RealMeds vs Paper Analytical Device Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
RealMeds
Read full descriptionHide full description
RealMeds lets you validate a medicine and check how it has reached you. It's connected with the RealMeds cloud platform that offers Most comprehensive Track & Trace and Anti-counterfeiting platform for drugs. So, next time when you are buying a drug, check it with RealMeds. Medicines that are being tracked on the RealMeds platform goes through a series of anti-counterfeit and validation checks to protect you. Once a medicine is validated, you can see: - Medicine detail - you can see medicine image, expiry date, bacth detail and composition. This shall help you cross check the medicine that you have in your hands. - Provenance - you can see on Google Map the complete journey of the medicine - from its manufacturing source to you. We are working hard to bring more and more medicines on the RealMeds network and your action of scanning the medicines is a very critical step in that. Help RealMeds protect you.
Paper Analytical Device Reader
Read full descriptionHide full description
This is the automatic image analysis tool for PADs, or Paper Analytical Devices. PADs are a screening tool to identify pharmaceutical tablets or capsules that might be falsified. Because this is a research project aimed at drug quality in low resource settings, there is a limited suite of drugs that can be analyzed--mostly anti-infective drugs used in Africa and "street drugs" in the US. 1) Please contact Dr. Lieberman (lieberman.1"at sign"nd.edu) before you start using this app to make sure it will be suitable for your intended purpose. 2) You need both the PADreader (this app) and the test cards, which you can buy here: https://paperanalytics.org/ 3) Confirmatory testing, eg, HPLC, is necessary before any follow-up actions on suspect products.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: RealMeds at every 4 months against Paper Analytical Device Reader's every 8 months. RealMeds also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
RealMeds ships an update every 4 months, Paper Analytical Device Reader every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RealMeds | Paper Analytical Device Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months โ better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 โ better | 16.4 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RealMeds Solutions Private Limited | Paper Analytics LLC |
In-app purchases
RealMeds
No in-app purchases
Paper Analytical Device Reader
No in-app purchases







