# NCD Academy vs Elsevier eBooks+

NCD Academy and Elsevier eBooks+ both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of NCD Academy's written reviews are positive against 43% of Elsevier eBooks+'s. NCD Academy also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Elsevier eBooks+'s advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 21). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

NCD Academy holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elsevier eBooks+ has 1.9K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of NCD Academy's written reviews are positive against 43% of Elsevier eBooks+'s.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NCD Academy | Elsevier eBooks+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ncd-academy/id1501602635/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsevier-ebooks-plus/id1643980050/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 21 | **1.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **90.0% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 28 MB | 183 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [American College of Cardiology](https://appshunter.io/developer/502174543) | [Elsevier Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/367031326) |

## What reviewers say

### NCD Academy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ncd-academy/id1501602635)

This app provides essential education for frontline health workers on managing non-communicable diseases, starting with cardiovascular disease. It aims to empower professionals to better address the global burden of these conditions.

**Highlights:** NCD management education, Cardiovascular disease focus, Empowering frontline health workers, Risk factor management, Global health burden reduction

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Elsevier eBooks+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elsevier-ebooks-plus/id1643980050)

Access your medical textbooks offline and enhance your learning with tools for note-taking, highlighting, and flashcard creation. Sync your progress and annotations across devices for a seamless study experience.

**Highlights:** Offline book access, Note-taking and highlighting, Flashcard creation, Cross-device syncing, In-book search, Figure viewing and zooming

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Student / Study friendly
- 🚀 Enhances content
- 👍 Ebooks from Elsevier
- 👍 Great app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unable to view images/tables
- 🐛 Useless for medical textbooks
- 🐛 Positioning issues
- 🐛 Scrolling and zooming problems
- 🐛 Slow loading times

**Reported bugs**

- Figures placed at the end of chapters
- Search function only works for single words
- Inability to clear search history
- Freezing and crashing issues
- Incompatibility with older devices

**Requested features**

- More highlighting and note-taking options
- Ability to write, draw, or paste images on pages
- Separate flashcard option integration with Anki/Quizlet
- More font size options
- Streamlined text selection for voiceover


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NCD Academy free?

NCD Academy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Elsevier eBooks+ free?

Elsevier eBooks+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, NCD Academy or Elsevier eBooks+?

NCD Academy is rated higher. NCD Academy averages 4.9 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Elsevier eBooks+ averages 4.7 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do NCD Academy or Elsevier eBooks+ have ads?

Neither NCD Academy nor Elsevier eBooks+ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NCD Academy or Elsevier eBooks+?

NCD Academy ships an update every 2 months, and Elsevier eBooks+ every 2 months. Most recently, NCD Academy was updated on October 24, 2026 and Elsevier eBooks+ on October 29, 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.*