Comparison

Essentials Handbook vs AROMS

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

Head to head
About

Essentials Handbook

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
Read full description

The Center for Physician Education Essentials Handbook. This handbook includes General Ins & Outs, Systems, Patient Care and Infection Control.

About

AROMS

This educational app offers comprehensive study materials for oral and maxillofacial surgery professionals. It features lecture series, flashcards, a question bank, landmark papers, surgical videos, and an AI-powered study assistant. It also provides specialized preparation for oral board exams.

Highlights
  • Extensive lecture series
  • 7,000+ high-yield flashcards
  • 2,200+ clinical practice questions
  • Landmark paper archive with summaries
  • 200+ surgical video recordings
  • AI-powered study assistant
  • Oral board exam preparation course
Features
Read full description

For every style of learning, at every stage in your career. Trusted by over 9,000 doctors across 75 countries. LECTURE SERIES - The AROMS® lecture series includes over 160 curated presentations with 40,000+ lines of text, 5,000 citations, and 1,000 original clinical photos and illustrations. It distills high-yield, evidence-based information into a consolidated format that emphasizes key concepts for all levels of learners. FLASHCARDS - AROMS® offers 7,000+ flashcards based on Anki, a gold standard for high-yield learning and retention. Organized by topic and designed for spaced repetition, they efficiently reinforce clinical pearls and surgical principles. QUESTION BANK - With 2,200+ vignette-style clinical questions modeled after UWorld and USMLE Step 1, the question bank tests knowledge in applied settings. Each item includes explanations and references to help learners identify weaknesses and prepare for exams. LANDMARK PAPER ARCHIVE - This archive contains 1,300+ of the most impactful OMFS articles selected by metrics such as citation number and h-index. Each is curated, organized, and summarized into concise “spark notes” to highlight what the literature says about critical concepts. SURGICAL VIDEO LOG - The surgical video log provides 200+ reviewed recordings featuring vetted surgeons with sound technique, ensuring quality instruction. These videos bridge theory and practice more reliably than generic online sources. ORAL BOARDS PREP COURSE - AROMS® offers the first comprehensive online study series for the ABOMS OCE, including case-based scenarios, 1:1 Zoom training with ABOMS diplomates, and AI voice training. This course builds knowledge, confidence, and strategy for exam success. MEET MAXIMUS - Maximus answers any OMFS question with citations to AROMS lectures, papers, and questions — and points you to the exact resources to dive deeper. Specialized for oral & maxillofacial surgery, with no hallucinations or generic medical advice. Links: Privacy Policy - https://app.goaroms.com/privacy End-User License Agreement (EULA) - https:// www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/ stdeula

Screenshots

Essentials Handbook1 screens
AROMS4 screens

Verdict

The call

Essentials Handbook and AROMS both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Essentials Handbook's written reviews are positive against 50% of AROMS's. Essentials Handbook also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). AROMS's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (46 vs 2). On price, rating, ads 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. AROMS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Essentials Handbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Essentials Handbook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AROMS has 46 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Essentials Handbook's written reviews are positive against 50% of AROMS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Essentials Handbook ships an update every 5 weeks, AROMS weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Essentials Handbook versus AROMS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEssentials HandbookAROMS
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.8 (46 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings246 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB69 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperCenter for Physician Education, LLCAdvancing Residents of OMS, LLC

Customer experience

Essentials Handbook

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

AROMS

All ratings46 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Essentials Handbook

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

AROMS

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$29.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$259.991 Year

Questions

Is Essentials Handbook free?
Essentials Handbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AROMS free?
AROMS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Essentials Handbook or AROMS?
Essentials Handbook is rated higher. Essentials Handbook averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while AROMS averages 4.8 from 46 ratings.
Do Essentials Handbook or AROMS have ads?
Neither Essentials Handbook nor AROMS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Essentials Handbook or AROMS?
Essentials Handbook ships an update every 5 weeks, and AROMS weekly. Most recently, Essentials Handbook was updated on November 2, 2026 and AROMS on November 12, 2026.

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