# CareFirst vs BY THE BELL

The clearest difference is update cadence: CareFirst at every 2 months against BY THE BELL's every 12 months. CareFirst also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

CareFirst ships an update every 2 months, BY THE BELL every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CareFirst | BY THE BELL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[1.1 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carefirst/id601398952/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CareFirst, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/601398955) | [Be Fit Annapolis, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1539783450) |

## What reviewers say

### CareFirst

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carefirst/id601398952)

Manage your health insurance on the go. Access claims, deductibles, ID cards, and find nearby providers. Securely manage your account and communication preferences.

**Highlights:** Manage health insurance, View claims and deductibles, Downloadable ID cards, Find providers and urgent care, Register for My Account, Update communication preferences

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Decent mobile website experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constant crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Unreliable login and verification process
- 🐛 Laggy and slow performance
- 👎 Frustrating and unintuitive user interface
- 👎 Lack of basic app functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on login
- Password field scrolls to bottom of screen
- Verification codes not working
- Frequent app freezes and lockouts

**Requested features**

- Biometric login support
- Seamless integration with password managers
- Improved navigation and information accessibility
- Regular app updates and bug fixes


### BY THE BELL

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/by-the-bell/id6746057933)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CareFirst free?

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

### Is BY THE BELL free?

BY THE BELL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do CareFirst or BY THE BELL have ads?

Neither CareFirst nor BY THE BELL shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CareFirst or BY THE BELL?

CareFirst ships an update every 2 months, and BY THE BELL every 12 months. Most recently, CareFirst was updated on November 1, 2026 and BY THE BELL on October 28, 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.*