# Piazza vs Courses@HKU

The clearest difference is update cadence: Piazza at fortnightly against Courses@HKU's every 3 months. Piazza also leads on review sentiment (14% vs 0%). Courses@HKU's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.6). 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.

Piazza ships an update fortnightly, Courses@HKU every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Piazza | Courses@HKU |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.1 (279 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piazza/id453142230/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **279** | — |
| Positive reviews | **14.2% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 3 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Piazza Technologies, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/453142233) | [The University of Hong Kong](https://appshunter.io/developer/451384643) |

## What reviewers say

### Piazza

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piazza/id453142230)

This platform facilitates communication and learning for higher education. Students can ask and answer questions, while instructors can monitor student engagement. It provides real-time updates and a centralized space for class interactions.

**Highlights:** Ask and answer questions, Real-time updates, Centralized class communication, Student engagement monitoring, Mobile access for students and instructors

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Useful app
- 🚀 Great for tracking classes
- 🚀 Convenient mobile access

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🐛 Lacks key features from web version
- 🐛 Poor user interface and navigation
- 🔒 Login and authentication issues

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to post or reply
- Randomly logs out users
- Fails to load posts and resources
- Incompatible with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to access course materials
- Improved formatting and editing tools
- Better organization of posts and discussions
- Seamless integration with web version


### Courses@HKU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/courseshku/id1325936379)

This application helps HKU undergraduate students plan and select their courses. It requires login to the HKU Portal to access information.

**Highlights:** Course planning assistance, Course selection guidance, HKU Portal login required, Information for undergraduates

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Piazza free?

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

### Is Courses@HKU free?

Courses@HKU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Piazza or Courses@HKU have ads?

Neither Piazza nor Courses@HKU shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Piazza or Courses@HKU?

Piazza ships an update fortnightly, and Courses@HKU every 3 months. Most recently, Piazza was updated on September 30, 2026 and Courses@HKU on September 29, 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.*