# Basic Emergency Care vs AHA PALS

The clearest difference is review sentiment: AHA PALS at 55% against Basic Emergency Care's 0%. AHA PALS also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (53 vs 5). Basic Emergency Care's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AHA PALS sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per year. Basic Emergency Care asks for nothing beyond the download.

AHA PALS holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AHA PALS has 53 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Basic Emergency Care's written reviews are positive against 55% of AHA PALS's.

Basic Emergency Care ships an update every 3 weeks, AHA PALS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Basic Emergency Care | AHA PALS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-emergency-care/id1485810807/reviews) | **[4.5 (53 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aha-pals/id1577470913/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **53** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **54.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 28 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [University of California at San Francisco](https://appshunter.io/developer/446489325) | [Massachusetts General Hospital](https://appshunter.io/developer/376928206) |

## What reviewers say

### Basic Emergency Care

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-emergency-care/id1485810807)

This app guides users through resuscitation skills learned in a medical course. It features a chatbot for progression and a search function to find information on managing specific conditions.

**Highlights:** Resuscitation skill guidance, Chatbot for progression, Condition management search, BEC course integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### AHA PALS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aha-pals/id1577470913)

This app provides pediatric advanced life support (PALS) protocols and tools for healthcare professionals at the point-of-care. Developed by physicians and vetted by the American Heart Association, it offers intuitive access to algorithms, drug information, and timers for critical care situations.

**Highlights:** PALS pathways and algorithms, Drug therapy and dosing, CPR and intervention timers, Metronome for compression accuracy, Critical care references, Vetted by AHA and physicians

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PALS | $3.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Basic Emergency Care free?

Basic Emergency Care is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AHA PALS free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Basic Emergency Care or AHA PALS?

AHA PALS is rated higher. Basic Emergency Care averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while AHA PALS averages 4.5 from 53 ratings.

### Do Basic Emergency Care or AHA PALS have ads?

Neither Basic Emergency Care nor AHA PALS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Basic Emergency Care or AHA PALS?

Basic Emergency Care ships an update every 3 weeks, and AHA PALS every 2 months. Most recently, Basic Emergency Care was updated on June 1, 2026 and AHA PALS on September 28, 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.*