking
- Dining hall hours display
- Sports schedule information
- Persistent login sessions
- Dark mode option
- Widget functionality for class schedules
Penji
Reported bugs
2 issues- Unusable on iPad
- Tutors not showing as available
Requested features
2 requests- Add voice/call features
- Improve messaging and notifications
In-app purchases
IU Mobile
No in-app purchases
Penji
No in-app purchases









