# Solid Starts vs MSA Forward

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MSA Forward at none against Solid Starts's 15. Solid Starts's advantage is ratings volume (47K vs 1) and update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Solid Starts sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MSA Forward asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Solid Starts against 5.0 for MSA Forward. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solid Starts has 47K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Solid Starts ships an update every 8 days, MSA Forward monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Solid Starts | MSA Forward |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (47K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solid-starts-baby-first-foods/id1564189151/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msa-forward/id1615630710/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **47K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 46.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#33** | — |
| Size | 106 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SolidStarts LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1564189153) | [Museum Store Association](https://appshunter.io/developer/1615630712) |

## What reviewers say

### Solid Starts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solid-starts-baby-first-foods/id1564189151)

**Currently charting:** #33 Top Grossing · Education, #47 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

This app guides parents through introducing solid foods to babies using baby-led weaning or transitioning from purees. It offers a comprehensive food database, meal plans, recipes, and tracking tools developed by pediatric experts.

**Highlights:** Baby-led weaning guidance, Extensive first foods database, Personalized meal plans, Baby food tracker, BLW recipes and meal ideas, Expert pediatric advice

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Access | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Tracker | $19.99 | per month |
| Compass | $19.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Monthly | $24.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Anniversary Compass Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Compass Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Seasonal Premium Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Yearly | $149.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Extremely helpful for starting solids
- 🚀 Comprehensive food database
- 💡 Provides evidence-based guidance
- 👍 Builds confidence in feeding baby
- 👍 Useful for tracking foods and reactions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes and glitches reported
- 🔒 Concerns over recent paywall changes
- 💰 Subscription cost seen as too high
- 🔍 Search function could be improved
- 💡 Desire for more customization options

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to access certain features
- Search function not working as expected
- Data loss when updating or reinstalling the app

**Requested features**

- Add ability to share/sync data between accounts
- Improve food logging/tracking experience
- Provide more filtering and sorting options
- Include more international/cultural foods


### MSA Forward

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msa-forward/id1615630710)

This event app connects museum store professionals. Members can access the event agenda, session details, speaker and exhibitor information, and attendee lists. Stay informed with the latest news and announcements during the event.

**Highlights:** Event agenda access, Session and speaker details, Exhibitor information, Attendee networking, Event news and announcements

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Solid Starts free?

Solid Starts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MSA Forward free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Solid Starts or MSA Forward?

MSA Forward is rated higher. Solid Starts averages 4.9 out of 5 from 47K ratings, while MSA Forward averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Solid Starts or MSA Forward have ads?

Neither Solid Starts nor MSA Forward shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Solid Starts or MSA Forward?

Solid Starts ships an update every 8 days, and MSA Forward monthly. Most recently, Solid Starts was updated on November 3, 2026 and MSA Forward on October 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.*