Comparison

First Step vs Pointers

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

Head to head
About

First Step

Features
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An electronic developmental scale focuses on identifying the aspect that represents apparent delay in the condition, specifying it by measuring against the natural development of children from the age of 1 to 18, encompassing psychological, cognitive, motor, and functional development, followed by speech and language development in the condition, as well as any developmental or sensory disorders (motor, visual, auditory). This is achieved through the response of the parent or caregiver to diverse questions on the application, according to the chronological age of the individual, enabling us to determine the extent of development in the aforementioned aspects or the degree of delay compared to the normal growth and acquisition rate. The application provides an indicator of a delay in one or more of these aspects. The scale includes 360 questions distributed across 5 skills: 1. Communication Skills 2. Academic and Functional Skills 3. Functional Skills 4. Social Skills 5. Motor Skills Estimated time for the application: 30 minutes Languages: Arabic, English, Russian The methodology was tested and translated by the Ural Federal University (the Russian Federation).

About

Pointers

Features
Read full description

The Pointer School App is a unified communication platform that encourages active engagements between the school and parents. - Stay up to date with the latest news, events and announcements from school in one unified app. - Receive personalised messages that won’t leave you confused. - Rest assured that all info shared by us, you, or other parents are safe and secure. - Streamlined communication with absence reporting, approvals, and emergency updates. - Messages will be sent with clickable buttons, allowing you to easily reply, approve, and more, even when your hands are full! - Send direct messages to teachers, share files and voice messages, and translate text into your native language with just one tap, all from the app. - Track your child’s achievements through our house points system that will keep your child motivated.

Screenshots

First Step4 screens
Pointers4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: First Step at 12.0 against Pointers's 15.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Step ships an update weekly, Pointers every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
First Step versus Pointers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst StepPointers
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly β€” betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 β€” better15.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size75 MB199 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperZayed Higher Organization for People of DeterminationSchoolvoice LTD

In-app purchases

None

First Step

No in-app purchases

None

Pointers

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Step free?
First Step is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pointers free?
Pointers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do First Step or Pointers have ads?
Neither First Step nor Pointers shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First Step or Pointers?
First Step ships an update weekly, and Pointers every 10 days. Most recently, First Step was updated on October 8, 2026 and Pointers on October 6, 2026.

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