Comparison

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests vs NurseBrain® Synapse

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

Head to head
About

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests

This app serves as a portable reference for nurses, providing essential information on over 400 lab and diagnostic tests. It includes details on preparation, patient care, panic levels, and visual aids, with offline access after initial download.

Highlights
  • Covers 400+ lab and diagnostic tests
  • Includes radiography, imaging, and endoscopy
  • Identifies panic lab levels and nurse alerts
  • Features patient education guidelines
  • Offline access to content
  • SmartSearch technology for quick information retrieval
Features
Read full description

"Try before you buy" - Download the FREE App, which includes sample content. An in-App purchase is required to unlock all content. A Davis’s Notes Title! Lab Notes: Nurses' Guide to Lab & Diagnostic Tests, third edition is the portable reference you need to explain, prepare, and care for patients before, during, and after common lab and diagnostic testing. Key Features * Covers essentials for more than 400 lab and diagnostic tests. * Includes lab tests, radiography, arteriography, nuclear- and non-nuclear imaging, endoscopy, organ function and electrophysiology tests. * Identifies panic lab levels and nurse alerts. * Features illustrations that show positioning and views, specimen tube top colors, and examples of X-ray, mammogram, CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, whole skeleton bone scan, and lung scan images. * Offers patient education guidelines and tips. No internet connection is required to access the content after the initial download. Find information quickly using powerful SmartSearch technology. Search part of term for those hard to spell medical terms. Content licensed from printed ISBN 10: 0803644019 Content licensed from printed ISBN 13: 978-0803644014 SUBSCRIPTION : Please choose an auto renewable subscription plan to receive content access & continuous updates. Your subscription automatically renews as per your plan, so you always have the latest content. Yearly auto-renewing payments-$29.99 Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Subscription may be managed by the user & auto-renewal can be disabled at any time by going to your device “Settings” and tapping “iTunes & App Store”. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. If you have any questions or comments, email us any time: customersupport@skyscape.com or call 508-299-30000 Privacy Policy-https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/privacypolicy.aspx Terms and Conditions-https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/licenseagreement.aspx Editor(s): Tracey B. Hopkins, BSN, RN Publisher: F. A. Davis Company

About

NurseBrain® Synapse

This app digitizes nursing report sheets, allowing nurses to manage their entire shift from a single, connected platform. It helps organize patient information, tasks, and notes, facilitating confident handoffs and efficient documentation.

Highlights
  • Customizable digital brain sheets
  • Real-time shift tracking
  • Organized patient handoff views
  • Voice and quick entry documentation
  • Generate progress notes and care plans
  • Cross-device compatibility (phone, watch)
Features
Currently charting
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Less rewriting. More time for your patients. Nurses already rely on a report sheet or brain sheet to stay organized. NurseBrain® Synapse takes that same workflow and turns it into something you can use throughout your shift, so the information you capture once keeps working for you at report, at the bedside, and at handoff. Instead of juggling paper, memory, and the EHR, everything stays connected in one place. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH NURSEBRAIN SYNAPSE Your brain sheet. Your workflow. Build a brain sheet around the details you actually track. Choose a template for your unit, customize the fields and layout, use it digitally during your shift, or export a clean PDF when you want paper. Stay organized throughout your shift Keep patients, tasks, notes, and handoffs together. See what needs attention now, what is done, and what is coming up next, without relying on memory. Give report without starting from scratch Each patient has a clear, organized view with SBAR, notes, and updates. Everything is already structured, so you are not scrambling when it is time to give report. Capture information as you go Use voice or quick entry to record updates during your shift. No need to remember everything later. Turn your shift into usable notes The information you already captured can be turned into progress notes and care plans, ready to copy into your charting. Share a handoff without retyping Hand off a patient to another NurseBrain Synapse user by QR code. Works the way nurses actually work You are constantly switching between patients, report sheets, and the EHR. NurseBrain Synapse is designed to fit into that reality. Use it at the workstation, on your phone during rounds, or on your watch for quick updates. Built for real nursing shifts Bedside nurses, travel nurses, charge and resource nurses, and nursing students. Secure and nurse-built NurseBrain Synapse is HIPAA-compliant and designed with patient privacy in mind. Built by nurses, based on real workflows, not theory. Free trial, then one subscription Free to download. The Brain Sheet Builder is free to use. Everything else is included in one subscription, and you can start with a free trial. Plans, prices, and trial details are shown in the app before you subscribe. Use fictional examples while you explore. Before adding real patient information, follow your organization's policies. Replace your report sheet and bring structure, clarity, and confidence back to your shift.

Screenshots

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests4 screens
NurseBrain® Synapse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NurseBrain® Synapse at 85% against Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests's 0%. NurseBrain® Synapse also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year and NurseBrain® Synapse sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 31 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests's written reviews are positive against 85% of NurseBrain® Synapse's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests ships an update every 4 months, NurseBrain® Synapse weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests versus NurseBrain® Synapse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLab Notes & Diagnostic TestsNurseBrain® Synapse
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better4.1 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews85.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings831 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#120 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB146 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperSkyscape Medpresso IncNursebrain LLC

Customer experience

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

NurseBrain® Synapse

All ratings31 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral2.1%
Negative12.8%

Bugs and requests

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

NurseBrain® Synapse

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • App won't let users sign up and make an account
  • Cannot log in after signing up
  • App glitches and won't load
  • Cannot edit active patient list
  • Patient list duplicates entries
Show 2 more
  • Desktop version not functioning
  • Nursing AI feature returns errors

Requested features

4 requests
  • Include more specialties, specifically for outpatients
  • Add a 'Return' button for new lines in text fields
  • Ability to time medications
  • 24-hour clock option

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests

Subscriptions1
  • Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests$29.99
3 purchases

NurseBrain® Synapse

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Premium Access7 Days trial$29.991 Month
  • Quarterly Student Access$29.993 Months
  • Yearly Premium Access7 Days trial$149.991 Year

Questions

Is Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests free?
Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NurseBrain® Synapse free?
NurseBrain® Synapse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests or NurseBrain® Synapse?
Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests is rated higher. Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests averages 5.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while NurseBrain® Synapse averages 4.1 from 31 ratings.
Do Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests or NurseBrain® Synapse have ads?
Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests shows ads; NurseBrain® Synapse does not.
Which is updated more often, Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests or NurseBrain® Synapse?
Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests ships an update every 4 months, and NurseBrain® Synapse weekly. Most recently, Lab Notes & Diagnostic Tests was updated on October 14, 2026 and NurseBrain® Synapse on October 20, 2026.

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