PFA Mobile vs A Friend Asks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PFA Mobile
This app assists responders in providing psychological first aid to adults, families, and children. It offers summaries of PFA fundamentals, interventions, mentor tips, a self-assessment tool, and a survivor needs form for data collection and referrals.
- PFA fundamentals summaries
- Interventions for specific survivor needs
- Mentor tips for field application
- Self-assessment tool for responder readiness
- Survivor needs form for data collection
- Easy referral system
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PFA Mobile was designed to assist responders who provide psychological first aid (PFA) to adults, families, and children as part of an organized response effort. This app provides responders with summaries of PFA fundamentals, PFA interventions matched to specific concerns and needs of survivors, mentor tips for applying PFA in the field, a self-assessment tool for readiness to conduct PFA, and a survivors' needs form for simplified data collection and easy referral. PFA Mobile was created by VA's National Center for PTSD in partnership with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and DoD's National Center for Telehealth & Technology.
A Friend Asks
Learn how to recognize and respond to a friend who may be considering suicide. Access warning signs, helpful actions, and immediate contact information for support.
- Recognize suicide warning signs
- Learn do's and don'ts
- Access National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Support for friends and self
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Would you know how to respond if you recognized your friend may be thinking about suicide? Here you will have access to the warning signs, do’s and don’ts, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a click away. Don’t be afraid to ask for help…for a friend or yourself.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: PFA Mobile at every 13 months against A Friend Asks's every 27 months. A Friend Asks's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for PFA Mobile against 4.5 for A Friend Asks. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
PFA Mobile ships an update every 13 months, A Friend Asks every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PFA Mobile | A Friend Asks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (11 ratings) | 4.5 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months — better | Every 27 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) | The Jason Foundation, Inc. |
Customer experience
PFA Mobile
A Friend Asks
In-app purchases
PFA Mobile
No in-app purchases
A Friend Asks
No in-app purchases
