Comparison

Back vs Firsts, Noted

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

Head to head
About

Back

This app provides peace of mind by offering replacement family care when regular arrangements fall through. It allows users to conveniently schedule care, manage reservations, and find nearby centers directly from their mobile device.

Highlights
  • Schedule back-up care
  • Request previous caregivers
  • View reservation details
  • Receive confirmation notifications
  • Copy past reservations
  • Find nearby care centers
  • Add reservations to calendar
Features
Read full description

Family care emergencies can disrupt your whole day. Bright Horizons Back-Up Care™, a benefit available to you if offered by your employer, can give you peace of mind, providing replacement care when regular arrangements fall through. Now the program is in the palm of your hand! As a user of Bright Horizons Back-Up Care, you can conveniently schedule care right from your mobile device with the Back-Up Care app. Whether your regular caregiver calls in sick, your child has a school holiday, or you’re transitioning back to work from parental leave, the Back-Up Care app is your easy, time-saving solution to managing family care challenges while on the go. You can use the Back-Up Care app to: • Sign up for your benefit (to get started, you just need your employer’s username and password) • Submit a new request for back-up care • Request previously used caregivers • View details of existing reservations • Receive notifications when reservations are confirmed • Quickly create new reservations by copying past reservations • Find nearby centers and view each location on a map • Add confirmed reservations to your device’s calendar • Get details about your benefit offering *Please note: Your employer must participate in Bright Horizons Back-Up Care in order to use this app. Not all employers who participate allow the use of this app. Please contact your human resources department for information on benefit availability.

About

Firsts, Noted

Features
Read full description

The first years, gently kept. Firsts, Noted is a private milestone guide and family journal designed to help parents notice, understand, and remember the small moments that shape childhood. PERSONALIZED MILESTONE GUIDANCE Enter your child’s birth date to see broad, age-appropriate developmental windows—from early smiles and visual tracking to language, movement, imagination, independence, and social development through age five. Open a milestone to explore: • What may be happening developmentally • What the milestone may signify • A gentle activity to try together • A supporting reference from a trusted developmental resource GROWING & CHANGING Explore gentle guides to everyday changes that may be unfolding around your child’s age, including vision, newborn appearance, hair, skin, sleep, teething, reflexes, and feeding textures. These broad ranges are context—not deadlines, predictions, or diagnoses. CREATE A FAMILY JOURNAL Record firsts, funny moments, ordinary days, and everything in between. Add photos, videos, notes, milestone dates, prompts and responses, and your child’s age when each moment occurred. Edit or delete entries and change their attached media. PRIVATE CLOUD BOOK & FAMILY CIRCLE Connect your private book for backup and synchronization. Invite trusted family members as viewers or contributors and remove access whenever you choose. IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN Import existing photos and videos. When capture-date information is available, Firsts, Noted can estimate your child’s age and place each memory near the appropriate point in the timeline. GENTLE REMINDERS Choose an optional weekly prompt and reminders when a developmental window may be approaching. Change the timing and frequency choices inside the app. A KEEPSAKE MADE TO LAST Turn your child’s timeline into a polished PDF keepsake that can be saved, shared, or printed. Start free and upgrade when your family needs more room. Firsts, Noted contains no advertising and does not sell family data. Developmental information is general educational guidance, not medical advice or a diagnostic tool. Every child develops differently. Consult a qualified healthcare professional with questions or concerns. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Back4 screens
Firsts, Noted4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Back at none against Firsts, Noted's 2. Firsts, Noted's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). 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. Firsts, Noted sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Back asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Back ships an update every 3 weeks, Firsts, Noted weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Back versus Firsts, Noted: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackFirsts, Noted
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (126 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews12.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings126 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBright Horizons CC LLCTalk to You Later, LLC

Bugs and requests

Back

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • Login credentials not accepted despite being correct
  • Face ID authentication fails
  • Request Care button missing or non-functional
  • App version mismatch preventing login
  • Forced logout when navigating away from app
Show 14 more
  • Profile information not saving
  • Verification codes not arriving
  • General error messages without details
  • Form data lost when navigating between screens
  • Keyboard not appearing on login screen
  • App crashes on startup
  • Slow page loading causing phone lockup
  • SSO and 2FA authentication failures
  • Reservation confirmation status incorrect
  • Missing emergency contact entry screen
  • Special needs/allergies settings not removable
  • Mobile number textability settings not preserved
  • Address validation rejecting valid addresses
  • Inconsistent data between app and website

Requested features

11 requests
  • Distance-based filtering for childcare centers
  • Display facility names after booking
  • Overnight reservation options
  • Extended session timeout before re-authentication
  • Caregiver selection and preference system
Show 6 more
  • Reservation history and details visibility
  • Real-time caregiver availability updates
  • Automatic backup caregiver assignment
  • Clear policy information in intake forms
  • Improved error messages with specific guidance
  • Search by location other than current position

Firsts, Noted

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Back

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Firsts, Noted

Subscriptions2
  • Little Days Plus$3.991 Month
  • Little Days Plus$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Back free?
Back is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Firsts, Noted free?
Firsts, Noted is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Back or Firsts, Noted have ads?
Neither Back nor Firsts, Noted shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Back or Firsts, Noted?
Back ships an update every 3 weeks, and Firsts, Noted weekly. Most recently, Back was updated on October 26, 2026 and Firsts, Noted on October 24, 2026.

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