Comparison

IU Mobile vs Penji

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • University message center
  • Access to updates and services
  • Search for support
  • Content from Knowledge base, People, One.IU
  • Personalized student experience
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Schedule tutors and mentors
  • Attend drop-in hours
  • Register for group sessions
  • Find study groups
  • Access advising resources
  • Remote-friendly support
Features
Read full description

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

IU Mobile4 screens
Penji4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IU Mobile ships an update monthly, Penji every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
IU Mobile versus Penji: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIU MobilePenji
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (187 ratings)4.9 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.6% of reviews92.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1871.2K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIndiana UniversityPenji, Inc.

Customer experience

IU Mobile

All ratings187 ratings
Positive68.4%
Neutral8.0%
Negative23.5%
Written reviews101 reviews
Positive35.6%
Neutral7.9%
Negative56.4%

Penji

All ratings1,216 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive92.6%
Neutral3.7%
Negative3.7%

User reviews

IU Mobile

From 187 App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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
Show 10 more
  • 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
Show 9 more
  • 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

None

IU Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Penji

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is IU Mobile free?
IU Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Penji free?
Penji is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, IU Mobile or Penji?
Penji is rated higher. IU Mobile averages 3.9 out of 5 from 187 ratings, while Penji averages 4.9 from 1.2K ratings.
Do IU Mobile or Penji have ads?
Neither IU Mobile nor Penji shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IU Mobile or Penji?
IU Mobile ships an update monthly, and Penji every 9 days. Most recently, IU Mobile was updated on October 23, 2026 and Penji on October 22, 2026.

Other comparisons