First15 vs A Simple Pause
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First15
This daily devotional app offers a 15-minute spiritual practice to help users connect with God. It aims to foster a deeper understanding of God's love and presence, influencing daily emotions, thoughts, and actions.
- Daily devotional content
- Spiritual connection with God
- Focus on God's love and presence
- Personal growth and empowerment
- Foundation for daily thoughts and actions
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We all have a need to know our Creator. We all have a longing to be fully known and fully loved by an all-knowing, all-loving God. First15, a resource of Denison Ministries, is a daily devotional written out of the belief that 15 minutes with God can change your life. God longs to fill you by his refreshing, life-giving presence. He longs to meet you in the first moments of your day that your emotions, thoughts, beliefs and actions would be founded on his unconditional love. Give God 15 minutes today and let him love you, empower you, heal you, free you and establish you in the reality of his nearness.
A Simple Pause
Engage in short, guided spiritual practices for about five minutes to connect with God. Explore scripture, imagery, and silence to deepen your faith and relationship with the divine.
- Six guided spiritual practices
- Lectio Divina scripture study
- Imaginative prayer
- Visio Divina image reflection
- Audio Divina with sacred listening
- Simple silence meditation
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Enjoy one of 6 different practices as you pause to spend around 5 minutes with God in the midst of your day. Lectio Divina - Listen for God’s message as you hear a small portion of scripture with room to ponder. Imagine - Enter prayerfully into a scene from the scriptures to broaden your experience and relationship with God. Visio Divina - Enjoy your gift of sight as you invite God to speak to your heart as you gaze at an image. Simply Scripture - Restfully listen to the gentle reading of selections of scripture. Audio Divina - Sacred listening with God using your gift of hearing. Music and other beautiful sounds. Simple Silence - Ahhh…Close your eyes and rest in silence with God for 5 minutes and we’ll keep track of the time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: A Simple Pause at 100% against First15's 79%. A Simple Pause also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). First15's advantage is ratings volume (459 vs 20). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
A Simple Pause holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First15 has 459 ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of First15's written reviews are positive against 100% of A Simple Pause's.
First15 ships an update every 6 weeks, A Simple Pause monthly. The most recent releases landed on August 29, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First15 | A Simple Pause |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (459 ratings) | 5.0 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 459 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Denison Ministries (Apps) | Spiritual Formation Society of Arizona |
Customer experience
First15
A Simple Pause
Bugs and requests
First15
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes/won't open
- Bookmark/save functionality issues
- Compatibility problems (e.g., iPad)
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Ability to share devotions
- Community features (comments, groups)
- Customizable text size
- Offline access
A Simple Pause
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
First15
No in-app purchases
A Simple Pause
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is First15 free?
Is A Simple Pause free?
Which has better reviews, First15 or A Simple Pause?
Do First15 or A Simple Pause have ads?
Which is updated more often, First15 or A Simple Pause?
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