Schools App vs Flare
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Schools App
Connect with fellow students at your college or university before and during your academic journey. Discover new friends, join study groups, and stay informed about important campus announcements.
- Student Directory
- Activity Feed
- Study Group Finder
- Group Messaging
- Private Messaging
- Roommate Finder
- Announcements
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Please note you must be invited by a participating college or university, and a Facebook account is required to login. Schools App is the best way for students at their college or university to connect and make friends prior to and during college. Schools App is the official community at many colleges and universities such as Syracuse University, University of Oregon, UCLA, Stony Brook University, Northwest Arkansas Community College, Pace, University of Denver, Columbia College Chicago, Gonzaga, California College of the Arts, Samford University, UCSB, and many, many more. Features: • Student Directory: Find other students based on name, common interests, and location. • Activity Feed: See what other students are talking about and get answers to your questions. • Study Group Finder - Study alone? Study with the help of other students! • Group Messaging - Start a group, find a group, and be part of the discussion. • Private Messaging: Connect with staff and students in real time. • Roommate Finder: Find great people so you can live better! • Announcements: Don’t miss the important messages from the school. Questions about Schools App? Contact TargetX at http://www.targetx.com/contact-us/
Flare
This app streamlines group management by consolidating communication, event planning, and engagement tools. It offers features like group chats, event RSVPs, attendance tracking, photo albums, and payment collection, making it ideal for various organizations.
- Group chats and announcements
- Event creation and attendance tracking
- Photo albums and highlights
- Polls and points system
- Ticket sales and payment collection
- File sharing and roster management
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Flare is the ultimate app for groups. Flare keeps your group connected, organized, and engaged—all in one app. Whether you’re running a student organization, campus council, alumni network, or a national community, Flare makes communication effortless and events unforgettable. Why Flare? Tired of juggling endless group chats, scattered files, and disorganized calendars? Flare brings everything together: messages, events, attendance, photos, polls, points and more. With privacy controls and high‑quality features, it’s the smarter way to manage your community. Key Features & Benefits: ▶ Events & Attendance – Create and share events with details, RSVPs, and reminders. Track attendance with QR codes, passcodes, geolocation, or ticketing. ▶ Group Chats & Announcements – Keep everyone in the loop with customizable chats and a dedicated announcement wall. Optional message approval gives admins control when needed. ▶ Albums & Highlights – Upload high‑quality photos (up to 5000px), save your favorite photos, and share approved highlights. ▶ Engagement Tools – Polls, points system, birthday reminders, and alumni engagement. ▶ Payments Made Easy – Sell tickets or collect payments with Venmo integration. ▶ Seamless Organization – Share files, manage rosters, connect with alumni, and build lasting group connections. Built for Privacy & Control: - Protect your chats with screenshot blocking and admin notifications - Admin can delete messages and suspend members - Settings to approve messages, highlights, and membership requests. Join 500,000+ users already using Flare to simplify communication and boost engagement!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flare at 96% against Schools App's 14%. Flare also leads on rating (4.9 vs 1.9) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Flare holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flare has 6.3K ratings behind it against 212, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of Schools App's written reviews are positive against 96% of Flare's.
Schools App ships an update every 2 months, Flare every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Schools App | Flare |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.9 (212 ratings) | 4.9 (6.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews | 96.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 212 | 6.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #90 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 130 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TargetX.Com LLC Apps | Flare App, Inc. |
Customer experience
Schools App
Flare
User reviews
Schools App
From 212 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good for meeting people
- 👍 Good for networking
- 👍 Connects with school staff
- 👍 Potential for meeting roommates
Room to improve
- ❌ Requires Facebook login
- ❌ Login errors persist
- ❌ App is broken/unusable
- ❌ No other login options
- ❌ Internet connection issues
Flare
From 6.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Efficient communication
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Organized and user-friendly
- 🎨 Great features like photo albums and calendars
- 💪 Comprehensive for large groups
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional technical issues with notifications and loading
- 🔒 Strict privacy settings can be limiting
- 💻 Lack of desktop/web version
Bugs and requests
Schools App
Reported bugs
14 issues- Login errors (User not allowed, app in development)
- Facebook login not working
- App freezes or crashes
- Help page submit button not working
- Account inactive errors
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Internet connection errors despite having connection
- Messages not fully received
- No push notifications received
- Message inbox not working
- App crashes and shows 'Schools app error'
- Verification email not sending
- App stuck on 'connecting' screen
- Cannot access admin privileges
- Slow loading times
Requested features
13 requests- Add alternative login options (email, Twitter, Insta, Google)
- Fix login errors and 'app not setup' issues
- Improve notification reliability
- Add a block/mute feature
- Allow profile access from messages
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Create a separate feed for school-approved information
- Add a search/filter for degree path
- Add quiz for narrowing down results
- Allow admin management from the app
- Fix lengthy message truncation
- Add dark mode
- Improve app design
- Add more gender options or remove offensive ones
Flare
Reported bugs
2 issues- Notifications not always working properly
- Difficulty removing screenshots and photos
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to remove albums and events
- More customization options for admins
- Integration with personal calendars
In-app purchases
Schools App
No in-app purchases
Flare
No in-app purchases









