FamilySearch Get Involved vs NOAC Patch Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FamilySearch Get Involved
Help preserve historical records by reviewing scanned documents and verifying names. Your contributions connect families with their ancestors by correcting computer-identified errors.
- Review historical records
- Verify computer-identified names
- Flag errors in records
- Index ancestor names
- Connect families with ancestors
Read full descriptionHide full description
FamilySearch International uses sophisticated scanning technology to find ancestor names in historical records. Most of the time the computer can recognize the correct name. But it can’t always get it right. Using FamilySearch Get Involved, anyone can quickly review names in historical records and verify what the computer found or flag any errors. Each name that gets corrected is a person that can now be found by their living family.
NOAC Patch Guide
This app provides a comprehensive catalog of National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) patches. Users can manage their personal collections, track desired patches, and connect with other collectors through community channels.
- Comprehensive NOAC patch catalog
- Personal collection management
- Wishlist tracking
- Community channels for collectors
- User-friendly interface
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your home base for Order of the Arrow patch collecting, always in your pocket. NOAC Patch Guide is the companion app for OA patch collectors. Browse patches by year and by lodge, track your collection and wishlist, and connect with fellow collectors in person. Built for Scouts and Scouters. BROWSE BY YEAR AND LODGE • Decades of NOAC patches, gathered in one place • Explore by year or by lodge (239 lodges and counting) • Rich lodge detail: totem, founding year, region, section, council, and merge history • Favorite a lodge to get notified when new patches are added TRACK YOUR COLLECTION • Mark what you've collected and what's on your wishlist • See your progress at a glance, like "142 of 1,205 collected." • Filter by year or lodge to find exactly what you need CONNECT, SAFELY AND IN PERSON • Meet a collector at an event? Share your wishlist or collection with a quick scan • See what others are hunting and help each other finish your sets • No messaging and no contact info, ever. You share a read-only list in person • Your public identity is always a fun scout persona and avatar, never a real name or photo HELP BUILD THE GUIDE • Spot a patch we're missing? Photograph it and submit in seconds • Crowdsourced and always growing EARN AS YOU COLLECT • Unlock badges for milestones, completions, and contributions • Make it yours with collectible avatars, frames, and app icons BUILT FOR THE EVENT • Works offline, so you can browse and track even when the venue Wi-Fi can't keep up • Designed for Scouts: wholesome, safe, and contact-free by design Whether you're chasing your first flap or completing a decades-long collection, NOAC Patch Guide helps you discover, track, and share the patches you love. NOAC Patch Guide is an independent app for collectors. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Scouting America or the Order of the Arrow.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NOAC Patch Guide at 5.0 against FamilySearch Get Involved's 4.5. NOAC Patch Guide also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). FamilySearch Get Involved's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (259 vs 1). On price, ads, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. NOAC Patch Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. FamilySearch Get Involved asks for nothing beyond the download.
NOAC Patch Guide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FamilySearch Get Involved has 259 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
FamilySearch Get Involved ships an update monthly, NOAC Patch Guide every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FamilySearch Get Involved | NOAC Patch Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (259 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 259 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FamilySearch International | Adam McDaniel |
Customer experience
FamilySearch Get Involved
NOAC Patch Guide
Bugs and requests
FamilySearch Get Involved
Reported bugs
13 issues- Contribution counter stuck or not updating (especially after 300k names)
- Monthly contributions showing as zero
- Language setting defaults to Spanish with no way to change
- App crashes with 'An error occurred' message
- Name suggestions getting stuck from previous entries
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Documents appearing in wrong language
- Upside-down or incorrectly scanned documents not handled properly
- Thermometer/counter not working reliably
- Specific country options not loading (Brazil, US English)
- Corrections not being saved or synced
- Duplicate names appearing in review queue
- Apple keyboard cursor movement issues
- Statistics not syncing between app and website
Requested features
12 requests- Cursive reference chart or guide
- Leaderboard or competition feature
- Ability to flag and correct incorrect highlights
- Single-tap 'Not a Person' button
- Duplicate highlight detection button
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Option to manually adjust AI highlights
- Ability to go back and edit completed entries
- Expand country/language coverage (Italy, Slovenia, Scotland, England, Ireland, Canada)
- Indexing capability on mobile app (not just name review)
- Educational videos showing impact of contributions
- Support for more document types and languages
- Better state filtering functionality
NOAC Patch Guide
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
FamilySearch Get Involved
No in-app purchases
NOAC Patch Guide
- Collector Pack$1.99
Questions
Is FamilySearch Get Involved free?
Is NOAC Patch Guide free?
Which has better reviews, FamilySearch Get Involved or NOAC Patch Guide?
Do FamilySearch Get Involved or NOAC Patch Guide have ads?
Which is updated more often, FamilySearch Get Involved or NOAC Patch Guide?
Other comparisons
