Comparison

BMJ Best Practice vs Plabable for PLAB

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Evidence-based clinical guidance
  • Offline access
  • Patient leaflets
  • Medical calculators
  • Guidance videos
  • CME/CPD tracking
Features
Read full description

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!

About

Plabable for PLAB

Prepare for the PLAB exam with a comprehensive resource. Access over 5000 high-yield questions, realistic OSCE scenarios, and revision notes. Stay updated with current NHS changes and evidence-based explanations to maximize your chances of passing.

Highlights
  • 5000+ high-yield questions
  • Questions by clinical categories
  • Timed mock exams
  • Revision notes
  • Question flagging
  • OSCE scenarios
  • Whatsapp discussion groups
Features
Read full description

Plabable provides the ultimate resource to revise for the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) exam which is the main route by which International Medical Graduates demonstrate they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practise medicine in the UK. PLAB part 1 is a three-hour computer-marked written examination comprising 180 single best answer questions. PLAB part 2 is structured as an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) comprising 16 stations. The scenarios simulate real-life clinical settings and assess a range of skills including history taking, physical examinations, communication, and clinical management. At Plabable, we focus on delivering high-yield content tailored to both parts of the exam. Our question banks, realistic OSCE scenarios, and practical exam tips are designed to maximise your chances of passing on your first attempt. Revise on the go with: ● More than 5000 high yield questions ● Questions organised by clinical categories ● Timed mock exams ● Comprehensive revision notes ● Question and notes flagging for ease of revision ● Dedicated Whatsapp groups for discussion ● GEMS featuring revision flash cards (add-on purchase) We take pride in staying on par with the current changes in the NHS and we consistently update our questions and explanations. The answers we provide on Plabable are evidence-based and our explanations are from various reliable sources such as NICE guidelines and Clinical Knowledge Summaries, Patient.info website as well as expert opinions from NHS prescribers.

Screenshots

BMJ Best Practice4 screens
Plabable for PLAB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BMJ Best Practice at none against Plabable for PLAB's 5. Plabable for PLAB's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Plabable for PLAB sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. BMJ Best Practice asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BMJ Best Practice against 4.6 for Plabable for PLAB. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 207 and 420 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of BMJ Best Practice's written reviews are positive against 89% of Plabable for PLAB's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BMJ Best Practice ships an update monthly, Plabable for PLAB weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BMJ Best Practice versus Plabable for PLAB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBMJ Best PracticePlabable for PLAB
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (207 ratings) — better4.6 (420 ratings)
Positive reviews86.5% of reviews89.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings207420 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB101 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperBMJ GroupPlabable Limited

Customer experience

BMJ Best Practice

All ratings207 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews141 reviews
Positive86.5%
Neutral5.7%
Negative7.8%

Plabable for PLAB

All ratings420 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews291 reviews
Positive89.0%
Neutral4.5%
Negative6.5%

User reviews

BMJ Best Practice

From 207 App Store ratings

What 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

Plabable for PLAB

From 420 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent preparation material
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🤩 Comprehensive and detailed content
  • 🎯 Highly relevant and exam-focused
  • 💯 Sufficient to pass PLAB 1 exam

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Strict screenshot policy
  • 🔄 Offline access issues
  • 🐛 Occasional app crashes
  • ⏳ Slow data loading

Bugs and requests

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

Plabable for PLAB

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to update progress
  • Frequent app crashes, especially in certain sections
  • Landscape mode issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Progress tracking and completion percentage
  • Ability to reset questions and answers
  • Dark mode option
  • More detailed performance analytics

In-app purchases

None

BMJ Best Practice

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Plabable for PLAB

One-time5
  • Gems$14.99
  • Extend 3 Months$29.99
  • 3 Months + Gems$39.99
Show 2 more
  • Extend 5 Months$39.99
  • 5 Months + Gems$49.99

Questions

Is BMJ Best Practice free?
BMJ Best Practice is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plabable for PLAB free?
Plabable for PLAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BMJ Best Practice or Plabable for PLAB?
BMJ Best Practice is rated higher. BMJ Best Practice averages 4.7 out of 5 from 207 ratings, while Plabable for PLAB averages 4.6 from 420 ratings.
Do BMJ Best Practice or Plabable for PLAB have ads?
Neither BMJ Best Practice nor Plabable for PLAB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BMJ Best Practice or Plabable for PLAB?
BMJ Best Practice ships an update monthly, and Plabable for PLAB weekly. Most recently, BMJ Best Practice was updated on September 23, 2026 and Plabable for PLAB on September 24, 2026.

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