# Top Hat vs Brightspace Pulse

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Brightspace Pulse at 36% against Top Hat's 14%. Brightspace Pulse also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (263K vs 23K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Brightspace Pulse holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brightspace Pulse has 263K ratings behind it against 23K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of Top Hat's written reviews are positive against 36% of Brightspace Pulse's.

Top Hat ships an update fortnightly, Brightspace Pulse every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Top Hat | Brightspace Pulse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291/reviews) | **[4.8 (263K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightspace-pulse/id1001688546/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 23K | **263K** |
| Positive reviews | 14.4% of reviews | **36.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #98 | **#29** |
| Size | 162 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Top Hat Monocle](https://appshunter.io/developer/411098284) | [D2L Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/422392651) |

## What reviewers say

### Top Hat

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

**Currently charting:** #98 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


### Brightspace Pulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightspace-pulse/id1001688546)

**Currently charting:** #29 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Stay connected with your courses on the go. Visualize upcoming deadlines, manage your time effectively, and receive real-time updates on course activities. Access course content offline and participate in discussions.

**Highlights:** Visualize upcoming dates and deadlines, Receive push notifications for course updates, Offline access to course content, Participate in Activity Feed discussions, Seamless browser login to D2L Brightspace, Apple Continuity support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Makes taking online courses easier
- 👍 Easy to access course content
- 👍 Convenient for studying on the go
- 🚀 Helpful for staying organized

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constant log-out issues
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications and content loading
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🔍 Lacks key features like file downloads

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent log-out problems
- Inability to load course content
- Notifications not working as expected
- Compatibility issues with older devices

**Requested features**

- Allow file downloads and exports
- Improve notification reliability
- Optimize for tablet/iPad use
- Add more customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Top Hat free?

Top Hat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Brightspace Pulse free?

Brightspace Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Top Hat or Brightspace Pulse?

Brightspace Pulse is rated higher. Top Hat averages 4.6 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while Brightspace Pulse averages 4.8 from 263K ratings.

### Do Top Hat or Brightspace Pulse have ads?

Neither Top Hat nor Brightspace Pulse shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Top Hat or Brightspace Pulse?

Top Hat ships an update fortnightly, and Brightspace Pulse every 2 weeks. Most recently, Top Hat was updated on September 24, 2026 and Brightspace Pulse on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Top Hat or Brightspace Pulse?

Top Hat currently peaks at #98 in the App Store charts, and Brightspace Pulse at #29. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*