Comparison

Piazza vs Gradescope

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

Head to head
About

Piazza

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
Read full description

Piazza is the leading social learning platform for higher education, used by hundreds of thousands of students and more than 15 thousand professors for centralized class communications and polling. If you're a student, the Piazza app lets you ask and answer questions in all your Piazza classes from your mobile device, and updates you in real time when your peers are engaged. If you're an instructor, the app gives you a simple way to check in on your students during those spare moments between meetings. Stay connected to your class with Piazza!

About

Gradescope

Easily upload assignments for courses using this app. Submit files from your device or scan your work directly. Assign pages for variable-length assignments and resubmit if needed before the deadline.

Highlights
  • Upload assignments
  • Scan documents with camera
  • Select existing files
  • Assign pages for variable-length assignments
  • Resubmit assignments
  • View submitted and graded assignments
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Students, upload your assignments to Gradescope more easily than ever before! If your instructor uses Gradescope for your assignments, you can now upload your submission with our mobile app. After installing and opening the app, login to see your Gradescope courses and assignments. To upload a submission, click on the assignment in the “Not Submitted” tab and either “Select File” to select an existing file from your device or “Scan” all pages of your completed work using your iPhone’s camera. Once you submit your file(s), for templated assignments, you’re all set. For variable-length assignments, “Assign pages” to indicate where your answer for each question appears within your submission. It’s that easy! After confirming, your assignment then moves to the “Submitted” tab. If needed, you can resubmit your assignment until the due date your instructor set has passed. Once it is graded and grades are published for the assignment, it then moves to the “Graded” tab. Note: For V1 of the app, you will be directed to our mobile website for any advanced functionality, including viewing feedback and submitting timed, programming, or online assignments. Stay tuned for future updates that will allow you to do even more with our mobile app!

Screenshots

Piazza3 screens
Gradescope4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Piazza at 2.1 against Gradescope's 1.4. Piazza also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Gradescope's advantage is chart position (#114 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Piazza holds the better App Store score, 2.1 against 1.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 277 and 231 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of Piazza's written reviews are positive against 9% of Gradescope's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Piazza ships an update fortnightly, Gradescope every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Piazza versus Gradescope: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPiazzaGradescope
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (277 ratings) — better1.4 (231 ratings)
Positive reviews14.3% of reviews — better9.2% of reviews
Number of ratings277 — better231
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#114 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPiazza Technologies, Inc.Turnitin

Customer experience

Piazza

All ratings277 ratings
Positive20.9%
Neutral10.1%
Negative69.0%
Written reviews112 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral11.6%
Negative74.1%

Gradescope

All ratings231 ratings
Positive7.4%
Neutral3.5%
Negative89.2%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive9.2%
Neutral7.1%
Negative83.7%

User reviews

Piazza

From 277 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Gradescope

From 231 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick and effective submission process
  • 👍 Clean and well-designed app
  • 📸 Convenient scanning and photo upload

Room to improve

  • 🔑 Frequent log-in issues and lack of session persistence
  • 📱 Suboptimal iPad and tablet experience
  • 🐛 Buggy scanning and submission functionality
  • 🤔 Lack of key features like viewing graded assignments

Bugs and requests

Piazza

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Gradescope

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Camera flash issues during scanning
  • Photos not uploading in correct order
  • Inconsistent download button behavior

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to sort assignments by due date
  • Integration of tools for instructors
  • Improved iPad and tablet optimization

In-app purchases

None

Piazza

No in-app purchases

None

Gradescope

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Piazza free?
Piazza is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gradescope free?
Gradescope is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Piazza or Gradescope?
Piazza is rated higher. Piazza averages 2.1 out of 5 from 277 ratings, while Gradescope averages 1.4 from 231 ratings.
Do Piazza or Gradescope have ads?
Neither Piazza nor Gradescope shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Piazza or Gradescope?
Piazza ships an update fortnightly, and Gradescope every 2 months. Most recently, Piazza was updated on September 21, 2026 and Gradescope on September 22, 2026.

Other comparisons