# The First Ascent vs Halloway

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The First Ascent at none against Halloway's 6. The First Ascent also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Halloway's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Halloway sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. The First Ascent asks for nothing beyond the download.

The First Ascent ships an update every 5 months, Halloway fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The First Ascent | Halloway |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halloway/id6781112702/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **4** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 134 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Chi Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1821646937) | [No Evil Star LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896218218) |

## What reviewers say

### The First Ascent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-first-ascent/id6747490622)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Halloway

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halloway/id6781112702)

Explore a house of riddles played in the dark, focusing on solving clues to unlock doors. Progress is saved on your device, with optional cross-device sync. No account is needed to begin your mysterious journey.

**Highlights:** Three hand-built cipher wings, Played phone-first in the dark, No maps or busywork, Solve rooms to turn keys, Progress saved on device, Optional cross-device sync

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Whole House Upgrade | $1.00 | one-time |
| Halloway - The Veil | $1.99 | one-time |
| Halloway - The Threshold | $1.99 | one-time |
| Halloway - The Athanor | $1.99 | one-time |
| Whole House Upgrade | $3.00 | one-time |
| Halloway - All Access | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The First Ascent free?

The First Ascent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Halloway free?

Halloway is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do The First Ascent or Halloway have ads?

Halloway shows ads; The First Ascent does not.

### Which is updated more often, The First Ascent or Halloway?

The First Ascent ships an update every 5 months, and Halloway fortnightly. Most recently, The First Ascent was updated on October 7, 2026 and Halloway on October 13, 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.*