ClinicalKey vs BMJ Best Practice
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ClinicalKey
This app provides medical professionals with instant access to a vast library of clinical knowledge, including synoptic content and in-depth reference materials. It helps users stay updated on medical advancements, confirm diagnoses, and advance their research skills, all while offering CME/MOC/CE credits.
- Access to 30+ medical specialties
- Synoptic content for quick answers
- Full-text reference books and journals
- Mobile-optimized medical calculators
- Earn CME/MOC/CE credits
- Intuitive search functionality
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INSTITUTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED. Access the latest advances in clinical knowledge anytime, anywhere with ClinicalKey®- the essential resource for medical professionals. ClinicalKey combines the speed of synoptic content with the depth of a comprehensive clinical reference tool in one intuitive solution to provide clinicians trusted information in the moments that matter most. With ClinicalKey, you can: • Stay abreast of rapidly expanding clinical knowledge • Quickly confirm diagnosis and treatment information • Advance critical thinking skills and research Please note: To access our extensive content library, ensure you have a subscription to ClinicalKey from your organization. To get started: 1. Download the free ClinicalKey app for iOS on your iPad® or iPhone®. 2. Follow the prompts to connect to your organization’s account.The app will ask questions to get you to the right content. 3. Choose the method of access that is right for you: 4. Select Access via Network if you need a quick answer and your device is connected to your organization's network. 5. Select Access via Institution for other ways to connect. 6. Once you have gained access, create or sign- in to your Elsevier ClinicalKey user account to save favorites and earn CME/MOC/CE/MOC/CE. ClinicalKey® Because you want to find a better way to help your patients ClinicalKey combines the speed of synoptic content with the depth of a comprehensive clinical reference tool in one intuitive solution to give clinicians trusted information in the moments that matter. With the ClinicalKey, clinicians will be able to: • Enhance patient care with trusted resources and deep insights across 30+ specialties • Combine efficiency and confidence in your practice with access to quick answers and information that is continuously updated • Excel in your field by building foundational knowledge and keeping up with the latest trends through full-text reference books and journals, while earning free CME/MOC/CE credit • Stay abreast of rapidly expanding clinical knowledge • Quickly confirm diagnosis and treatment information • Advance critical thinking skills and research ClinicalKey App for iOS Features: • Trusted Comprehensive content covering more than 30 medical and surgical specialties • Easy-to-scan, clinically focused medical topic synopses • Intuitive search with auto-suggest/ • Easy search with auto-completion • Direct navigation to your favorite books and journals • Mobile-optimized medical calculators • Access to full-text books, full-text journals, guidelines, multimedia and more • Access via Institutional IP; individuals will not be able to earn CME/MOC/CE, save, or share content when using IP authentication. Please register for remote access via your institutional web version of ClinicalKey. ClinicalKey Registrants (non-IP) customers will enjoy: • Opportunity to earn CME and fulfill MOC requirements with the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) • Ability to favorite and save content • Option to print and email topics, videos or graphics • Earn and track free CME/MOC/CE credit Ability to favorite and save content Print and email topics, videos or graphics to patients and colleagues iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the US and other countries.
BMJ Best Practice
Access up-to-date, evidence-based clinical guidance for healthcare professionals. This app offers offline access to diagnostic, treatment, and prevention information, along with patient leaflets, calculators, and procedure videos. It also tracks CME/CPD activities.
- Evidence-based clinical guidance
- Offline access
- Patient leaflets
- Medical calculators
- Guidance videos
- CME/CPD tracking
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Instant access to the latest evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals. Updated daily, BMJ Best Practice provides healthcare professionals with the latest evidence-based clinical decision support information. It's available offline, which means clinical decision support can be accessed anytime, anywhere. This app can be downloaded by those who have access to the BMJ Best Practice website, and have already set-up a username and password. Don’t have a subscription? Download the app and access a free 7 day trial. The app provides: - Fast access to the latest guidance on diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention - 500+ patient leaflets - 250+ medical calculators - Guidance videos on common clinical procedures - Automatic CME/CPD activity tracking Your feedback helps to inform future developments. At BMJ, we have a user-centered product development process, which means that we enhance the product based on what our customers, and our users tell us they need and want. As a result, we have introduced features such as ‘night mode’ and patient leaflets to the app. If you have a question or want to provide feedback, please contact us at support@bmj.com. Thank you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BMJ Best Practice at 87% against ClinicalKey's 9%. BMJ Best Practice also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ClinicalKey ships an update every 5 weeks, BMJ Best Practice monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ClinicalKey | BMJ Best Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.7 (207 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 8.8% of reviews | 86.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 207 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | 15.0.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 102 MB |
| Age rating | +12 | 17+ |
| Developer | Elsevier Inc. | BMJ Group |
Customer experience
ClinicalKey
BMJ Best Practice
User reviews
ClinicalKey
From App Store reviewsWhat we love
- 📚 High-quality, evidence-based clinical content
- 🎯 Intuitive interface and quick reference format
- 🔍 Similar functionality to website version
- 👍 Browse feature restoration appreciated by users
Room to improve
- 🔓 Constant forced logout issues
- 🔐 Institutional login authentication failures
- ⏳ App freezes and perpetual loading screens
- 🚫 Missing textbook access in app vs website
- 📵 Frequent crashes and force closures
BMJ Best Practice
From 207 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and reliable
- 💡 Comprehensive and up-to-date content
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🔍 Excellent resource for healthcare professionals
- 🧠 Helpful for learning and revision
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent mandatory updates and downloads
- 🔌 Issues with offline access and background downloads
- 🤖 Compatibility problems on certain devices
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality for calculators
Bugs and requests
ClinicalKey
Reported bugs
14 issues- App stuck on loading screen after initial login
- Forced logout when closing or minimizing app
- Institutional login not working despite web access
- App crashes during search queries
- OpenAthens authentication failures
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- Network change warnings appearing incorrectly
- Search results returning unrelated content
- Textbook search not finding available books
- App won't load after recent updates
- Blank search results for valid queries
- Scrolling in table of contents sidebar not functioning
- Landscape orientation not supported
- App doesn't remember page position when reopened
- Restricted access to books after updates
Requested features
10 requests- PDF download capability within the app
- Favorite/bookmark textbooks and articles
- Landscape mode support for iPad
- Find-on-page text search function
- Automatic session persistence and page memory
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- Text size and screen color customization
- Fingerprint/passcode login option
- Browse feature with category filtering
- Offline access to downloaded materials
- Feature parity with website version
BMJ Best Practice
Reported bugs
3 issues- App getting stuck on download screen
- Inability to open the app on certain devices
- Automatic logout issues
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to save favorites and bookmarks
- Improved support for landscape mode and split-screen
- Author/reference details for content
- Institutional login option
In-app purchases
ClinicalKey
No in-app purchases
BMJ Best Practice
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ClinicalKey free?
Is BMJ Best Practice free?
Do ClinicalKey or BMJ Best Practice have ads?
Which is updated more often, ClinicalKey or BMJ Best Practice?
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