# Tynker vs First News

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tynker at every 3 weeks against First News's every 6 months. Tynker also leads on ratings volume (18K vs 22) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). First News's advantage is review sentiment (74% vs 56%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tynker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month and First News sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Tynker against 4.5 for First News. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tynker has 18K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Tynker's written reviews are positive against 74% of First News's.

Tynker ships an update every 3 weeks, First News every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tynker | First News |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tynker-coding-for-kids/id805869467/reviews)** | [4.5 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-news/id1544460681/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **18K** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | 55.9% of reviews | **73.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 153 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tynker](https://appshunter.io/developer/805869470) | [First News](https://appshunter.io/developer/579391153) |

## What reviewers say

### Tynker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tynker-coding-for-kids/id805869467)

This app offers a fun and engaging platform for children to learn coding and artificial intelligence. It guides them from visual block coding to text-based languages like Python and JavaScript, with opportunities to mod Minecraft and create AR apps.

**Highlights:** Block-to-text coding transition, AI and Machine Learning basics, Minecraft modding and creation, Augmented Reality (AR) app development, Coding tutorials and game building, Robotics programming

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tynker Web + Mobile Plan | $24.99 | per month |
| Tynker Web + Mobile Plan | $59.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly All-Access Plan | $119.99 | per year |
| Tynker Web + Mobile Plan | $314.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Coding made fun
- 👍 Great for learning
- 🎨 Customizable Minecraft mods
- 💡 Potential for more features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall for full access
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🤔 Limited Minecraft functionality
- ⏱️ Slow project publishing

**Reported bugs**

- Minecraft mods not working as expected
- Syncing and publishing issues
- Disappearing projects and progress
- Compatibility problems with newer Minecraft versions

**Requested features**

- More Minecraft block and mob customization
- Offline access
- Improved community moderation
- Ability to save and restore projects


### First News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-news/id1544460681)

This app provides children with a balanced and truthful view of world events, written by award-winning journalists. It offers interactive articles, daily curated news, puzzles, games, and a video platform with news explainers to foster curiosity and critical thinking.

**Highlights:** Weekly 28-page interactive newspaper edition, Searchable archive of past issues, Hundreds of news explainer videos, Weekly topical quiz with avatar and leaderboard, Interactive puzzles linked to current news, Daily news feed with age-appropriate articles, Weekly polls and competitions

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $5.49 | per month |
| 1-month subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| 3 Month Subscription | $24.49 | per 3 months |
| 3-month subscription | $28.49 | per 3 months |
| 6 Month subscription | $43.99 | per 6 months |
| 6-month subscription | $53.99 | per 6 months |
| 1 Year Subscription | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tynker free?

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

### Is First News free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Tynker or First News?

Tynker is rated higher. Tynker averages 4.6 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while First News averages 4.5 from 22 ratings.

### Do Tynker or First News have ads?

Neither Tynker nor First News shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tynker or First News?

Tynker ships an update every 3 weeks, and First News every 6 months. Most recently, Tynker was updated on November 3, 2026 and First News on November 3, 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.*