# Ohio State vs Top Hat

Ohio State and Top Hat both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 52% of Ohio State's written reviews are positive against 14% of Top Hat's. Ohio State also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Top Hat's advantage is ratings volume (23K vs 778) and chart position (#129 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Ohio State against 4.6 for Top Hat. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Top Hat has 23K ratings behind it against 778, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of Ohio State's written reviews are positive against 14% of Top Hat's.

Ohio State ships an update every 5 days, Top Hat fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ohio State | Top Hat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (778 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ohio-state/id446442963/reviews) | **[4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 778 | **23K** |
| Positive reviews | **52.2% of reviews** | 14.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#129** |
| Size | 317 MB | 162 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ohio State University](https://appshunter.io/developer/436381857) | [Top Hat Monocle](https://appshunter.io/developer/411098284) |

## What reviewers say

### Ohio State

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ohio-state/id446442963)

Navigate campus life with this official university app. Access real-time transit, class schedules, grades, building directories, and dining information. Manage your student account, find organizations, and stay informed about campus safety.

**Highlights:** Real-time bus tracking, Class schedules and grades, Campus building directory, Parking garage capacity, BuckID account management, Dining locations and menus, Student organizations listing

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent user experience
- 🚀 Helpful for students
- 🚀 Convenient features
- 🚀 Integrates well with campus life

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🐛 Inaccurate bus schedules
- 🐛 Login/logout issues
- 🐛 Crashing and freezing
- 🔒 Privacy concerns

**Reported bugs**

- White screen on launch
- Favorite bus stops not saving
- Incorrect class schedules
- Parking garage widget not working

**Requested features**

- Integrate with Carmen (learning management system)
- Add ability to view weekly calendar
- Improve bus schedule accuracy
- Expand to include more campus resources


### Top Hat

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

**Currently charting:** #129 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 Ohio State free?

Ohio State 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, Ohio State or Top Hat?

Top Hat is rated higher. Ohio State averages 4.5 out of 5 from 778 ratings, while Top Hat averages 4.6 from 23K ratings.

### Do Ohio State or Top Hat have ads?

Neither Ohio State nor Top Hat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ohio State or Top Hat?

Ohio State ships an update every 5 days, and Top Hat fortnightly. Most recently, Ohio State was updated on September 24, 2026 and Top Hat on September 24, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*