Comparison

iClicker Student vs Brightspace Pulse

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

About

Brightspace Pulse

Stay connected with your courses on the go. Visualize upcoming deadlines, manage your time effectively, and receive real-time updates on course activities. Access course content offline and participate in discussions.

Highlights
  • Visualize upcoming dates and deadlines
  • Receive push notifications for course updates
  • Offline access to course content
  • Participate in Activity Feed discussions
  • Seamless browser login to D2L Brightspace
  • Apple Continuity support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Stay connected to learning anytime, anywhere with Brightspace Pulse. Brightspace Pulse gives learners and their authorized parents and guardians a convenient way to follow coursework, deadlines, progress, and important updates. Learners can: - Access their course content - View important dates and deadlines across their courses - Manage upcoming and overdue coursework - Receive notifications for Announcements, Grades, Quizzes, Assignments, Activity Feed posts, and more - Access supported course content offline, including video and audio - Participate in Activity Feed discussions - Open Brightspace in a browser to complete additional activities Parents and guardians can: - View upcoming and overdue work, grades, shared Portfolio items, and classroom updates - Receive notifications about quizzes and assignments with upcoming due dates - Follow multiple learners from one account, when supported by their school or organization Features vary by role and by your institution or organization’s Brightspace configuration. An account provided by your school, district, or organization is required. Parent and guardian access must be enabled by the learner’s school or organization. NOTE: iPhone, iPad, and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.

Screenshots

iClicker Student4 screens
Brightspace Pulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brightspace Pulse at none against iClicker Student's 8. Brightspace Pulse also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (36% vs 17%). On price, ads, chart position and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. iClicker Student sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Brightspace Pulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brightspace Pulse holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brightspace Pulse has 263K ratings behind it against 37K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of iClicker Student's written reviews are positive against 36% of Brightspace Pulse's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iClicker Student ships an update every 6 weeks, Brightspace Pulse every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
iClicker Student versus Brightspace Pulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriClicker StudentBrightspace Pulse
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (37K ratings)4.8 (263K ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.0% of reviews36.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings37K263K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#80#62 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB50 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHPHLPD2L Corporation

Customer experience

iClicker Student

All ratings36,904 ratings
Positive85.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews182 reviews
Positive17.0%
Neutral4.9%
Negative78.0%

Brightspace Pulse

All ratings263,432 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews948 reviews
Positive36.1%
Neutral11.1%
Negative52.8%

User reviews

iClicker Student

From 37K App Store ratings

What 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

Brightspace Pulse

From 263K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Makes taking online courses easier
  • 👍 Easy to access course content
  • 👍 Convenient for studying on the go
  • 🚀 Helpful for staying organized

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Constant log-out issues
  • 🐛 Unreliable notifications and content loading
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
  • 🔍 Lacks key features like file downloads

Bugs and requests

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

Brightspace Pulse

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent log-out problems
  • Inability to load course content
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow file downloads and exports
  • Improve notification reliability
  • Optimize for tablet/iPad use
  • Add more customization options

In-app purchases

8 purchases

iClicker Student

One-time8
  • iClicker Pulse 6-Months$5.99
  • iClicker Pulse 1-Year$8.99
  • iClicker Pro 6-Months$16.99
Show 5 more
  • 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
None

Brightspace Pulse

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iClicker Student free?
iClicker Student is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brightspace Pulse free?
Brightspace Pulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iClicker Student or Brightspace Pulse?
Brightspace Pulse is rated higher. iClicker Student averages 4.4 out of 5 from 37K ratings, while Brightspace Pulse averages 4.8 from 263K ratings.
Do iClicker Student or Brightspace Pulse have ads?
Neither iClicker Student nor Brightspace Pulse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iClicker Student or Brightspace Pulse?
iClicker Student ships an update every 6 weeks, and Brightspace Pulse every 2 weeks. Most recently, iClicker Student was updated on September 26, 2026 and Brightspace Pulse on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, iClicker Student or Brightspace Pulse?
iClicker Student currently peaks at #80 in the App Store charts, and Brightspace Pulse at #62. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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