PICU Essentials vs Learn ICU
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PICU Essentials
A practical handbook for medical professionals in pediatric intensive care units, drawing on 20 years of experience. Content is peer-reviewed and updated regularly, applicable across various settings. Proceeds support app maintenance and development.
- Practical handbook for PICU professionals
- Based on 20 years of PICU practice
- Peer-reviewed content
- Regular content updates
- Applicable in most settings
- Supports app development
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This app was designed to be used as a practical handbook for rotating residents, advanced practice providers, and fellows. It is based upon 20 years of PICU practice, and while much of the content describes practice or protocols here at UFHealth/Shands Children’s Hospital, it could be applied in most settings. This app is now in use in over 50 countries. All content is peer-reviewed, and content is reviewed for currency every 1-2 years and as needed. All proceeds from this app go toward maintaining and developing the app itself. Privacy Policy: https://skywave.io/picu-privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://skywave.io/picu-terms-of-use/
Learn ICU
Access critical care educational materials on your mobile device. Download content to learn on the go and enhance your skills in providing optimal care for critically ill patients.
- Downloadable learning content
- On-the-go learning
- Critical care education
- Tools for practitioners
- Right Care, Right Now™
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The Society of Critical Care Medicine's educational products equip practitioners with the tools needed to provide the Right Care, Right Now™ to all critically ill and injured patients. LearnICU app allows critical care practitioners to download relevant learning contents directly to their devices, and take the learning on the go!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Learn ICU at none against PICU Essentials's 1. PICU Essentials's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.4). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. PICU Essentials sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Learn ICU asks for nothing beyond the download.
PICU Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 124 and 168 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of PICU Essentials's written reviews are positive against 58% of Learn ICU's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
PICU Essentials ships an update every 6 months, Learn ICU every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on August 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PICU Essentials | Learn ICU |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (124 ratings) — better | 4.6 (168 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.6% of reviews | 58.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 124 | 168 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Atmosphere Apps, Inc. | Society of Critical Care Medicine |
Customer experience
PICU Essentials
Learn ICU
In-app purchases
PICU Essentials
- Annual Subscription14 Days trial$9.991 Year
Learn ICU
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PICU Essentials free?
Is Learn ICU free?
Which has better reviews, PICU Essentials or Learn ICU?
Do PICU Essentials or Learn ICU have ads?
Which is updated more often, PICU Essentials or Learn ICU?
Other comparisons
