Comparison

iStudent App vs Engage School

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

Head to head
About

iStudent App

Access all your essential school information in one place. View timetables, exam details, rewards, reports, and school news directly from your mobile device. Stay updated with real-time notifications and connect with teachers and peers.

Highlights
  • Personalized student dashboard
  • Timetable and exam access
  • Rewards and detentions tracking
  • School news and calendar
  • Real-time push notifications
  • Secure data encryption
Features
Read full description

The iSAMS Student app offers students quick and easy access to their school information in one central place. From timetables to teaching groups, exam entries and exam timetables, rewards and detentions, activities and reports, students have the ability to access their personal school information directly from their iPhone or iPad. The official iSAMS Student app links directly with the iSAMS management information system. It has been designed to offer students real-time access to their key school information in order to enhance their school experience. It also offers extended communication links and provides a valuable tool for students to connect with their teachers and fellow peers. Simple to use, the app offers a personalised dashboard with quick links to: The student’s timetable Any sanctions and rewards Any news bulletins and school news The school calendar The photo galleries The ‘My Profile’ section offers easy access to further information including: Teaching groups The school timetable Internal exam details (entries, timetables, results) External exam details (entries, timetables, arrangements, candidate details, results) School reports and assessments Attendance Activities Detentions Reward and conduct details There is also a helpful ‘Information’ area where students can access school news and bulletins (both current and archived news), the school calendar and the school directory. Useful push notifications mean that students can be notified about any updates or news in real-time. For example, students can receive a notification to inform them that their latest school report has been added to their profile or the location of their forthcoming hockey match has changed. The data used by the iSAMS Student app is encrypted to ensure that confidential information cannot be accessed by unauthorised personnel. Your school also controls the level of visibility of information offered to students. Please note: The iSAMS Student app must be installed by your school in order for it to be accessible to students. It will only work as part of the iSAMS management information system.

About

Engage School

This app provides parents with secure access to essential school information, including timetables, notices, fee details, and student reports. It streamlines communication between schools and parents with features like click-to-call and push notifications for critical messages.

Highlights
  • Timetabling access
  • School notices
  • Parent fee information
  • Student reports
  • Click-to-call/email
  • Push notifications
Features
Read full description

The Double First Engage School App, enables quick and secure access to vital school information. The Engage School App can be used by parents, providing access to key areas such as timetabling, school notices, parent fee information and student reports. The Engage School App will significantly improve the flow of information between schools and parents. Simple features such as click to call and click to email through the App speed up contact between the school and parents, with push notification available, parents have no reason to miss school critical messages even when on the move. A customised school specific version of the Engage App is also available to those schools wishing to add a more bespoke and professional touch to their Engage School App. This includes the addition of the school badge, colour scheme and images where required, making your school stand out from the crowd. The Engage School App can only be used in conjunction with Double First’s Engage Management Information system and if your school is using the Parent and Staff Portals.

Screenshots

iStudent App4 screens
Engage School1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iStudent App at 3.8 against Engage School's 2.7. iStudent App also leads on review sentiment (25% vs 4%) and ratings volume (117 vs 7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iStudent App holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iStudent App has 117 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of iStudent App's written reviews are positive against 4% of Engage School's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iStudent App ships an update every 2 months, Engage School every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iStudent App versus Engage School: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriStudent AppEngage School
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (117 ratings) — better2.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews — better3.6% of reviews
Number of ratings117 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiSAMS LimitedDouble First Ltd

Customer experience

iStudent App

All ratings116 ratings
Positive70.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral11.1%
Negative63.9%

Engage School

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive3.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative92.9%

Bugs and requests

iStudent App

Reported bugs

37 issues
  • Cannot log in
  • App is glitchy
  • App doesn't open
  • Screen stuck on notifications page
  • Cannot access anything
Show 32 more
  • App won't open
  • Shift login process
  • School certificate expired error
  • Login failure
  • Long loading times
  • Error linking external account
  • App crashes
  • App is laggy
  • App suddenly not working
  • App is sluggish
  • Purple text on black background is hard to read
  • App asks for location permissions
  • App crashes frequently
  • App won't load
  • Downloading Profile message
  • App is frozen
  • External login error
  • App crashing
  • Repetitive logging-in
  • App won't load
  • App crashes frequently
  • Cannot see teachers profile
  • App crashes
  • Site has crashed
  • Connection failure
  • Red error icon
  • App doesn't work 50% of the time
  • Bug with this app on iPhone X
  • New update is extremely bad
  • Students unable to access timetables
  • Login problem
  • Trial expired message

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow checking timetables of other classes
  • Make compatible with Face ID
  • See classes for next year

Engage School

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iStudent App

No in-app purchases

None

Engage School

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iStudent App free?
iStudent App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Engage School free?
Engage School is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iStudent App or Engage School?
iStudent App is rated higher. iStudent App averages 3.8 out of 5 from 117 ratings, while Engage School averages 2.7 from 7 ratings.
Do iStudent App or Engage School have ads?
Neither iStudent App nor Engage School shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iStudent App or Engage School?
iStudent App ships an update every 2 months, and Engage School every 3 months. Most recently, iStudent App was updated on November 1, 2026 and Engage School on November 1, 2026.

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