The BMJ vs Plabable for PLAB
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The BMJ
Access a leading general medical journal for researchers, clinicians, and policymakers. Stay updated with practice-changing research, expert columns, and embedded video content. Enjoy offline access to downloaded issues and earn CME points.
- Read leading medical research
- Apply practice-changing takeaways
- Access trusted, data-supported news
- Offline access to downloaded issues
- Earn CME points
- Read ahead of print
- Embedded video content
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Online, The BMJ is one of the world’s leading general medical journals for researchers, educators, clinicians and policy-makers. The BMJ is the house journal of British medicine, owned by Britain’s doctors. The BMJ app lets you - read what the world's leading doctors read - apply practice-changing takeaways - trust news supported by data - advance your career - read columnists who get what it means to do your job - search downloaded issues - read ahead of print The BMJ app brings you the latest weekly issue including: - Offline access: handy for planes, trains and automobiles, or wherever there’s no wi-fi - Selected news articles and columnists - Education articles, CME points - Research articles and reviews - Search through downloaded issues - Video content embedded - FREE TO BMA MEMBERS AND PERSONAL SUBSCRIBERS Use your BMA membership credentials, or personal subscriber details to log in Not a BMA member or personal subscriber? Then subscribe to The BMJ for £10.49 a month, where the first month is free. You’ll get instant access to every issue published since January 2017! Purchasing a subscription to The BMJ app at a cost of £10.49 a month will give you access to all the app editions of The BMJ. A monthly purchase will be applied to your iTunes account at the end of the first month trial. Subscriptions will automatically renew at a cost of £10.49 a month unless cancelled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime or turn off auto-renew with your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. For more information, see our terms and conditions https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj-website-terms-and-conditions-0 and privacy policy https://www.bmj.com/company/your-privacy/. If you experience any problems, please email customer support on support@bmj.com
Plabable for PLAB
Prepare for the PLAB exam with a comprehensive resource. Access over 5000 high-yield questions, realistic OSCE scenarios, and revision notes. Stay updated with current NHS changes and evidence-based explanations to maximize your chances of passing.
- 5000+ high-yield questions
- Questions by clinical categories
- Timed mock exams
- Revision notes
- Question flagging
- OSCE scenarios
- Whatsapp discussion groups
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Plabable provides the ultimate resource to revise for the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) exam which is the main route by which International Medical Graduates demonstrate they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practise medicine in the UK. PLAB part 1 is a three-hour computer-marked written examination comprising 180 single best answer questions. PLAB part 2 is structured as an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) comprising 16 stations. The scenarios simulate real-life clinical settings and assess a range of skills including history taking, physical examinations, communication, and clinical management. At Plabable, we focus on delivering high-yield content tailored to both parts of the exam. Our question banks, realistic OSCE scenarios, and practical exam tips are designed to maximise your chances of passing on your first attempt. Revise on the go with: ● More than 5000 high yield questions ● Questions organised by clinical categories ● Timed mock exams ● Comprehensive revision notes ● Question and notes flagging for ease of revision ● Dedicated Whatsapp groups for discussion ● GEMS featuring revision flash cards (add-on purchase) We take pride in staying on par with the current changes in the NHS and we consistently update our questions and explanations. The answers we provide on Plabable are evidence-based and our explanations are from various reliable sources such as NICE guidelines and Clinical Knowledge Summaries, Patient.info website as well as expert opinions from NHS prescribers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Plabable for PLAB at free with in-app purchases against The BMJ's subscription. Plabable for PLAB also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 57%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. The BMJ sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $11.49 per month and Plabable for PLAB sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Plabable for PLAB holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plabable for PLAB has 422 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of The BMJ's written reviews are positive against 89% of Plabable for PLAB's.
The BMJ ships an update every 6 months, Plabable for PLAB weekly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | The BMJ | Plabable for PLAB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (13 ratings) | 4.6 (422 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | 89.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 422 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.2 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 241 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | BMJ Group | Plabable Limited |
Customer experience
The BMJ
Plabable for PLAB
User reviews
The BMJ
From 13 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to navigate
- 👍 Easy access to BMJ
- 👍 Reliable app
- 👍 Indispensable source of information
- 👍 Given up paper version
Room to improve
- 🐛 Not unbiased on strikes
- 🐛 Not as comprehensive as previously
- 🐛 Only 1 BMJ per month
- 🐛 Printed on cheap paper
- 🐛 Awful navigation
Plabable for PLAB
From 422 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent preparation material
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🤩 Comprehensive and detailed content
- 🎯 Highly relevant and exam-focused
- 💯 Sufficient to pass PLAB 1 exam
Room to improve
- 🔒 Strict screenshot policy
- 🔄 Offline access issues
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes
- ⏳ Slow data loading
Bugs and requests
The BMJ
Reported bugs
38 issues- App won’t open on iPhone
- App always asks to restore purchase
- Account does not exist
- Often doesn’t allow access to most recent edition
- Poor updating of editions
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- Does not come up quickly
- Poor access
- Often doesn’t work
- Not up to date
- Can’t link to previous articles
- Links open in app instead of browser
- Can’t get back to menu
- No way back to contents page
- Only way out is to force quit
- Freezes after one article
- No obvious back button
- Can’t access app despite paying
- Links open in app instead of browser
- No browser functionality
- Rotation bug
- Requires quitting app every time
- Not working with BMA sign in
- New BMJs do not download
- Journals not added promptly
- Slow to update issues
- Never seems to update well
- Not working at all since updated
- User unfriendly now
- Unable to download new issue
- Get into older ones
- Downloading system hit and miss
- Syncing issues
- No longer receiving new issues
- Screen goes white repeatedly
- Loses place
- Resets to top of article
- Incompatible with Safari
- No direct way of opening articles in any browser
Requested features
10 requests- Copy figures and tables to more apps directly
- Copy figures and tables to more apps directly eg Twitter lectures etc
- Would be nice to be able to export text/tables/flow charts with a click
- Would like a bit less subscription payment
- Please see title! (Dark mode)
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- Please fix rotation bug
- Could integrate with BMJ learning
- Get with the times
- If developers could fix this it would certainly be a 5 star app
- If they add a direct share button I'll give it 5 ✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️
Plabable for PLAB
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inability to update progress
- Frequent app crashes, especially in certain sections
- Landscape mode issues
Requested features
4 requests- Progress tracking and completion percentage
- Ability to reset questions and answers
- Dark mode option
- More detailed performance analytics
In-app purchases
The BMJ
- The BMJ (1 month)1 Month trial$11.491 Month
Plabable for PLAB
- Gems$14.99
- Extend 3 Months$29.99
- 3 Months + Gems$39.99
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- Extend 5 Months$39.99
- 5 Months + Gems$49.99
Questions
Is The BMJ free?
Is Plabable for PLAB free?
Which has better reviews, The BMJ or Plabable for PLAB?
Do The BMJ or Plabable for PLAB have ads?
Which is updated more often, The BMJ or Plabable for PLAB?
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