Top Hat vs iClicker Student
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
iClicker Student
Engage in class by answering instructor questions directly from your mobile device. Receive immediate feedback on your responses and compare your performance with classmates. Review past questions and answers to prepare for quizzes and exams, with all your data securely stored in the cloud.
- Answer instructor questions on mobile
- Receive instant feedback
- Compare responses to class results
- Access saved poll questions for study
- Cloud-based data storage
- Supports multiple question types
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iClicker's student app allows you to answer questions using your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Tap to provide your answer and receive instant feedback. Compare your vote to the rest of the class. After class, access the saved poll questions to study for a quiz or exam. All data is stored on the cloud so you can access it anywhere from any device. KEY FEATURES: • Free trial subscription with account creation • View your instructor’s questions as high resolution screenshots • Compare your response to the class results • Session history is stored in the cloud so you can access it anywhere • Multiple Choice, Short Answer, Numeric, and Target question types • Receive correct/incorrect feedback when your instructor grades the question • Review the questions and answers to study after class • Works alongside all iClicker remotes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Top Hat at none against iClicker Student's 8. Top Hat also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. iClicker Student sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Top Hat asks for nothing beyond the download.
Top Hat holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23K and 37K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 14% of Top Hat's written reviews are positive against 17% of iClicker 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, iClicker Student every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Top Hat | iClicker Student |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (23K ratings) — better | 4.4 (37K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 14.4% of reviews | 17.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23K | 37K — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #125 | #45 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 162 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Top Hat Monocle | HPHLP |
Customer experience
Top Hat
iClicker Student
User reviews
Top Hat
From 23K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive interface
- 👍 Useful for attendance and in-class quizzes
- 💡 Potential for interactive learning
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💰 Expensive subscription fees
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with location tracking
iClicker Student
From 37K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Saves money compared to physical iClicker
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Reliable and works well
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with location tracking
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with older devices/iPads
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
iClicker Student
Reported bugs
4 issues- Logging out and back in causes data loss
- Location tracking not working properly
- Questions not appearing or disappearing during class
- Frequent disconnections and sign-out issues
Requested features
5 requests- Add push notifications for when questions are available
- Show correct answers after questions are answered
- Display countdown timer for questions
- Allow deleting of courses added accidentally
- Provide subscription options based on semester length
In-app purchases
Top Hat
No in-app purchases
iClicker Student
- iClicker Pulse 6-Months$5.99
- iClicker Pulse 1-Year$8.99
- iClicker Pro 6-Months$16.99
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- iClicker 6-Month Subscription$16.99
- iClicker Pro 6-Months$25.99
- iClicker 1-year subscription$25.99
- iClicker 2-Year Subscription$36.99
- iClicker 4-Year Subscription$51.99
Questions
Is Top Hat free?
Is iClicker Student free?
Which has better reviews, Top Hat or iClicker Student?
Do Top Hat or iClicker Student have ads?
Which is updated more often, Top Hat or iClicker Student?
Which is more popular, Top Hat or iClicker Student?
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