# COMQUEST COMLEX vs Essentials Handbook

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Essentials Handbook at 100% against COMQUEST COMLEX's 42%. Essentials Handbook also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 17). COMQUEST COMLEX's advantage is ratings volume (142 vs 2). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. COMQUEST COMLEX sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Essentials Handbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

Essentials Handbook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: COMQUEST COMLEX has 142 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of COMQUEST COMLEX's written reviews are positive against 100% of Essentials Handbook's.

COMQUEST COMLEX ships an update every 2 months, Essentials Handbook monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | COMQUEST COMLEX | Essentials Handbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (142 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/comquest-comlex-comat/id1115705682/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essentials-handbook/id1251459425/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **142** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 41.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 31 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [COMQUEST Osteopathic Specialists, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1108288743) | [Center for Physician Education, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1217564930) |

## What reviewers say

### COMQUEST COMLEX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/comquest-comlex-comat/id1115705682)

Prepare for COMLEX and COMAT exams with practice questions and detailed explanations created by osteopathic physicians. Features include customizable exam modes, question filtering by status or specialty, and performance tracking against peers. Review past exams, add notes, and monitor answer changes to solidify your knowledge.

**Highlights:** Customizable exam modes (tutor, timed, untimed), Question filtering by status and specialty, Performance review against peers, Note-taking on questions and explanations, Answer change tracking (ChoiceTrax), Review of marked and guessed questions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emergency Med COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| Family Medicine COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| Internal Med COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| OMM COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| Pediatrics COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| Surgery COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| Ob/Gyn COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| Psychiatry COMAT 1 month | $87.90 | one-time |
| Internal Med COMAT 2 months | $113.99 | one-time |
| Family Medicine COMAT 2 months | $113.99 | one-time |
| COMLEX Level 2-CE 1 month | $234.99 | one-time |
| COMLEX 3 Level 1 month | $234.99 | one-time |
| COMLEX 3 Level 2 months | $350.00 | one-time |
| COMLEX Level 2-CE 3 months | $429.00 | one-time |
| COMLEX 3 Level 3 months | $429.00 | one-time |
| COMLEX 3 Level 6 months | $509.00 | one-time |
| COMLEX 3 Level 1 year | $639.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great questions and explanations
- 🚀 Fast and reliable app
- 👍 Convenient for studying on the go
- 👍 User-friendly interface (desktop version)
- 👍 Good for COMLEX prep

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📱 Poor iPad support (iPhone port)
- 📱 No landscape view on iPad
- 🐛 Highlighting issues (variable, won't clear)
- 🐛 Typing over explanations
- 🐛 Pausing exam messes up score

**Reported bugs**

- Pausing/suspending exam messes up final score
- Highlighting is variable, won't clear, or adds space
- App lets users click and type over explanations
- Exhibit covers question vignette
- Cuts off half of the question stem

**Requested features**

- iPad version with landscape support
- Strike through and highlight option
- Ability to enlarge vitals box
- Fix highlighting issues
- Fix issues with typing over explanations


### Essentials Handbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essentials-handbook/id1251459425)

This educational handbook provides essential information for physicians covering general hospital procedures, systems, patient care, and infection control. It serves as a comprehensive resource for medical professionals.

**Highlights:** General Ins & Outs, Systems Information, Patient Care Guidelines, Infection Control Protocols

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is COMQUEST COMLEX free?

COMQUEST COMLEX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Essentials Handbook free?

Essentials Handbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, COMQUEST COMLEX or Essentials Handbook?

Essentials Handbook is rated higher. COMQUEST COMLEX averages 4.0 out of 5 from 142 ratings, while Essentials Handbook averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do COMQUEST COMLEX or Essentials Handbook have ads?

Neither COMQUEST COMLEX nor Essentials Handbook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, COMQUEST COMLEX or Essentials Handbook?

COMQUEST COMLEX ships an update every 2 months, and Essentials Handbook monthly. Most recently, COMQUEST COMLEX was updated on October 1, 2026 and Essentials Handbook on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*