# Avista vs First Step Help

The clearest difference is review sentiment: First Step Help at 100% against Avista's 47%. Avista's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (3.5K vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Avista holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Avista has 3.5K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of Avista's written reviews are positive against 100% of First Step Help's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Avista ships an update every 3 months, First Step Help every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Avista | First Step Help |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/avista/id1114891464/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-step-help/id1478309146/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 46.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Avista Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475820554) | [First Step Internet, L.L.C.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1478309145) |

## What reviewers say

### Avista

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/avista/id1114891464)

Manage your energy account conveniently from your mobile device. View account summaries, pay bills, and get real-time outage information. Sign in securely with your online account credentials.

**Highlights:** Easy sign-in with myavista.com credentials, View real-time account balance and bill history, Securely pay bills, Interactive outage map with restoration information, Report power outages, Manage billing and outage alerts

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💳 Easy payment process
- 🕰️ Helpful reminders
- 👍 Convenient navigation
- 🌟 Simple and straightforward

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and login issues
- 🔌 Unreliable connectivity and performance problems
- 🤷‍♀️ Lack of useful features and functionality
- 🗣️ Poor customer service and support

**Reported bugs**

- Sign-in issues and inability to remember passwords
- Inconsistent app behavior across devices
- Errors when trying to view or export invoices

**Requested features**

- Energy usage tracking and analysis
- Customizable notifications and alerts
- Improved UI and user experience
- Seamless integration with online account


### First Step Help

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-step-help/id1478309146)

This utility app performs various network tests and diagnostics to help troubleshoot internet issues. It allows users to share test results with support agents for faster problem resolution. Additional features include live view sessions and router settings checks.

**Highlights:** Network tests and diagnostics, Share test results with support, Live View sessions, Router settings check, Location data for network analysis

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Avista free?

Avista is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is First Step Help free?

First Step Help is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Avista or First Step Help?

Avista is rated higher. Avista averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while First Step Help averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Avista or First Step Help have ads?

Neither Avista nor First Step Help shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Avista or First Step Help?

Avista ships an update every 3 months, and First Step Help every 5 months. Most recently, Avista was updated on September 23, 2026 and First Step Help on September 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*