# Piazza vs Top Hat

The clearest difference is rating: Top Hat at 4.6 against Piazza's 2.1. Top Hat also leads on ratings volume (23K vs 277) and chart position (#106 vs unranked). Piazza's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Top Hat holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Top Hat has 23K ratings behind it against 277, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 14% and 14% positive.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Piazza | Top Hat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.1 (277 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piazza/id453142230/reviews) | **[4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 277 | **23K** |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews | **14.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#106** |
| Size | 3 MB | 162 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Piazza Technologies, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/453142233) | [Top Hat Monocle](https://appshunter.io/developer/411098284) |

## 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


### Top Hat

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

**Currently charting:** #106 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 Piazza free?

Piazza 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, Piazza or Top Hat?

Top Hat is rated higher. Piazza averages 2.1 out of 5 from 277 ratings, while Top Hat averages 4.6 from 23K ratings.

### Do Piazza or Top Hat have ads?

Neither Piazza nor Top Hat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Piazza or Top Hat?

Piazza ships an update fortnightly, and Top Hat fortnightly. Most recently, Piazza was updated on September 21, 2026 and Top Hat on September 24, 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.*