# Firefighting Exam Prep vs IFSTA Essentials 8

The clearest difference is rating: IFSTA Essentials 8 at 2.8 against Firefighting Exam Prep's 2.5. On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Firefighting Exam Prep sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and IFSTA Essentials 8 sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

IFSTA Essentials 8 holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 26 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 16% of Firefighting Exam Prep's written reviews are positive against 10% of IFSTA Essentials 8's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Firefighting Exam Prep ships an update every 2 months, IFSTA Essentials 8 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 2, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Firefighting Exam Prep | IFSTA Essentials 8 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firefighting-exam-prep/id1545854498/reviews) | **[2.8 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifsta-essentials-8/id6654913928/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **27** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | **16.0% of reviews** | 10.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 60 MB | 224 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Code 3 Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/427516925) | [IFSTA](https://appshunter.io/developer/495289396) |

## What reviewers say

### Firefighting Exam Prep

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firefighting-exam-prep/id1545854498)

Prepare for your firefighting exams with thousands of practice questions. Each question includes references to your study materials and allows for bookmarking. Curated practice exams cover entire textbooks to test your knowledge.

**Highlights:** Thousands of practice questions, References to study texts, Bookmark difficult questions, Curated practice exams, Supports multiple firefighting texts, Free introductory module

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HazMat Exam Prep 4th | $8.99 | one-time |
| Pumping Aerial DO 3rd | $8.99 | one-time |
| Wildland 4th ed | $8.99 | one-time |
| Search and Rescue 7th Ed | $8.99 | one-time |
| HazMat Exam Prep 5th | $9.99 | one-time |
| Fire Exam Prep 6th Ed | $9.99 | one-time |
| Company Officer 5th Ed | $9.99 | one-time |
| Company Officer 4th Ed | $9.99 | one-time |
| Company Officer 6th Ed | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hazmat Exam Prep 6th Ed | $9.99 | one-time |
| Fire Exam Prep 8th Ed. | $9.99 | one-time |
| Fire Exam Prep I & II 7th Ed. | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fire Instructor 9th Ed. | $12.99 | one-time |


### IFSTA Essentials 8

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ifsta-essentials-8/id6654913928)

This educational app provides comprehensive study materials for aspiring firefighters based on the Essentials of Fire Fighting, 8th Edition manual. It offers exam preparation, interactive modules, flashcards, and skill videos to enhance learning and test knowledge.

**Highlights:** Exam Prep with 1,271 validated questions, Audiobook with offline access, Interactive learning modules, Flashcards for key terms, Tool and equipment identification, Skill videos for hands-on preparation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock all Exam Prep Chapters | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all Interactive | $25.00 | one-time |
| Unlock all Audiobook Chapters | $34.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Firefighting Exam Prep free?

Firefighting Exam Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is IFSTA Essentials 8 free?

IFSTA Essentials 8 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Firefighting Exam Prep or IFSTA Essentials 8?

IFSTA Essentials 8 is rated higher. Firefighting Exam Prep averages 2.5 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while IFSTA Essentials 8 averages 2.8 from 26 ratings.

### Do Firefighting Exam Prep or IFSTA Essentials 8 have ads?

Neither Firefighting Exam Prep nor IFSTA Essentials 8 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Firefighting Exam Prep or IFSTA Essentials 8?

Firefighting Exam Prep ships an update every 2 months, and IFSTA Essentials 8 every 6 weeks. Most recently, Firefighting Exam Prep was updated on September 2, 2026 and IFSTA Essentials 8 on September 22, 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.*