# Top Hat vs Coursicle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Top Hat at none against Coursicle's 17. Top Hat also leads on ratings volume (23K vs 658). Coursicle's advantage is review sentiment (39% vs 14%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, update cadence, ads and chart position there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Coursicle sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Top Hat asks for nothing beyond the download.

Coursicle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Top Hat has 23K ratings behind it against 658, 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 39% of Coursicle's.

Top Hat ships an update fortnightly, Coursicle every 8 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Top Hat | Coursicle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291/reviews) | **[4.8 (658 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coursicle/id1187418307/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | 658 |
| Positive reviews | 14.4% of reviews | **38.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#107** | #145 |
| Size | 162 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Top Hat Monocle](https://appshunter.io/developer/411098284) | [Coursicle, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1187418306) |

## What reviewers say

### Top Hat

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

**Currently charting:** #107 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


### Coursicle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coursicle/id1187418307)

**Currently charting:** #145 Top Free · Education, #166 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

This academic planner helps college students organize their coursework. It syncs with major learning platforms, provides timely reminders for assignments and classes, and offers features like professor reviews and backup schedule creation.

**Highlights:** Syncs with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Assignment and class reminders, Class seat opening notifications, Professor reviews, Schedule building and backup schedules

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coursicle Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Coursicle Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $6.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $9.99 | one-time |
| Coursicle Premium | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful for getting into classes
- 🚀 Notifications about class openings
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Great customer service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive premium subscription
- 🐛 Delayed or inaccurate notifications
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔒 No account system to sync across devices

**Reported bugs**

- Classes shown as open when they are actually full
- App crashes or freezes when trying to add classes
- Referral system not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to track classes for multiple semesters
- More customizable notification settings
- Schedule planning and visualization tools
- Support for summer courses


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Top Hat free?

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

### Is Coursicle free?

Coursicle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Top Hat or Coursicle?

Coursicle is rated higher. Top Hat averages 4.6 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while Coursicle averages 4.8 from 658 ratings.

### Do Top Hat or Coursicle have ads?

Neither Top Hat nor Coursicle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Top Hat or Coursicle?

Top Hat ships an update fortnightly, and Coursicle every 8 days. Most recently, Top Hat was updated on September 24, 2026 and Coursicle on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Top Hat or Coursicle?

Top Hat currently peaks at #107 in the App Store charts, and Coursicle at #145. 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.*