Comparison

WhenWas vs First Step

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

Head to head
About

WhenWas

Effortlessly track recurring activities and important life events. This app helps you remember the last time you performed tasks like haircuts, maintenance, or medication. Widgets and a clean interface make tracking simple and accessible.

Highlights
  • Home and lock screen widgets
  • Apple Watch app integration
  • Smart search functionality
  • Timeline history for activities
  • Clean, intuitive design with dark mode
  • Optional iCloud sync for cross-device access
Features
Read full description

Remember the last time. Know what comes next. WhenWas is a straightforward last-time tracker and maintenance log for the small but important things that don’t belong on a fixed calendar. Watering plants, replacing filters, servicing a bike, grooming a pet, calling family—check in with one tap and instantly see how long it has been. No streaks to protect. No guilt. Just a clear history and the context you need for the next check-in. TRACK TIME, USES, MILEAGE & HOURS Enhanced Activities let you track maintenance by: • Time since the last check-in • Number of uses or cycles • Mileage and meter readings • Operating hours • Walking, running, or cycling distance from Apple Health Set a maintenance goal, view progress at a glance, add a use, or update a meter directly from your activity list. When maintenance is complete, WhenWas saves the finished interval to your timeline. SAVE THE DETAILS YOU’LL NEED LATER Keep model numbers, supplies, sizes, instructions, and other permanent notes with each activity. Add optional notes to individual check-ins so your history tells the full story. SHARE WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS Invite people to a shared activity so everyone can see and update the latest check-in. It is ideal for household routines like feeding the dog, cleaning the litter box, changing sheets, or replacing a filter. USE WHENWAS FOR • Home maintenance, plants, filters, and cleaning • Pet care, treatments, grooming, and vet visits • Haircuts, dentist visits, contacts, and medication refills • Family calls, date nights, and catching up with friends • Oil changes, tire rotations, batteries, and bike service • Generator hours, tool usage, and equipment maintenance • Running shoes, bikes, and other fitness gear BUILT FOR APPLE DEVICES • Timeline history with optional notes • Siri and Shortcuts • Apple Watch app • Home Screen widgets • Custom reminders • Search, filters, and pinned activities • iCloud sync • Dark Mode and accessible controls PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your data stays on your devices and in your personal iCloud. WhenWas does not store your activity data on its own servers. FREE & PRO Use WhenWas free with up to five activities, timeline history, Siri, and Apple Watch. WhenWas Pro unlocks unlimited activities, Enhanced Activities, Apple Health tracking, sharing, custom reminders, pinned activities, widgets, notes, and iCloud sync. Download WhenWas and stop wondering, “When did I last…?”

About

First Step

Features
Read full description

First Step helps you start tasks you've been putting off by making them tiny. Tell the app what's on your mind, and AI breaks it into small, concrete steps you can actually do. No planning required. Just begin. BUILT FOR HOW YOUR BRAIN WORKS Big tasks feel impossible. First Step turns them into 2-3 minute actions so small they feel easy. "Clean my room" becomes "pick up 3 things from the floor." That's it. One step at a time. GENTLE FOCUS SESSIONS Tap Start Focus and work through your steps with a calm timer. No pressure, no guilt. You can stop after 2 minutes — or keep going. Most people keep going. AI DAILY SCHEDULING Check in each morning and get a gentle schedule that matches your energy. Too much? Shuffle it. Still too much? Ask for just one thing. Your day, your pace. BRAIN DUMP When your head is full, just talk or type everything out. AI sorts the mess into clear, actionable tasks. One tap to add them to your inbox. TASK WEAVE Working on multiple things? Select 2-5 tasks and AI weaves them into one smart session, finding natural transition points between steps. ROUTINES Group tasks into repeatable routines...morning routine, weekly cleanup, whatever works for you. Start a routine and move through each task in order. APPLE WATCH Your steps follow you. Start a focus session on your wrist, complete steps with a tap, and stay in flow without pulling out your phone. WORKS OFFLINE Create tasks, complete steps, and run focus sessions without internet. Everything syncs when you're back online. WHAT YOU GET WITH FIRST STEP PRO • AI task breakdown into small, doable steps • Daily schedule that matches your energy • Brain Dump with voice and text capture • Task Weave for multi-task sessions • Gentle focus timer with no-pressure exit • Apple Watch companion app • Widgets for your home and lock screen • Unlimited tasks and routines Try free for 7 days. Cancel anytime. Privacy matters: your task content is processed by AI only to generate steps and schedules. No personal data is used for training. See our privacy policy for details. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

WhenWas4 screens
First Step4 screens

Verdict

The call

WhenWas and First Step are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. WhenWas sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and First Step sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
WhenWas versus First Step: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhenWasFirst Step
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDrew CortrightPraise Apata

In-app purchases

2 purchases

WhenWas

One-time2
  • Monthly Subscription$2.99
  • Yearly Subscription$29.99
2 purchases

First Step

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Access7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Access$29.991 Year

Questions

Is WhenWas free?
WhenWas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is First Step free?
First Step is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do WhenWas or First Step have ads?
Neither WhenWas nor First Step shows ads.

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