# MDPhD vs Research Notes

The clearest difference is rating: MDPhD at 5.0 against Research Notes's 4.0. MDPhD also leads on ads (none vs shown). Research Notes's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 50%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MDPhD sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Research Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.49 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MDPhD holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of MDPhD's written reviews are positive against 71% of Research Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

MDPhD ships an update every 3 weeks, Research Notes weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MDPhD | Research Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mdphd/id1230915825/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/research-notes/id1472037622/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **71.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 15 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.1** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MIFISI Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1230915824) | [Omelette, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/984352813) |

## What reviewers say

### MDPhD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mdphd/id1230915825)

This app summarizes clinical abstracts from PubMed, providing key evidence-based medicine insights. It helps health professionals make smarter decisions and improve patient care faster through data visualizations and personalized feeds. Unlock collaborative features for institutions to integrate EBM into workflows.

**Highlights:** Clinical abstract summarization, Evidence-based medicine insights, Data visualizations, Personalized journal feed, Semantic search engine, Team collaboration features

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| App access | $9.99 | per month |
| Full App Access | $99.99 | per year |


### Research Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/research-notes/id1472037622)

Access RSS feeds from hundreds of scientific journals across various subject categories. Download PDFs and utilize a text-to-speech feature for articles. Organize your favorite journals and discover new ones.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of journal RSS feeds, Subject category filtering, PDF download functionality, Text-to-speech for articles, Favorite journals section, New journal additions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF to Audio for 6 months | $7.49 | per 6 months |
| PDF to Audio for 12 Months | $11.99 | per year |
| Research Notes | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MDPhD free?

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

### Is Research Notes free?

Research Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MDPhD or Research Notes?

MDPhD is rated higher. MDPhD averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Research Notes averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do MDPhD or Research Notes have ads?

Research Notes shows ads; MDPhD does not.

### Which is updated more often, MDPhD or Research Notes?

MDPhD ships an update every 3 weeks, and Research Notes weekly. Most recently, MDPhD was updated on October 8, 2026 and Research Notes on October 3, 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.*