Comparison

FRONTSTEPS Community Manager vs But First

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

Head to head
About

FRONTSTEPS Community Manager

This app helps Community Association Managers streamline daily tasks, enhance accuracy, and improve safety. It offers advanced mapping and offline capabilities, integrating seamlessly with the FRONSTEPS Suite for an optimized workflow.

Highlights
  • Streamline daily tasks
  • Increase accuracy
  • Improve safety
  • Advanced mapping
  • Offline capabilities
  • Seamless integration
Features
Read full description

The FRONTSTEPS Community Manager is is intended for Community Association Managers only. It is not intended for community residents. Optimize your daily tasks with our app designed specifically for Community Association Managers (CAMs). Streamline your workflow, increase accuracy, and improve safety with advanced mapping, offline capabilities, and seamless connection to the FRONSTEPS Suite. Download now and revolutionize your community manager experience!

About

But First

This app helps you prioritize productive activities before allowing access to distracting ones. Set daily goals and define which apps must be used first, with others unlocking only after your goal is met. It's designed for users who want to build better digital habits without completely blocking access to their favorite apps.

Highlights
  • Prioritize app access
  • Set daily usage goals
  • Unlock distracting apps after goal completion
  • Strict mode for enhanced focus
  • Widgets for progress tracking
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

You didn't decide to open Instagram. Your thumb decided. Twenty minutes later, the book on your Kindle App is still on chapter one - and tomorrow morning it happens again. That's why But First exists. Not another app to keep you off your phone. Not another gamified app. Just one that puts the apps you want first - and makes the ones you don't wait their turn. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick your apps. Choose what waits (Instagram, TikTok, games...) and what counts (Kindle, Duolingo, your Bible app...). You pick both — the app doesn't judge. 2. Set a daily goal. 10 minutes, 20, 60 — your call. iOS itself tracks your time in the counting apps. No timers to start, and changing the clock won't fool it. 3. Do the good thing first. Locked apps stay shielded until you hit your goal. Then everything opens until midnight, and locks again tomorrow. Automatically. ROUTINES PEOPLE BUILD • 20 minutes of reading, then Instagram unlocks • One language lesson's worth of time, then TikTok unlocks • Bible before YouTube • Meditation before Reddit • Focus timer before games Screen Time sets limits. But First sets the order. You don't have to quit anything — distraction just goes second. FREE AND PRO Free gets the complete loop: one locked app + one counting app, a daily goal, the shield, the widgets. Not a crippled demo — the whole habit works. Pro adds unlimited locked and counting apps, whole categories, website blocking, and strict mode. STRICT MODE (AND AN HONEST ESCAPE) Normal mode keeps an "Unlock today" button in Settings, behind one gentle dialog. Its title: "but first*". Its message: "*you did install an app called But First." Strict mode removes that button until midnight, for days you mean it. And full honesty: you can always delete the app or revoke Screen Time permission. No app can truly force you, and we won't pretend this one can — But First is for people who want the help. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Built on Apple's Screen Time framework. When you pick apps, we only ever receive anonymous tokens — never app names, never your history. Nothing leaves your phone. No account. No usage analytics. We couldn't sell your data if we wanted to, because we never have it. WIDGETS AND WATCH A progress ring on your Home Screen and Lock Screen, and a "you're done for today" notification that mirrors to your Apple Watch. PRICING But First Pro: $29.99/year with a 7-day free trial (recommended), $3.99/month, or $49.99 lifetime (launch price). Subscriptions are billed to your Apple Account and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. The annual plan charges when the 7-day trial ends; cancel during the trial and you pay nothing. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings, then your name, then Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://butfirst.app/privacy/ One more thing: this app is built by one person. If something's off, email asilverness@gmail.com — you'll hear back within a day or two.

Screenshots

FRONTSTEPS Community Manager4 screens
But First4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: But First at 5.0 against FRONTSTEPS Community Manager's 2.0. But First also leads on update cadence (daily vs monthly). FRONTSTEPS Community Manager's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. But First sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. FRONTSTEPS Community Manager asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

But First holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FRONTSTEPS Community Manager has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FRONTSTEPS Community Manager ships an update monthly, But First daily. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
FRONTSTEPS Community Manager versus But First: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFRONTSTEPS Community ManagerBut First
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.3 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrontstepsAdam Silverness

In-app purchases

None

FRONTSTEPS Community Manager

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

But First

Subscriptions2
  • But First Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • But First Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$49.99

Questions

Is FRONTSTEPS Community Manager free?
FRONTSTEPS Community Manager is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is But First free?
But First is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FRONTSTEPS Community Manager or But First?
But First is rated higher. FRONTSTEPS Community Manager averages 2.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while But First averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do FRONTSTEPS Community Manager or But First have ads?
Neither FRONTSTEPS Community Manager nor But First shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FRONTSTEPS Community Manager or But First?
FRONTSTEPS Community Manager ships an update monthly, and But First daily. Most recently, FRONTSTEPS Community Manager was updated on October 28, 2026 and But First on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons