MDU vs NHS App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MDU
Access expert medico-legal advice for medical professionals. Find guidance on patient confidentiality, prescribing, complaints, and more through articles, case studies, and quick guides. Tailor your feed and access membership details offline.
- Expert medico-legal advice
- Quick guides and case studies
- Searchable articles
- Tailorable news feed
- Offline reading
- Membership card access
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As a medical professional, you can access expert advice from the Medical Defence Union (MDU). Read the latest medico-legal advice on patient confidentiality, consent, prescribing, police investigations, inquests, how to respond to patient complaints, and much more. Search our extensive range of quick guides, case studies, frequently asked questions and articles from our popular MDU Journal. You can tailor your news feed to show topics you’re interested in, read offline, get help with your membership, view your membership card and get proof of membership. Download the MDU app now for top medico-legal advice wherever you go.
NHS App
Access a range of NHS services securely from your smartphone or tablet. Request repeat prescriptions, view test results, manage appointments, and receive messages from your GP surgery. You can also manage services for others if granted access.
- Request repeat prescriptions
- View test results
- Manage appointments
- Access 111 online
- Find nearby NHS services
- Manage health for others
- Receive messages from GP surgery
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The NHS App gives you a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet. You can use the app if you are aged 13 or over. You must be registered with an NHS GP surgery in England or the Isle of Man. You can also log in through the NHS website on a computer to use NHS App services. Access NHS services ---------------------- Use the NHS App to access your NHS services, anytime and anywhere. You can request repeat prescriptions, use 111 online, find nearby NHS services and more. Depending on your GP surgery, you may also be able to book appointments and contact your surgery about a health problem. Manage your health -------------------- The NHS App gives you a convenient way to view your health information, including your test results. You can manage your upcoming appointments and prescription requests. You can also make choices about your health, like your organ donation decision. Receive messages ------------------- You can get important messages from your GP surgery and other NHS services through the app. Turning on notifications can alert you to new messages. Manage services for other people --------------------------------- You can switch profiles to access services for other people in the NHS App, such as a child or family member. Your GP surgery needs to give you access and you must both share the same surgery. Log in securely --------------- The NHS App will guide you through setting up an NHS login if you do not have one already. You will be asked to prove who you are. The app will then securely connect to information from your NHS services. If your iPhone or iPad supports Touch ID or Face ID, you can use it to log in, every time you use the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MDU at 4.0 against NHS App's 2.7. MDU also leads on iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.0). NHS App's advantage is ratings volume (76 vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MDU holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NHS App has 76 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 17% of MDU's written reviews are positive against 24% of NHS App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
MDU ships an update every 3 months, NHS App every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MDU | NHS App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better | 2.7 (76 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 23.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 76 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 165 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | The Medical Defence Union | NHS Digital |
Customer experience
MDU
NHS App
Bugs and requests
MDU
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
NHS App
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to log in after recent update
- Blank screens and loading issues
- Incorrect or missing appointment details
- Syncing problems with GP records
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to book appointments directly
- Improved integration with other health apps
- Inclusion of full medical history
- Persistent login and biometric support
- Notification system for prescription status
In-app purchases
MDU
No in-app purchases
NHS App
No in-app purchases
