Comparison

StudentFM vs Merv

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

Head to head
About

StudentFM

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Elevate your student living experience with the StudentFM App. A hassle-free solution for residents, it offers seamless maintenance booking and comprehensive building information at your fingertips. It's your key to stress-free student living, designed to enhance wellbeing and transform your student life.

About

Merv

Features
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Your family’s digital security. Private by design. Merv turns your accounts, apps and online activity into one clear Digital Health Score β€” so your whole household, teens included, can see their risks and fix them, together. And because Merv runs entirely on your device, your personal data is never collected, shared or sold. Not a promise. An architecture. ONE SCORE THAT MAKES SECURITY MAKE SENSE Cybersecurity is invisible until it isn’t. Merv makes it visible β€” and fixable. ● Digital Health Score β€” one number that shows where you stand, and why ● Map your digital life β€” accounts, apps, devices and networks, analysed securely on your device ● See your public exposure β€” find your details in known data breaches ● Act, don’t worry β€” guided action cards walk you through fixing what matters most ● Learn as you go β€” on-device guidance written for every generation, not just the tech-savvy THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD, ONE PICTURE Add up to six people. Everyone’s score rolls into a single Family Score β€” a living picture of how protected your home is. Each person keeps their own private view: you see the family picture, never each other’s details. Support your parents, your kids, your partner β€” without ever monitoring them. TEENS, PRIVATE BY DESIGN Teens get their own Merv, with age-matched content, safety tools, and the most protective settings on by default. It works from a declared age range β€” a band, never a birthday, name or ID β€” and collects no personal data. Teens choose what they share with the family. Protection without surveillance. YOUR DATA NEVER LEAVES YOUR DEVICE Merv is AI-native and runs on your iPhone’s own intelligence. All checks happen locally; only anonymous threat lists come down to your phone. Merv can’t see your data, so it can never lose it, share it or sell it. That’s not a policy β€” it’s how Merv is built. CLARITY, NOT ALARM No fear, no jargon, no nagging. Merv explains your exposures in plain language, shows you what to fix first, and helps every member of the family stay confident and independent online. WHAT’S INCLUDED ● Free β€” your Digital Health Score (as a range), education, Merv Chat Q&A, a breach report for one email address, and QR code safety checks ● Premium β€” your fine-grain score, deeper education, premium Merv Chat, breach reports for up to ten email addresses ● Household β€” up to six members, with a combined Family Score alongside each person’s own WHY FAMILIES TRUST MERV ● GDPRkidsβ„’ Privacy Assured Shield by PRIVO ● COPPA Safe Harbor Certification by PRIVO ● Common Sense Privacy Seal Verified (97% Score) ● Aligned to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF 2.0) PRIVO is an independent third party dedicated to safeguarding children’s personal information online. Designed for iPhone models with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 16 or later). Start with your score today. Protect the Human. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

StudentFM4 screens
Merv2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StudentFM at none against Merv's 3. StudentFM also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.5). Merv's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Merv sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. StudentFM asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StudentFM ships an update every 5 weeks, Merv every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
StudentFM versus Merv: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStudentFMMerv
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better26.5
Further details β€” not scored
Size32 MB114 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperStudent Facility Management LimitedProtective IQ Limited

In-app purchases

None

StudentFM

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Merv

Subscriptions3
  • All Access (1 Month)$9.991 Month
  • All Access (1 Year)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • All Access Household (1 Year)7 Days trial$149.991 Year

Questions

Is StudentFM free?
StudentFM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merv free?
Merv is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StudentFM or Merv have ads?
Neither StudentFM nor Merv shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StudentFM or Merv?
StudentFM ships an update every 5 weeks, and Merv every 2 weeks. Most recently, StudentFM was updated on November 8, 2026 and Merv on November 12, 2026.

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