# Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource

> Digital textbook reader for Elsevier medical and scientific publications on iOS. (iPhone/iPad app by Elsevier Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsevier-ebooks-on-vitalsource/id1147791956 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Elsevier Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/367031326)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 9,108 App Store ratings · 147 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.6 · 188 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, Canadian French and 23 more
- Released: 2016-11-09
- Data updated: 2026-09-01
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsevier-ebooks-on-vitalsource/id1147791956/reviews.md

## What is Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource?

Use Elsevier® eBooks to download and access Elsevier textbooks on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Read your books online or offline, search across your full library, and create notes and highlights to help you study.

Elsevier eBooks Features:

• Download books to your iOS device for easy online or offline reading.
• Simple, user-friendly navigation and a clean reading experience.
• Search inside your current book or across your full library.
• Select text to create notes or highlights from your mobile device.
• Tap to open figures, view captions and pinch to zoom.
• Sync your bookmarks, last page read and all of your notes and highlights between your iOS device and our desktop or web-based Elsevier eBooks apps.

Requirements:
• Elsevier eBooks account
• Access to one or more Elsevier textbooks
• iOS 17+

## Key features

- Download books for offline reading
- Search entire library
- Create notes and highlights
- Sync across devices
- Pinch to zoom figures

## What do users think of Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 🚀 Convenient digital access
- 📚 Helpful study tools (e.g., flashcards)
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 📱 Poor mobile app experience
- 🔍 Difficult navigation and book access
- 🔊 Subpar text-to-speech quality
- 💻 Compatibility problems across devices
- 🔍 Confusing account management

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Repeated sentence/paragraph playback
- Highlighted text disappearing across devices
- Inability to download or access purchased books

**Most requested features**

- Allow handwritten notes and annotations
- Improve page-turning and scrolling functionality
- Enhance diagram and image viewing experience
- Integrate seamless cross-device synchronization
- Provide more customization options (e.g., font, layout)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 147)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsevier-ebooks-on-vitalsource/id1147791956/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Read aloud voices

*2026-07-21, version 11.3.1*

The read aloud feature is ok, it will read the references in the paragraphs which is annoying. Also the voice choices are terrible.

### 1/5 — Read aloud OUTDATED

*2026-07-19, version 11.3.1*

It’s 2026 - why is the voice still sound like MS DOS old school Microsoft robotic voice?

### 1/5 — 1990 Style

*2026-07-14, version 11.3.1*

This is horrible compared to the (now defunct) Inkling. Embarrassing that they would put out such a product. Difficult to navigate, images do not appear in line with text, and menu system is amateurish

### 2/5 — Usability difficult

*2026-04-06, version 11.3.1*

Why if I accidentally touch one side of the screen, it sends me to a completely random page while on continuous scroll?? I also can’t highlight to look to define a word anymore, only highlight or add a note. I wish there was a feature where you could read without being able to click all the hyperlinks. I just want to stay on one page at a time while reading…

### 1/5 — Page Flickering for Lippincott

*2026-02-03, version 11.2.1*

My page keep flickering for my lippincott books only

### 1/5 — Garbage app

*2025-12-12, version 11.2.1*

Full of bugs.

### 1/5 — Crashes on iOS 26

*2025-10-01, version 11.2*

Still waiting for an update to this

### 1/5 — Horrible

*2025-09-07, version 11.2*

Do not buy anything on this app. I bought an ebook for a class and they do not let you download it to your iPad, it says download but it doesn’t work. Now i can’t take notes on it and there aren’t any options to write on the books with an Apple Pencil. Worst app ever, worst company ever.

### 2/5 — A student

*2025-09-04, version 11.2*

A well known publisher should have a better app the resemble his name

### 2/5 — Takes too long to load sometimes and it’s just laggy

*2025-09-04, version 11.2*

.

## Frequently asked questions about Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource

### What does the Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource app do?

This app allows you to download and read Elsevier textbooks on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. You can read your books online or offline, search your entire library, and create notes and highlights to aid your studies.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include downloading books for offline access, a user-friendly interface for a clean reading experience, the ability to search within books or your entire library, and the option to create notes and highlights. You can also interact with figures by tapping to open them, viewing captions, and pinching to zoom.

### Is this app free to use?

The app itself is free to download and use. However, you will need an Elsevier eBooks account and access to one or more Elsevier textbooks to utilize its full functionality.

### What are the system requirements for this app?

To use the Elsevier eBooks on VitalSource app, you need an Elsevier eBooks account, access to at least one Elsevier textbook, and your iOS device must be running iOS 17 or later.

### Can I sync my notes and progress across different devices?

Yes, the app supports syncing your bookmarks, the last page read, and all your notes and highlights between your iOS device and the desktop or web-based Elsevier eBooks applications.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 11.4.1 — 2026-08-11

* Highlighting performance has been improved, especially for users with large highlight collections
* Smoother scrolling and zooming in PDF books, with significant stability improvements
* Improved app stability with fixes for crashes across all platforms
* Stylus annotation support has been removed to improve overall reliability
* Improved navigation when deep linking to specific figures and headings in EPUB books

### 11.3.1 — 2026-04-02

* MLA, APA, Harvard, and Vancouver citation formats are available
* Updated Explore UI
* Explore content is integrated into the main search results
* Various bug fixes

### 11.2.1 — 2025-10-02

Various Bug Fixes

### 11.2 — 2025-08-21

* Dark Mode Preferences Improvements. The app will now follow the system’s dark mode settings.
* Various Bug Fixes
* Accessibility Improvements

### 11.1.1 — 2025-06-27

* Accessibility Improvements 
* Various bug fixes

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## More apps by Elsevier Inc.

- [QUOSA](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quosa/id734601323)
- [PracticeUpdate](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/practiceupdate/id786924888)
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All apps by Elsevier Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/367031326

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*