Comparison

First In Navigation vs Notes From The Senior Men

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

Head to head
About

First In Navigation

This app helps first responders learn their response areas with interactive quizzes. It generates random calls within custom-drawn zones and provides optimal routes from stations or hospitals. Users can save and share maps, and access a database of community-created routes.

Highlights
  • Custom response area mapping
  • Randomized call generation
  • Route quizzing from stations/hospitals
  • Save and share custom maps
  • Community map database
  • Cross-platform account access
Features
Read full description

First In Navigation is a tool made specifically for first responders trying to memorize the streets in their response area. It has 3 seperate modes for EMS, Fire, and Law enforcement. With our app, you can outline your exact response area. The app will then randomly generate calls within the drawn border. The app will then quiz and demonstrate how to get to or from the call. Fire and law enforcement mode will let you enter in stations, and route / quiz you from there to the call. EMS mode will let you enter in hospitals, and route / quiz you from the call to the hospital. Once you have a map set up how you want, you can permanently save the map and upload it to our database! Our database also lets users search by map name, map location, and coworker name. While anyone can easily set up a map, you may not have to as long as a coworker has saved and published a map! All routing data is imported from Mapbox for accurate and widespread mapping data. While designed for active first reponders, First In Navigation is open to everyone. Meaning even if you are not hired yet, you can still study your future response area now to enter the workforce with confidence. This app is cross-platform, meaning if you have already made an account or submitted a map on our website, it will still be accessible here! Start now to work and drive with confidence! Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://firstinnavigation.com/privacy-policy/

About

Notes From The Senior Men

This app delivers concise, practical fire service lessons directly from experienced senior firefighters. Content is vetted and based on real-world fireground experience, focusing on essential knowledge without filler.

Highlights
  • Vetted fire service lessons
  • Real fireground experience
  • Truck and engine work
  • Rescue and leadership
  • No filler content
  • Filtered and tested knowledge
Features
Read full description

Short, no-BS fire service lessons from experienced senior firefighters. Vetted contributors. Real experience. Nothing extra. Every note is built from time on the job—lessons learned on the fireground, not in a classroom. Truck work, engine work, rescue, leadership—it’s all here, stripped down to what actually matters. No long reads. No filler. Just clear, usable knowledge you can take with you. This isn’t social media. There are no comments, no arguments, and no noise. What you’re reading has been filtered, tested, and passed down by people who’ve done the job and earned the right to teach it. Not everyone gets to contribute. That’s the point. The standard stays high so the content stays real. Open the app, read a note, and get something you can use on the next run. That’s it.

Screenshots

First In Navigation4 screens
Notes From The Senior Men4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notes From The Senior Men at 5.0 against First In Navigation's 2.9. Notes From The Senior Men also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). First In Navigation's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (19 vs 3). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. First In Navigation sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Notes From The Senior Men asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notes From The Senior Men holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First In Navigation has 19 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First In Navigation ships an update weekly, Notes From The Senior Men every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
First In Navigation versus Notes From The Senior Men: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst In NavigationNotes From The Senior Men
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (19 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings19 — better3
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB45 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperJoseph GraffSound Shore

Customer experience

First In Navigation

All ratings18 ratings
Positive38.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive36.4%
Neutral18.2%
Negative45.5%

Notes From The Senior Men

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

First In Navigation

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Membership$1.991 Month
None

Notes From The Senior Men

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First In Navigation free?
First In Navigation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes From The Senior Men free?
Notes From The Senior Men is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, First In Navigation or Notes From The Senior Men?
Notes From The Senior Men is rated higher. First In Navigation averages 2.9 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Notes From The Senior Men averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do First In Navigation or Notes From The Senior Men have ads?
Neither First In Navigation nor Notes From The Senior Men shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First In Navigation or Notes From The Senior Men?
First In Navigation ships an update weekly, and Notes From The Senior Men every 3 months. Most recently, First In Navigation was updated on October 24, 2026 and Notes From The Senior Men on October 3, 2026.

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