Comparison

VIU Safety vs Trees PNW

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

Head to head
About

VIU Safety

This app provides real-time emergency notifications and immediate access to campus safety resources for Vancouver Island University students, faculty, and staff. It offers emergency procedures, contact information, incident reporting, safe walk services, and campus maps.

Highlights
  • Emergency notifications
  • Campus safety resources
  • Emergency procedures
  • Incident reporting
  • Safe Walk and Friend Walk
  • Campus maps
Features
Read full description

VIU Safety is the official safety app of Vancouver Island University. The app integrates with VIU’s emergency response plans and provides students, faculty and staff with up to date information. The app is used to send emergency notifications in real time and provides instant access to campus safety and emergency resources. VIU Safety App features include:   - Emergency Notifications: Receive instant notifications and instructions from VIU when on-campus emergencies occur. - Emergency Procedures: Instant access to VIU emergency procedures to ensure you are prepared in case of emergency. - Emergency Contacts: Quick access to important supports and services in case of an emergency or a non-emergency concern. - Submit an Incident Report: Online access to report injuries or related incidents directly to VIU. - Safe Walk – Request a Safe Walk from VIU security, or use the Friend Walk feature to have a friend monitor your walk home. - Tip Reporting: Multiple ways to report a safety/security concern directly to VIU. - Campus Maps: Find your way around the VIU area.  Download today and ensure that you’re prepared and informed in the event of an emergency.

About

Trees PNW

Discover native trees of the Pacific Northwest with this offline guide. Learn identification cues for Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia's common native species. Ideal for outdoor enthusiasts, educators, and students.

Highlights
  • Offline tree identification
  • Native trees of Oregon, Washington, BC
  • Easy-to-spot identification cues
  • Educational tool for all levels
  • Enrich outdoor experiences
Features
Read full description

Explore, find, learn, teach! Trees PNW is a friendly guide to trees of the Pacific Northwest. It's the perfect app for your walks, hikes, vacations, backyard musings, and for teachers and students at every level. Once you download it, you can use your app wherever you are with no need for an internet connection. This distinguishes it from many other tree apps. Trees PNW helps you learn using easy-to-spot cues for each tree species. The app covers common native trees of Oregon, Washington, and the western half of British Columbia. The more familiar you are with these native trees, the more they will become your friends. Use the app to make your outdoor experiences more enriching.

Screenshots

VIU Safety4 screens
Trees PNW4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Trees PNW at 45% against VIU Safety's 0%. Trees PNW also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 11 months). VIU Safety's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VIU Safety ships an update every 11 months, Trees PNW every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VIU Safety versus Trees PNW: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVIU SafetyTrees PNW
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.1 (87 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews44.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—87 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVancouver Island UniversityCliff Cantor

Customer experience

VIU Safety

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Trees PNW

All ratings87 ratings
Positive49.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative48.3%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive44.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative51.8%

Bugs and requests

VIU Safety

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Trees PNW

Reported bugs

53 issues
  • Photos not downloading
  • Image download problem
  • App crashes
  • Photos not loading
  • Tree pics disappeared after update
Show 48 more
  • App ceased working
  • No access to photos and ID information
  • App crashes when touching menu/buttons
  • No images of trees
  • App kicks you out
  • Identical leader photos for western red cedar and hemlock
  • Photos didn't load for some users
  • Photos didn't download initially
  • Tree pics disappeared
  • Photos don't load anymore after update
  • Tree pics disappeared after update
  • App eventually ceased working
  • Photos didn't load
  • Full photos of trees in descriptions missing
  • Issue with photos not loading
  • Photos didn't download
  • App doesn't start up
  • App freezes when downloading data
  • Progress bar never got more than a third of the way complete
  • Progress bar stops with roughly 15-10 percent completion
  • No support
  • Funky font
  • App feels clunky
  • Nothing loads, no descriptions, no photos
  • Information and photos won't download
  • Won't load all trees
  • Pictures are not included
  • App gets hung up loading pictures
  • Only a couple of trees available in text-only form
  • Technical glitch prevents loading and operating properly
  • Pictures don't load
  • Almost useless with zero pictures
  • Works occasionally
  • Will not reinstall from App Store
  • Never downloaded pics
  • Uploading bar still stuck
  • Pictures will not load
  • Photos won’t download
  • Missing photos
  • Pictures don’t load
  • Buttons on top left/right don’t respond
  • Doesn’t fit to screen
  • Doesn’t have any pictures
  • Images will not load
  • Pictures never download
  • Back button doesn’t work
  • Menu button doesn’t work
  • No pictures

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add full photos of trees in descriptions
  • Add more trees
  • Put out an app for flowers and bushes
  • More expensive version to enter own plants
  • Way to share user-entered plants
Show 1 more
  • UI design improvements

In-app purchases

None

VIU Safety

No in-app purchases

None

Trees PNW

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VIU Safety free?
VIU Safety is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Trees PNW free?
Trees PNW is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VIU Safety or Trees PNW have ads?
Neither VIU Safety nor Trees PNW shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VIU Safety or Trees PNW?
VIU Safety ships an update every 11 months, and Trees PNW every 6 weeks. Most recently, VIU Safety was updated on October 4, 2026 and Trees PNW on October 10, 2026.

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