Comparison

MyKidsSpending | MySpending vs Nova Safe

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

Head to head
About

MyKidsSpending | MySpending

Easily manage your school spending accounts on the go. Add funds via bank transfer or Apple Pay, check your balance, and view recent deposits. Use the in-app QR code for purchases and order meals or activities if your school supports it.

Highlights
  • Add funds from bank account
  • Pay with Apple Pay
  • Check account balance
  • View last deposit information
  • In-app QR code for purchases
  • Order meals and activities
Features
Read full description

"MyKidsSpending | MySpending" is the iOS app for MyKidsSpending.com and MySpending.info. The MKS app makes it easy to add funds to your MKS|MSI accounts, either by depositing funds from a U.S. bank account or by paying with Apple Pay (all from within the app). The app allows you to conveniently check your school spending account balance and gives you information on the last deposit received. Find out before you get into the checkout line whether money has been put into your account. Use the in-app QR code to buy items at your cafeteria or bookstore. Once your school has the ordering feature enabled, you can use the app to order meals, sign up for activities, and more all from your within the app.

About

Nova Safe

This safety app connects users to university safety forces for quick assistance. It allows sending crime tips with media, requesting safety escorts, and tracking friends' locations. Users can also access campus resources, shuttle schedules, and view a crime map.

Highlights
  • Contact university safety forces
  • Send crime tips with photos/videos
  • Request safety escorts
  • Friend Watch location tracking
  • View real-time shuttle locations
  • Access campus resources
  • View campus crime map
Features
Read full description

Nova Safe is the official safety app of Villanova University. If you're in a dangerous situation, use the Nova Safe application to quickly and easily contact university safety forces. Nova Safe also allows you to: -Send text messages, as well as photos and videos of crime tips and suspicious behavior directly to university safety forces. -Request a safety escort to walk you though campus. -Use the Friend Watch feature to create a peer-to-peer safety network. Walking to class alone and want some additional safety? Use Friend Watch to allow your friends and family to track your location during that activity. -View campus shuttle schedules and even view the shuttles location in real-time. -Access campus resources, such as the student handbook, and emergency procedures directly through the app. -View a crime map which displays recent incidents on campus. GPS disclaimer: "Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life."

Screenshots

MyKidsSpending | MySpending4 screens
Nova Safe3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MyKidsSpending | MySpending at 4.8 against Nova Safe's 3.5. MyKidsSpending | MySpending also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 6). Nova Safe's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 16%) and iOS requirement (13.2 vs 15.8.3). 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

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

MyKidsSpending | MySpending holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MyKidsSpending | MySpending has 1.2K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 16% of MyKidsSpending | MySpending's written reviews are positive against 50% of Nova Safe's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MyKidsSpending | MySpending ships an update every 10 days, Nova Safe every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
MyKidsSpending | MySpending versus Nova Safe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMyKidsSpending | MySpendingNova Safe
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better3.5 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews16.4% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.8.313.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOdin Inc.Villanova University

Customer experience

MyKidsSpending | MySpending

All ratings1,198 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral1.3%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive16.4%
Neutral1.8%
Negative81.8%

Nova Safe

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

MyKidsSpending | MySpending

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • Login issues, password reset link leads back to login page
  • App crashes frequently
  • App won't open
  • QR codes expire too quickly
  • Cannot log into account via app or website
Show 13 more
  • App glitchy, won't show full options
  • Spending log not showing purchases
  • App crashes when trying to add funds
  • App crashes on opening with new iPhones
  • App won't let user add funds via Apple Pay
  • App keeps saying 'loading'
  • Website and app won't open
  • App crashes when entering deposit amount
  • Login screen has white text on white background
  • App crashes and logs out frequently
  • App doesn't document orders
  • App doesn't show how much has been spent
  • App crashes when entering dollar amount to deposit

Requested features

10 requests
  • Allow adding single debit or credit card
  • Fix confirmation phone number issues
  • Improve password reset security
  • Add tools to filter spending by date range
  • Provide more complete instructions on child login
Show 5 more
  • Enable funding of multiple accounts in one transaction
  • Update app for Face ID compatibility
  • Add a settings section
  • Enable auto-funding by default
  • Make statements available on demand

Nova Safe

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MyKidsSpending | MySpending

No in-app purchases

None

Nova Safe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MyKidsSpending | MySpending free?
MyKidsSpending | MySpending is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nova Safe free?
Nova Safe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MyKidsSpending | MySpending or Nova Safe?
MyKidsSpending | MySpending is rated higher. MyKidsSpending | MySpending averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Nova Safe averages 3.5 from 6 ratings.
Do MyKidsSpending | MySpending or Nova Safe have ads?
Neither MyKidsSpending | MySpending nor Nova Safe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MyKidsSpending | MySpending or Nova Safe?
MyKidsSpending | MySpending ships an update every 10 days, and Nova Safe every 5 months. Most recently, MyKidsSpending | MySpending was updated on October 29, 2026 and Nova Safe on October 24, 2026.

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