# Top Hat vs CourseMonkey

The clearest difference is rating: Top Hat at 4.6 against CourseMonkey's 1.0. Top Hat also leads on ratings volume (23K vs 1) and chart position (#174 vs unranked). 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.

Top Hat holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Top Hat has 23K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Top Hat | CourseMonkey |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/top-hat-better-learning/id674069291/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coursemonkey/id6788469921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 15.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#174** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Top Hat Monocle](https://appshunter.io/developer/411098284) | [4Utopia, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1859339877) |

## What reviewers say

### Top Hat

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

**Currently charting:** #174 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


### CourseMonkey

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coursemonkey/id6788469921)

Engage with campus life by swiping to answer student-generated polls on courses, campus life, and more. Discover real grade distributions and create your own polls to share with friends or your entire campus.

**Highlights:** Swipe to answer polls, View poll results and creators, Create custom polls, See real grade distributions, Organize friends into circles, Unlock customization options

**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 CourseMonkey free?

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

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

Top Hat is rated higher. Top Hat averages 4.6 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while CourseMonkey averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Top Hat or CourseMonkey have ads?

Neither Top Hat nor CourseMonkey shows ads.

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

Top Hat ships an update every 2 weeks, and CourseMonkey every 2 weeks. Most recently, Top Hat was updated on October 29, 2026 and CourseMonkey on October 24, 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.*