IACAD vs GEMS Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
IACAD
Access Islamic services and information from Dubai's Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities. Find prayer times, request religious consultations, locate mosques, and donate to mosques and charitable organizations.
- Fatwa services
- Prayer timings
- Mosque locator
- Qibla direction
- Religious consultations
- Mosque donations
- Accredited organizations list
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This application is provided by the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai to be as a smart gate to provide the department services to the public using the latest technologies and international quality standards based on the aspiration of Dubai to provide the services to customers using the highest standards of quality and excellence in the easiest and most efficient way. Some of the services available : Fatwa. Prayer Timings. Search for a mosque in Dubai. Qibla direction request. Religious Consultations. Donation for mosques in Dubai. List of accredited charitable organizations in Dubai. List of accredited Islamic centers in Dubai. List of Quran memorizing centers in Dubai. Electronic publications for IACAD. تم إصدارهذا البرنامج من قبل دائرة الشؤون الاسلامية والعمل الخيري في دبي ليكون بمثابة بوابة ذكية لتوفير خدمات الدائرة للجمهور باستخدام أحدث التقنيات ومعايير الجودة العالمية بناء على تطلعات دبي لتوفير الخدمات للعملاء باستخدام أعلى معايير الجودة والتميز في الطريقة الأسهل والأكثر كفاءة. بعض الخدمات المتوفرة: -الفتوى -مواقيت الصلاة -بحث عن مسجد في دبي -طلب استشارة دينية -التبرع للمساجد في دبي -قائمة الجمعيات الخيدية المعتدمة في دبي -قائمة المراكز الاسلامية المعتمدة في دبي -قائمة مراكز تحفيط القرآن المعتمدة في دبي -الإصدارات الإلكترونية الخاصة بالدائرة
GEMS Connect
Manage your child's education with a streamlined app. Access academic records, health details, fee payments, and school services in one place. Stay updated with real-time notifications and utilize an AI assistant for support.
- Explore GEMS Education schools
- View personalized student information
- Access academic and health records
- Manage fee payments and school services
- Real-time notifications and alerts
- AI-powered assistant for support
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Welcome to GEMS Connect, your One-Stop App for Smarter School Management GEMS Connect puts everything you need to manage your child’s education at your fingertips, with a cleaner, faster, and more intuitive experience. The redesigned interface focuses on speed and simplicity, making it easier than ever to complete essential tasks in just a few taps. You can explore GEMS Education schools based on curriculum and location, view personalized student information for each child, and access academic records, health details, fee payments, and school services all in one place. A new simplified navigation structure organizes everything under three main sections: School, Transport, and Services, helping you find what you need quickly and easily. With real-time notifications and alerts, you'll stay updated on your child’s whereabouts, school activities, and important reminders. Managing transport preferences, topping up catering balances, ordering books, and communicating with the school are all just a few clicks away. The improved GEMS Genie, our built-in AI assistant, now offers even smarter support to help answer your questions and guide you through school processes more effectively. GEMS Connect brings your child’s entire school experience into one easy-to-use app, designed with parents in mind.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: GEMS Connect at every 4 days against IACAD's every 4 weeks. GEMS Connect also leads on ratings volume (214 vs 43). IACAD's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (65% vs 47%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
IACAD holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 43 and 214 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of IACAD's written reviews are positive against 47% of GEMS Connect's.
IACAD ships an update every 4 weeks, GEMS Connect every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | IACAD | GEMS Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (43 ratings) — better | 4.4 (214 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.5% of reviews — better | 47.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 43 | 214 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department – Dubai Government | GEMS Group Holdings Limited |
Customer experience
IACAD
GEMS Connect
In-app purchases
IACAD
No in-app purchases
GEMS Connect
No in-app purchases
