Top Hat vs BU READY
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Top Hat
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.
- 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
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Top Hat is the perfect companion app to our comprehensive assessment platform that helps you learn better before, during and after class. Top Hat makes learning fun and engaging (seriously!) and sets you up for success, helping you connect with your professors, your peers and the content you’re learning in and out of the classroom. Here’s what Top Hat offers you: Compelling resources, delivered on your smartphone or laptop: • Follow your prof’s lecture slides on your own device • Contribute in class with an easy-to-use response system that’s always with you • Participate with your profs and peers using in-app discussions Content tailored to your course: • Experience dynamic, interactive textbooks loaded up with images, videos, audio clips and more • Read your digital materials from anywhere and keep them forever Quizzes, tests and polls that improve learning comprehension: • Challenge yourself by taking polls and quizzes on your own devices • Improve your knowledge retention with interactive assessment elements • Check for gaps in your understanding with graded and non-graded homework and short quizzes Thanks for using Top Hat. As you experience the app, we’d love to get your feedback: support@tophat.com or follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook @TopHat
BU READY
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BU READY is the official safety app of Brandon University. It is the only app that integrates with Brandon University’s safety and security systems. Security Staff has worked to develop a unique app that provides students, faculty and staff with added safety on the Brandon University campus. The app will send you important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources. BU READY features include: - Emergency Contacts: Contact the correct services for the Brandon University area in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern - Mobile Bluelight: Send your location to Brandon University security in real-time in case of a crisis - Friend Walk: Send your location to a friend through email or SMS on your device. Once the friend accepts the Friend Walk request, the user picks their destination and their friend tracks their location in real time; they can keep an eye on them to make sure they make it safely to their destination. - Make a Report: Multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to Brandon University security. - Virtual WalkHome/Virtual CampusWalk: Allow Campus Security to monitor a user’s walk. If a user feels unsafe when walking on campus, they can request a Virtual WalkHome and a dispatcher on the other end will monitor their journey until they reach their destination. - Safety Toolbox: Enhance your safety with the set of tools provided in one convenient app. - Notification History: Find previous Push Notifications for this app with the date and time. - Share Map with your Location: Send your location to a friend by sending them a map of your position. - I’m OK!: Send your location and a message indicating that “You’re OK” to a recipient of your choosing. - Campus Maps - Campus Map: Navigate around the Brandon University area. - Evacuation Map: Find gathering points after an evacuation alarm has been sounded. - Transit Map: Find transit routes currently in service. - Emergency Plans: Campus emergency documentation that can prepare you for disasters or emergencies. This can be accessed even when users aren’t connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data. - Support Resources: Access support resources in one convenient app to enjoy a successful experience at Brandon University. - Safety Notifications: Receive instant notifications and instructions from Brandon University safety when on-campus emergencies occur. - WorkAlone: Use the app to "check in" with you periodically while working alone or during late hours. If you don't respond, the app will alert Campus Security. Download today to ensure you’re prepared in the event of an emergency.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Top Hat at every 2 weeks against BU READY's every 7 months. BU READY's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). 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.
Top Hat ships an update every 2 weeks, BU READY every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Top Hat | BU READY |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (23K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 15.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 23K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 152 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Top Hat Monocle | Brandon University |
Bugs and requests
Top Hat
Reported bugs
3 issues- Answers not registering correctly
- Slides not loading properly on mobile devices
- Inconsistent performance across platforms
Requested features
3 requests- Add page numbers and search functionality to ebooks
- Improve syncing between mobile and web versions
- Allow more flexible location settings for attendance
BU READY
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Top Hat
No in-app purchases
BU READY
No in-app purchases









