Comparison

Firsts vs Tesseract

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

Head to head
About

Firsts

This app helps you document and revisit significant "first times" in your life. It automatically organizes memories by age and allows you to add details like photos, locations, and tags. Review your life's chapters with visual charts and enjoy heartwarming moments through home screen widgets.

Highlights
  • Focus on 'first times' only
  • Categorized by age
  • Photo-based memory creation
  • Insights and review charts
  • Widget support
Features
Read full description

The journey of life is woven together by countless “first times”: The first time you came into this world and felt the warmth of the sun. The first time you took tiny steps toward the unknown. The first time you rode a bike and felt the freedom of the wind. The first time you stood on stage and faced the courage of applause and attention. The first time you cooked, worked, fell in love, or traveled alone… Each “first time” is a unique and precious memory. This time, we’ve made “First Times” the theme, giving you a whole new way to document the chapters of your life! Features — Focus on First Times Only — Exclusively designed to record every significant “first time” in your life. Create a title, write detailed descriptions, categorize memories with tags, log the location, and even add photos to preserve those cherished moments. — Categorized by Age — Your “first times” are automatically organized by age, making it easy to revisit these priceless moments and see when they happened. Click on an age to expand and relive the story from that year. — Photo-Based Memory Creation — With photo access enabled, the app intelligently analyzes your library to rediscover “first times” based on cities you’ve visited, quickly generating location-based memory chapters. — Insights and Review — Swipe up from the bottom to access the review section. The app creates visual charts based on all your recorded “first times,” giving deeper meaning to every moment. — Widget Support — Enjoy randomly switching “first time” memories with a widget that lets you revisit heartwarming moments right from your home screen. Awaken Memories with “Firsts” Whether it’s tasting the sweetness of first love or setting off on a solo adventure, every “first time” is infused with the courage of exploration and the vibrancy of life. Start documenting now and let each “first time” become an eternal poem in your life story. More Features & Device Versions in Development We invite you to download and experience the app! Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Tesseract

This app offers a unique emotional journaling experience inspired by interstellar travel. It allows users to record memories in an immersive 3D interface, transforming diary entries into cosmic coordinates. Features include voice dictation, AI prompts, and secure iCloud syncing.

Highlights
  • Immersive 3D Tesseract interface
  • Voice dictation journaling
  • AI-powered journaling prompts
  • Aesthetic writing with animations
  • Secure iCloud sync
  • Privacy-first design
Features
Read full description

Keep your days in a photo diary that brings memories to life. Tesseract gives your words and photos a universe of starlight, rain, and black holes. Write a little today, then return to the moments you want to remember. ◆ A space to revisit your memories Motion and depth bring the atmosphere of each entry back to life. Browse your diary horizontally, vertically, or in a grid. ◆ Words and photos that come alive Eleven visual themes inspired by starlight, rain, wormholes, and black holes add motion and depth to your words and photos. Adjust effect intensity and photo placement in supported themes to create your own atmosphere. ◆ Your day in words and photos Write a quick thought or a longer entry, at your own pace. Add photos to hold on to the moments words alone can’t capture. ◆ Revisit past entries Find any memory quickly with the calendar and search. The On This Day widget brings one past entry back to your Home Screen. ◆ Journaling Suggestions to help you begin On iPhone, bring photos, reflection prompts, and places into an entry from Apple’s Journaling Suggestions. Save text you use often as templates to make your next entry easier to begin. ◆ Personal by choice Start without an account. New entries are stored on your device. Lock individual entries with Face ID or Touch ID. With Pro, choose whether to enable iCloud sync. ◆ Tesseract Pro Use every visual theme, create custom folders, and add up to ten photos to each entry. With iCloud sync enabled, continue your diary across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Key features - Eleven visual themes, including free and Pro themes - Spatial presentation for words and photos - Two photos per entry, or up to ten with Pro - Horizontal, vertical, and grid layouts - Calendar and search - Diary templates and writing reminders - On This Day Home Screen widget - Face ID or Touch ID lock for individual entries - Real-time voice dictation on supported devices - Markdown text import and export - Custom folders and optional iCloud sync with Pro An ordinary day can become a scene you will want to revisit. Keep today’s memory in your own universe with Tesseract. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Firsts4 screens
Tesseract4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Firsts at 5.0 against Tesseract's 4.5. Firsts also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Tesseract's advantage is ratings volume (110 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Firsts sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.69 per month and Tesseract sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Firsts holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tesseract has 110 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Firsts's written reviews are positive against 78% of Tesseract's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Firsts versus Tesseract: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirstsTesseract
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (110 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better78.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1110 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer杰滨 李Goateraction

Customer experience

Firsts

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tesseract

All ratings110 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral5.7%
Negative16.0%

Bugs and requests

Firsts

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tesseract

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Data deletion after app updates
  • Journal entries disappearing after switching apps
  • Edit button causing app crashes
  • Photos disappearing when adding new ones
  • Photos disappearing after editing entries
Show 7 more
  • iCloud sync not working between iPhone and iPad
  • Bluetooth keyboard Enter key not functioning
  • App freezing and lagging
  • Text alignment issues in display view
  • Paragraph spacing issues in display view
  • Premium features not working after subscription
  • App crashes on edit button press

Requested features

16 requests
  • Customizable theme colors and backgrounds
  • Additional font options (especially for Chinese)
  • PDF export functionality
  • iCloud sync support
  • Auto-save functionality
Show 11 more
  • Photo position/placement control
  • Galaxy map/note clustering visualization
  • Auto-scroll features
  • Pin/favorite entries functionality
  • Search functionality
  • Weather integration
  • Image filters
  • macOS version
  • Customizable line spacing
  • Live photo support
  • Adjustable text size for long entries

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Firsts

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.691 Month
  • Annually$5.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime$12.99
  • Lifetime Family$19.99
3 purchases

Tesseract

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Annual$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$12.99

Questions

Is Firsts free?
Firsts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tesseract free?
Tesseract is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Firsts or Tesseract?
Firsts is rated higher. Firsts averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Tesseract averages 4.5 from 110 ratings.
Do Firsts or Tesseract have ads?
Neither Firsts nor Tesseract shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Firsts or Tesseract?
Firsts ships an update fortnightly, and Tesseract fortnightly. Most recently, Firsts was updated on October 3, 2026 and Tesseract on October 13, 2026.

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