# Top Hat vs eSMS Student

The clearest difference is rating: Top Hat at 4.6 against eSMS Student's 1.8. Top Hat also leads on ratings volume (23K vs 16) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). eSMS Student's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 14%) and iOS requirement (14.2 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Top Hat holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Top Hat has 23K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 14% of Top Hat's written reviews are positive against 50% of eSMS Student's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Top Hat ships an update fortnightly, eSMS Student every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Top Hat | eSMS Student |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291/reviews)** | [1.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esms-student/id1146884527/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 14.4% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#189** | — |
| Size | 162 MB | 161 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Top Hat Monocle](https://appshunter.io/developer/411098284) | [University of Arizona](https://appshunter.io/developer/437682109) |

## What reviewers say

### Top Hat

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

**Currently charting:** #189 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


### eSMS Student

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esms-student/id1146884527)

This app allows University of Arizona students to manage academic and career appointments, reserve study rooms, and view college events. It integrates with learning management systems and requires prior web portal login.

**Highlights:** Book and manage advising appointments, Schedule career coaching sessions, Reserve collaborative team rooms, View and RSVP to college events, Connect with D2L and Blackboard

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Top Hat free?

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

### Is eSMS Student free?

eSMS Student is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Top Hat or eSMS Student?

Top Hat is rated higher. Top Hat averages 4.6 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while eSMS Student averages 1.8 from 16 ratings.

### Do Top Hat or eSMS Student have ads?

Neither Top Hat nor eSMS Student shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Top Hat or eSMS Student?

Top Hat ships an update fortnightly, and eSMS Student every 2 months. Most recently, Top Hat was updated on September 26, 2026 and eSMS Student on September 21, 2026.

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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.*