Comparison

First News vs Patch's Games

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

First News

This app provides children with a balanced and truthful view of world events, written by award-winning journalists. It offers interactive articles, daily curated news, puzzles, games, and a video platform with news explainers to foster curiosity and critical thinking.

Highlights
  • Weekly 28-page interactive newspaper edition
  • Searchable archive of past issues
  • Hundreds of news explainer videos
  • Weekly topical quiz with avatar and leaderboard
  • Interactive puzzles linked to current news
  • Daily news feed with age-appropriate articles
  • Weekly polls and competitions
Features
Read full description

For 20 years, First News has provided trusted & impartial age-appropriate news to kids around the world. Our award-winning weekly newspaper is jam-packed with headlines, sport, entertainment, world news and more. App features: READ: weekly 28-page edition of First News with interactive features, plus a searchable archive. WATCH: hundreds of videos, including news explainers presented by children for children. CHALLENGE: play interactive word and number puzzles. Subscribers can also play the weekly news quiz, based on the latest issue of the paper. STAY AHEAD: read or listen to 3 daily news articles from the UK and around the world. SHARE YOUR OPINION: weekly polls encouraging children to form their own opinions and get their voices heard. Terms of use: https://www.firstnews.co.uk/terms/

About

Patch's Games

Read full description

Join Patch the cat for 24 learning and fun games, made for children aged around 5 to 11 and the grown-ups who play with them. LEARN WITH PATCH • Dictionary Game: read a meaning and guess the word, with over 5,000 words for three age groups • Mystery Word, Word Scramble, Word Search, Crossword, Word Ladder, Word Wheel and Patch's Secret Word • Times Table Game and Beat the Clock, with a big, easy number pad • Clock Game, Roman Numerals and Capital Cities PLAY WITH PATCH • Patch's Adventure: run and jump through nine levels, from the garden to home at night • Chess (against Patch or a friend), Sudoku, Maze and Wool Puzzle • Patch's Run, Naughty Patch!, Patch Pong, Air Hockey, Patch the Snake and Patch's Cat Stack MADE FOR FAMILIES • 12 games are free. Unlock the other 12 with one small purchase, yours to keep forever, and shared with your family through Family Sharing • Purchases are protected by a grown-up check • No adverts, no accounts, and no data collected • Works fully offline, perfect for car journeys and holidays • UK spellings throughout, with tap-friendly controls and an on-screen keyboard • Sound effects and original music, which you can switch off

Screenshots

First News4 screens
Patch's Games4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Patch's Games at every 3 days against First News's every 6 months. Patch's Games also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. First News sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month and Patch's Games sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First News ships an update every 6 months, Patch's Games every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
First News versus Patch's Games: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst NewsPatch's Games
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (22 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings22 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirst NewsTIMOTHY NIMAL GONZAGA

In-app purchases

7 purchases

First News

Subscriptions7
  • 1 Month Subscription$5.491 Month
  • 1-month subscription$9.991 Month
  • 3 Month Subscription$24.493 Months
Show 4 more
  • 3-month subscription$28.493 Months
  • 6 Month subscription$43.996 Months
  • 6-month subscription$53.996 Months
  • 1 Year Subscription$79.991 Year
1 purchases

Patch's Games

One-time1
  • Unlock all games$0.99

Questions

Is First News free?
First News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Patch's Games free?
Patch's Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do First News or Patch's Games have ads?
Neither First News nor Patch's Games shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First News or Patch's Games?
First News ships an update every 6 months, and Patch's Games every 3 days. Most recently, First News was updated on November 13, 2026 and Patch's Games on November 10, 2026.

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