RouteThis Helps vs First Step Help
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RouteThis Helps
Diagnose network issues affecting smart home devices and internet speed. This app runs tests and shares diagnostic information with technical support to quickly resolve connectivity problems.
- Network tests and diagnostics
- Identify internet connectivity problems
- Troubleshoot smart home devices
- Share diagnostic information with support
- Improve home internet experience
Read full descriptionHide full description
RouteThis Helps runs a variety of network tests and diagnostics to help identify problems impacting smart home devices and internet connectivity. This information is shared with technical support and will help solve your issue quickly so you can go back to enjoying the best possible experience for your home internet and smart home devices.
First Step Help
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.
- Network tests and diagnostics
- Share test results with support
- Live View sessions
- Router settings check
- Location data for network analysis
Read full descriptionHide full description
First Step Help runs a variety of network tests and diagnostics and allows you to share them with the support representative who's working hard to solve your problem. This information will help them to solve your issue quickly so you can go back to enjoying your Internet package to the fullest! After running your scan a First Step Internet support agent needs to look at the information collected so please contact after you have run a scan With First Step Help, we'll also be able to get a better view of your setup with a Live View session, or make necessary changes to your router settings with Router Check. Note: The location permission gives us access to additional network data
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: First Step Help at 100% against RouteThis Helps's 18%. First Step Help also leads on rating (3.0 vs 2.0). RouteThis Helps's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (200 vs 2). 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.
First Step Help holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RouteThis Helps has 200 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of RouteThis Helps's written reviews are positive against 100% of First Step Help's.
RouteThis Helps ships an update every 3 weeks, First Step Help every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RouteThis Helps | First Step Help |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (200 ratings) | 3.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 200 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RouteThis Inc | First Step Internet, L.L.C. |
Customer experience
RouteThis Helps
First Step Help
Bugs and requests
RouteThis Helps
Reported bugs
9 issues- App crashes during benchmarking network stage
- Unable to proceed without access code
- Crashes on connection testing
- Cannot input access code properly
- App shows issues but no clickable links to view details
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Inconsistent speed test results on repeated runs
- Detects issues but provides no meaningful feedback
- Copies data from clipboard without user action
- Fails to detect internet connection when other apps work fine
Requested features
9 requests- Display diagnostic results to users before sending to support
- Show detailed network configuration information (router model, channel, encryption)
- Provide specific WiFi channel recommendations
- Allow users to review all collected data prior to submission
- Implement automatic data deletion from support servers after set period
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Remove mandatory location permission requirement
- Add access code generation within the app
- Include device-specific troubleshooting steps
- Show network congestion analysis details
First Step Help
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RouteThis Helps
No in-app purchases
First Step Help
No in-app purchases
