MyState vs Knack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MyState
This app serves as a comprehensive student toolkit, offering essential information and features for navigating university life. It provides real-time updates on campus transportation, dining options, class schedules, and campus events. Students can also access a directory, library services, and campus maps to enhance their academic and social experience.
- Customizable dashboard
- Class schedule and GPA calculator
- Real-time bus arrival predictions
- Dining hall hours and menus
- Campus directory and map
- Student organization discovery
- Library catalog and account management
Read full descriptionHide full description
Cyclone Nation, meet MyState. MyState is the ultimate student toolkit to help you get the most out of your adventure at Iowa State. Use MyState to catch the next bus, locate your next class, see what's to eat, quickly find your instructor's office, and much more! + Dashboard - Quickly see information to start your adventure. Weather, CyRide, Classes, Dining, and more! Customize the Dashboard just for you. + Classes - View your class schedule, including locations and instructors. Calculate your GPA or check the line at testing centers and see their hours. + CyRide - Check to see when busses are scheduled to arrive at any of the bus stops in Ames, with arrival predictions from MyRide. + Dining - Find operating hours and menus for any dining location on campus. + Directory - Easily find individuals and offices on campus. + Events - See which exciting official ISU events are going on in the area. + Fairs - Prepare for and navigate career and other fairs by marking booths as favorites and seeing them on a map of the fair locations. + Library - View your checked-out items, holds, and fines; find locations and hours; search the main library catalog. + Map - Find buildings, dining locations, art on campus, testing centers, recreation centers, and more! + News - Read and share the latest updates from across campus. + Photostream - Check out user-submitted photos of the Iowa State campus. + StuOrgs - Discover, join, and subscribe to student orgs. Manage existing org memberships and subscriptions. + Testing Centers - View Testing Center locations and availability. + More - Stream KURE 88.5 along with other fun extras! MyState. Built by students, for students!
Knack
Connect with verified student tutors for academic assistance or earn money by sharing your expertise. This platform facilitates peer-to-peer learning, allowing students to find help for specific courses and tutors to set their own schedules.
- Connect with verified tutors
- Get paid to tutor peers
- Request help for specific courses
- Showcase academic skills
- Flexible tutoring schedule
- Peer learning strategy
Read full descriptionHide full description
Knack is your campus network for receiving peer-to-peer academic support, earning money through a flexible schedule, and building meaningful connections and a sense of belonging on campus. Find a Tutor - Match with peers who aced your exact class. - Book 1-on-1 or group study sessions. - Meet anywhere—online or on campus. Become a Tutor - Get paid to share your knowledge. - Set your own schedule and work flexibly. - Help your peers succeed and build your resume with meaningful paid employment.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Knack at 86% against MyState's 28%. Knack also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). MyState's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Knack holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Knack has 2.1K ratings behind it against 80, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of MyState's written reviews are positive against 86% of Knack's.
MyState ships an update every 3 months, Knack weekly. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.
| Parameter | MyState | Knack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (80 ratings) | 4.9 (2.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.5% of reviews | 85.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 80 | 2.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 97 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Iowa State University of Science and Technology | Knack Technologies, Inc. |
Customer experience
MyState
Knack
User reviews
MyState
From 80 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Useful for class schedule
- 👍 Great app when student
- 👍 Contains all needed information
- 👍 Cool app
- 👍 Sleek design
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bus tracker inaccurate
- 🐛 Class schedule issues
- 🐛 Dining hall hours inaccurate
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Bus tracker unreliable
Knack
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for tutors and students
- 💰 Fair pricing
- 🤝 Connects students with knowledgeable tutors
- 🏆 Helps improve grades
Room to improve
- 🐛 Technical issues and glitches
- 💻 Lacks landscape mode
- 🕰️ Limited tutoring hours per week
- 🤖 Lack of support for tutors
Bugs and requests
MyState
Reported bugs
43 issues- Bus tracker estimates off by 10-15 minutes
- Bus tracker states no buses when there are
- App crashes when opening
- Class schedule issues persist
- Bus tracker not showing buses
Show 38 moreShow fewer
- Dining hall hours inaccurate
- Bus tracker times inaccurate
- App crashes when pressing bus stop on map
- App crashes immediately without opening
- App opens to main page then shuts down
- App crashes after new update
- App won't open after update
- App crashes when loading
- App shows blank white screen on login
- App endlessly tries to sign in then crashes
- App crashes whenever
- App won't load anything
- App crashes when trying to view schedule
- App freezes on installation
- Map randomly zooms out
- Map doesn't stay in hybrid/satellite mode
- CyRide section crashes if no other bus predicted
- CyRide section crashes if bus not running
- CyRide section shows wrong bus times
- CyRide section arrival times not available for all stops
- Class schedule messed up
- Calendar sync adds classes at wrong time
- Calendar upload button doesn't work
- Cannot log in to email
- App crashes when trying to enter system privacy settings
- Anonymous usage statistics option resets
- Map doesn't load
- Dining section doesn't work
- Login screen freezes
- App crashes on splash screen
- App crashes on welcome page
- App crashes when opening after update
- Bus routes annoying to figure out
- New bus schedule doesn't show bus type or arrival time
- Bus stops in alphabetical order
- Laundry availability not functioning correctly
- App crashes when opening on older devices
- App crashes when opening on iPhone 2nd gen iPod touch
Requested features
20 requests- Add support for alumni
- Third-party access for Ubill
- More accurate bus times
- Show all bus stops on map
- Add parking information
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Add date, time, and weather to dashboard
- Add computer lab availability
- Restore dining center hours and menus
- Add iPad version
- Link to night/final exam schedules
- Offline bus schedule option
- Campus map with buildings
- Restore Cyride functionality from old app
- Add 'My Bus Stops' tab
- Option to change bus stop order
- Support for summer Cyride schedules
- Fix time zone issues for class schedule
- Improve bus route navigation
- Add dark mode
- More practical Cyride interface
Knack
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes and freezes
- Messaging issues (notifications not showing up)
- Compatibility problems with older devices
Requested features
3 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved messaging and notifications
- Expanded tutoring hours for post-grad tutors
In-app purchases
MyState
No in-app purchases
Knack
No in-app purchases
