# First Things > Journalism and commentary on religion, public life, and culture. (iPhone/iPad app by THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE INC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-things/id450439723 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1471355252) - Category: Education, News - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.63/5 from 362 App Store ratings · 38 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 60 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2011-08-04 - Data updated: 2026-07-30 - Monetization: subscription - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-things/id450439723/reviews.md ## What is First Things? First Things is published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society. First Things Pricing: • Subscription 1 Month - USD 2.99* • Subscription 1 Year - USD 24.99* * For non-US app stores, the equivalent currency charges will apply. Please note: App subscriptions do not include access to subscription-only content on our website. Additional Subscription Information: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Privacy Policy - https://firstthings.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use - https://www.backlight.co/legal/mazsystems-outputs-terms • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. ## Key features - Articles on religion and public life - Essays on philosophy and society - Diverse perspectives - Informed public discourse - Interreligious and nonpartisan content ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | First Things | $24.99 | per year | | First Things | $2.99 | per month | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | June/July 2011 | $0.99 | one-time | | August/September 2011 | $0.99 | one-time | | May 2011 | $0.99 | one-time | | November 2011 | $0.99 | one-time | | February 2012 | $0.99 | one-time | | March 2012 | $0.99 | one-time | | April 2012 | $0.99 | one-time | | August/September 2016 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 48 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 49 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 50 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 51 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 52 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 77 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 76 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 72 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 69 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 67 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 66 | $4.99 | one-time | | First Things Feed 65 | $4.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of First Things? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Excellent content and writing - 👍 Superb publication - 👍 Thought-provoking articles - 👍 Coherently intellectual analysis - 👍 Premiere journal of religion and public life - 👍 Great magazine **Cons** - 🐛 Requires separate subscription for app - 🐛 Login methods not working - 🐛 App not updating editions - 🐛 App is like a PDF reader, no interaction - 🐛 App difficult to navigate - 🐛 Preview pane interferes with reading - 🐛 Cuts off bottom of page, black bar on top - 🐛 Cannot minimize horizontal scrolling - 🐛 Cannot log in with subscription - 🐛 Unfriendly app interface - 🐛 Terrible update, nonfunctional - 🐛 Latest version useless, lost saved items - 🐛 Unusable after recent update - 🐛 Unreadable on iPhone, text size issues - 🐛 Not optimized for small screens - 🐛 Poorly designed app, hides content - 🐛 Customer service unhelpful - 🐛 App crashes on startup - 🐛 Zoom gets stuck, app freezes - 🐛 New sash remains after reading **Commonly reported bugs** - Login methods not working - App not updating editions - Preview pane interferes with reading - Cuts off bottom of page, black bar on top - Cannot minimize horizontal scrolling - Cannot log in with subscription - App is nonfunctional after update - Lost all saved items after update - App is unusable after update - Unreadable on iPhone, text size issues - Not optimized for small screens - App hides content - App crashes on startup - Zoom gets stuck, app freezes - App freezes when using zoom - New sash remains after reading - Swiping pages in landscape mode causes freezing - App crashes when opening in Newsstand - App freezes when using zoom **Most requested features** - Allow login with digital subscription username/password - Fix login methods - Make table of contents hyperlinked - Include a Contents menu to see articles before buying - Fix preview pane issue - Allow saving and bookmarking articles - Improve app navigation - Allow interaction with text - Fix app to utilize full screen of newer iPhones - Make text readable size on iPhone - Optimize for small screens - Improve app interface - Fix zoom issues - Fix app freezing - Fix 'new' sash issue - Allow access to digital subscription on iPad - Make app professional with links in table of contents/menu - Allow offline reading of purchased editions - Fix app to display library of issues ## Recent user reviews (10 of 38) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-things/id450439723/reviews.md ### 2/5 — Non readable *2026-07-19, version 23.0* Print edition microscopic on the phone. Unreadable. Great publication but useless app. ### 1/5 — Not the same as a digital subscription *2026-06-18, version 23.0* I thought that getting a subscription through the app would be the same as getting a digital subscription through the website, but the two subscription types are separate. This is not clearly stated anywhere. I mainly wanted the digital subscription for the archive access, but the app archive access is very poor - no index or way to search. ### 1/5 — Lame *2026-06-14, version 23.0* This is not included in the cost of FT annual subscription. Don’t waste your time downloading it unless you want to pay for it twice. ### 1/5 — Requires a separate subscription *2025-12-03, version 23.0* Requires a separate subscription. I have a print and web subscription but I need a separate one for the app??? ### 1/5 — Please fix login methods! *2025-08-19, version 22.0* I love First Things as a publication, but this app stinks. It doesn’t even give me the option to sign in to my digital subscription with my username and password! Please fix this as I’d love to use the app to access this content! ### 1/5 — Not updating editions *2023-11-24, version 21.0* The app is only accessing up to October 2023 editions even though Inhabe a current subscription ### 3/5 — Great content, inflexible app. *2023-11-11, version 21.0* Always thought provoking articles. However the “app” is little more than a pdf reader. In fact, it is less. You cannot save, bookmark, or interact with the text in any way. Also,this review seems to be in white colored font, so I can’t actually see what I am typing. ### 5/5 — First Things is First Rate *2023-01-13, version 21.0* This is by far the best “journal” of philosophy, politics and contemporary life published today. Most of our lives is filled with a lot of reading. Whatever you do, when you start to prioritize what needs to be read, put First Things at the top of that list!! ### 5/5 — Excellent writing! *2022-08-08, version 21.0* And topics I enjoy. Superb publication. ### 3/5 — App is not great to navigate *2022-08-05, version 21.0* I feel it would make a lot of sense if the table of contents was at least hyperlinked so I don’t have to just randomly scroll around at the bottom looking for the article I want to read. I prefer reading this kind of content on my phone, but the app is not great to navigate. ## Frequently asked questions about First Things ### What is First Things about? First Things provides journalism and commentary on religion, public life, and culture. It is published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an organization dedicated to advancing a religiously informed public philosophy for society. ### What are the subscription options? The app offers monthly subscriptions for USD 2.99 and annual subscriptions for USD 24.99. For non-US app stores, equivalent currency charges will apply. Please note that app subscriptions do not grant access to subscription-only content on their website. ### How does the subscription renewal work? Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and the cost of renewal will be identified. ### Can I cancel my subscription? Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal can be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. However, cancellation of the current subscription is not allowed during the active subscription period. ### What kind of content can I expect? You can expect insightful articles and essays covering religion, public life, and philosophy. The content aims to explore diverse perspectives on contemporary issues and foster informed public discourse. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 23.0 — 2025-10-10 This release includes bug fixes and general stability improvements. ### 22.0 — 2025-01-22 This release includes bug fixes and general stability improvements. ### 21.0 — 2021-01-17 This release includes bug fixes and general stability improvements. ### 20.0 — 2020-06-18 This release includes bug fixes and general stability improvements ### 19.0 — 2020-01-28 This release includes bug fixes and general stability improvements ## Apps similar to First Things | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Institute of Catholic Culture](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/institute-of-catholic-culture/id1008813497) | 4.9 (251) | Free | Education | | [MagisAI](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magisai/id6753808000) | 5.0 (17) | Free | Education | | [Mars Hill Audio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-hill-audio/id1355384400) | 4.4 (35) | Free | Education | | [Theopolis](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/theopolis/id1630861998) | 4.9 (19) | Free | Education | | [National Affairs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/national-affairs/id1207725056) | 4.5 (129) | Free | Education | | [Pelican+](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pelican-plus/id6753085864) | 4.7 (27) | Free | Education | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-30.*