Comparison

First 5 vs Lifeway On Demand

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

Head to head
About

First 5

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
Read full description

Transform your time with God using the First 5 app, developed by Proverbs 31 Ministries. First 5 is specifically designed to greet you with a short teaching in God’s Word daily before you get distracted by social media and everything else competing for your attention. It’s our hope you create a daily habit of reading God’s Word through your time spent in the First 5 app. Features • New Teaching Every Day: We unpack books of the Bible, focusing on passages of Scripture each day and seeing how they apply to our lives. • Highlight, Save and Share: You can highlight any portion of our daily teachings to bookmark, share or add a personal note. Review your notes and activity through your profile and use the export feature to save them to your device. • Reminder Functionality: Set up a reminder in the app to go off at any time you choose. This way, you can read each teaching at a time that works best in your schedule. • Bible: Don't have your Bible handy? Use this feature for your daily Bible reading. You can search any passage of Scripture and even bookmark, highlight and create a graphic to share with a friend. * Community: Find community among our First 5 friends in private and public groups.

About

Lifeway On Demand

Access and engage with purchased Bible study resources and the Christian Standard Bible. Watch video sessions offline, read Scripture, and explore digital eBooks from Lifeway. Features include integrated playback, organized navigation, and customizable captioning.

Highlights
  • Watch and learn studies offline
  • Read the Christian Standard Bible
  • Access digital Bible study eBooks
  • Integrated mini player for browsing
  • Organized study navigation
  • Customizable ASL, Spanish, Open Captions
Features
Read full description

Engage with Trusted Bible Study Resources and the CSB in Lifeway On Demand Key Features: - Watch and Learn: View your purchased or redeemed studies and sessions, online or offline. - Read the CSB: Dive into Scripture with the full Christian Standard Bible, designed for clarity and accuracy. - Explore eBooks: Access and engage with your digital Bible studies and eBooks from Lifeway in one place. - Study Your Way: Start a session, then continue reading or browsing the app with the integrated mini player. - Stay Organized: Navigate studies with improved structure and intuitive design. - Customize Playback: Choose from ASL, Spanish, or Open Captions to suit your needs. - Mobile Support: Access help or share feedback through the in-app Support feature. We’re continuing to build a more unified, engaging Bible study experience, bringing together powerful teaching, immersive Scripture reading, and flexible study tools to help you grow anytime, anywhere. Lifeway On Demand is your trusted destination for rich, biblical content, offering a seamless way to watch, read, and grow in your knowledge of God and His Word. Access video studies, explore the CSB Bible, and engage with study resources all in one place.

Screenshots

First 53 screens
Lifeway On Demand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: First 5 at 73% against Lifeway On Demand's 27%. First 5 also leads on monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). Lifeway On Demand's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lifeway On Demand holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 879 and 1.9K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of First 5's written reviews are positive against 27% of Lifeway On Demand's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First 5 ships an update every 3 months, Lifeway On Demand every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
First 5 versus Lifeway On Demand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst 5Lifeway On Demand
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (879 ratings)4.8 (1.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews — better27.3% of reviews
Number of ratings8791.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProverbs 31 Ministry, Inc.Lifeway Christian Resources

Customer experience

First 5

All ratings873 ratings
Positive87.4%
Neutral5.0%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral12.9%
Negative14.4%

Lifeway On Demand

All ratings1,879 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive27.3%
Neutral18.2%
Negative54.5%

User reviews

First 5

From 879 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Lifeway On Demand

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great Bible studies
  • 🚀 Convenient on-demand access
  • 💡 Helpful video teachings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent user experience
  • 🔒 Lack of offline access for ebooks
  • 🔒 Unable to cast videos to TV
  • 👎 Navigation issues
  • 👎 Accessibility challenges for visually impaired users

Bugs and requests

First 5

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Lifeway On Demand

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Videos continue playing after pausing or exiting
  • Purchased content not showing up in app
  • Redemption code entry not easily accessible

Requested features

5 requests
  • Landscape mode option
  • Ability to keep track of ongoing studies
  • Predictive text in search bar
  • Seamless Chromecast/AirPlay integration
  • Improved accessibility features

In-app purchases

None

First 5

No in-app purchases

None

Lifeway On Demand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First 5 free?
First 5 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lifeway On Demand free?
Lifeway On Demand is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, First 5 or Lifeway On Demand?
Lifeway On Demand is rated higher. First 5 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 879 ratings, while Lifeway On Demand averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.
Do First 5 or Lifeway On Demand have ads?
First 5 shows ads; Lifeway On Demand does not.
Which is updated more often, First 5 or Lifeway On Demand?
First 5 ships an update every 3 months, and Lifeway On Demand every 11 days. Most recently, First 5 was updated on September 18, 2026 and Lifeway On Demand on September 24, 2026.

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