# FirstStep School vs HEPIQ

The clearest difference is rating: FirstStep School at 5.0 against HEPIQ's 1.3. FirstStep School also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). HEPIQ's advantage is ratings volume (5.3K vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

FirstStep School holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HEPIQ has 5.3K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

FirstStep School ships an update monthly, HEPIQ every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FirstStep School | HEPIQ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firststep-school/id6563150143/reviews)** | [1.3 (5.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hepiq/id6737806530/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **5.3K** |
| Positive reviews | — | 7.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 43 MB | 135 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ammar Al-Wazzan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1471627336) | [Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research-Baghdad, Iraq](https://appshunter.io/developer/1281335072) |

## What reviewers say

### FirstStep School

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firststep-school/id6563150143)

This app helps parents stay informed about their children's school activities. It provides easy access to lesson schedules, homework assignments, exam details, grades, and attendance records.

**Highlights:** Lesson schedules, Homework assignments, Exam details, Grades tracking, Attendance monitoring, Student information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### HEPIQ

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hepiq/id6737806530)

This digital platform enhances the higher education experience in Iraq for students and professors. It offers a seamless learning journey with innovative features tailored for the Iraqi academic community. Unlock your educational potential with this transformative tool.

**Highlights:** Academic excellence portal, Digital learning tool, Innovative features, For Iraqi academic community, Seamless learning experience

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App not working
- 🤯 Frustrating experience
- 💔 Terrible app
- 🤔 Issues with camera/image capture
- 🤷‍♀️ Login/registration problems

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Unable to capture national ID card
- Login and registration not working

**Requested features**

- Update the app to fix issues
- Improve camera/image capture functionality
- Enhance login and registration process


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FirstStep School free?

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

### Is HEPIQ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, FirstStep School or HEPIQ?

FirstStep School is rated higher. FirstStep School averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while HEPIQ averages 1.3 from 5.3K ratings.

### Do FirstStep School or HEPIQ have ads?

Neither FirstStep School nor HEPIQ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FirstStep School or HEPIQ?

FirstStep School ships an update monthly, and HEPIQ every 2 weeks. Most recently, FirstStep School was updated on October 6, 2026 and HEPIQ on October 15, 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.*