# Sermon Notes PRO vs First 5

The clearest difference is price: First 5 at Free against Sermon Notes PRO's $19.99. First 5 also leads on ratings volume (879 vs 253). Sermon Notes PRO's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

First 5 is free to download; Sermon Notes PRO costs $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Sermon Notes PRO holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 253 and 879 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Sermon Notes PRO's written reviews are positive against 73% of First 5's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sermon Notes PRO | First 5 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (253 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sermon-notes-pro-learn-apply/id689572242/reviews)** | [4.5 (879 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-5/id997457664/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 253 | **879** |
| Positive reviews | **84.8% of reviews** | 72.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 9 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ChuChu Train Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/415772087) | [Proverbs 31 Ministry, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1217584851) |

## What reviewers say

### Sermon Notes PRO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sermon-notes-pro-learn-apply/id689572242)

Capture sermon or lecture insights with an intuitive interface. Record audio simultaneously with notes, automatically time-tagging them for easy recall. Organize your recordings by various criteria and export them for further study.

**Highlights:** Simultaneous audio recording and note-taking, Automatic time-tagging of notes, Export notes and audio, Organize by date, category, speaker, location, iCloud database transfer, Dark mode support

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for organizing sermons
- 👍 Easy to use and write
- 👍 Helps track routines and improve
- 👍 Convenient for spiritual writing
- 👍 Allows adding subcategories

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Design/graphics could be better
- 👎 Not necessary, waste of money
- 👎 Needs more update features (editing, font size, bold, underline)
- 👎 Frustrating to close keyboard to save
- 👎 Grotesque look on iPhone 6/6 Plus

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes every time trying to open a note
- Crashing
- Having trouble with recording, needs practice
- Multiple copies of the same category

**Requested features**

- Upload own screenshots or pictures
- Add a feature to upload own screenshots or pictures
- More update features: deleting or editing speakers, editing sermons, font size, bold, underlining
- Access scripture within the app
- Add an option to take a photo or video in app


### First 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-5/id997457664)

This app provides daily biblical teachings to help users establish a consistent spiritual practice. It offers tools for highlighting, saving, and sharing scripture, along with a built-in Bible and community features.

**Highlights:** Daily biblical teachings, Highlight, save, and share scripture, Integrated Bible reader, Customizable reminders, Community groups, Exportable notes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Solid biblical teaching
- 👍 Comprehensive and beautiful app
- 👍 Excellent resource for Bible study
- 👍 Helpful for spiritual growth
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or freezes
- 🐛 Glitchy or buggy functionality
- 🐛 Restricted access requiring sign-up
- 👎 Text is too small, no font size options
- 👎 Lack of dark mode or night theme

**Reported bugs**

- App not loading or showing blank screen
- Inability to access past or current studies
- Login/sign-in issues and account problems
- Repeated log-outs and sign-in requirements

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode or night theme
- Improve font size and zoom options
- Allow offline access to past studies
- Implement text-to-speech feature
- Provide more customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sermon Notes PRO free?

Sermon Notes PRO costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is First 5 free?

First 5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sermon Notes PRO or First 5?

Sermon Notes PRO is rated higher. Sermon Notes PRO averages 4.8 out of 5 from 253 ratings, while First 5 averages 4.5 from 879 ratings.

### Do Sermon Notes PRO or First 5 have ads?

First 5 shows ads; Sermon Notes PRO does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sermon Notes PRO or First 5?

Sermon Notes PRO ships an update every 3 months, and First 5 every 3 months. Most recently, Sermon Notes PRO was updated on September 23, 2026 and First 5 on September 28, 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.*