Comparison

AHA ACLS vs Ophthalmology Toolbox

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

AHA ACLS

This app provides clinicians with a digital tool to assist in running cardiac arrest codes and delivering advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) at the bedside. It features the latest AHA recommendations and includes intuitive access to algorithms, drug dosing, and timers for efficient patient care.

Highlights
  • 4 ACLS algorithms (cardiac arrest, tachycardia, bradycardia, post-arrest)
  • Latest 2025 AHA ACLS content
  • Drug therapy and dosing
  • Easy-to-read timers
  • CPR and epinephrine logging
  • Rapid transition to post-arrest care
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The AHA ACLS app is the American Heart Association's (AHA) officially endorsed digital health solution to assist clinicians in running codes and delivering bedside ACLS care with actual patients. The app was developed by Harvard-trained physicians, in collaboration with the AHA, to help fellow physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and EMTs deliver the highest level of advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) at the point-of-care. It began as a project to assist clinicians within Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital—and then expanded to have a global scope after significant positive impact was demonstrated. Importantly, real-time feedback from our clinician users continuously drives improvements in app design, features, and function so that you will have the best experience providing life-saving care at the bedside. The AHA ACLS app is the only one to have all content vetted by both the AHA science team and practicing Harvard-affiliated physicians. It also features the latest 2025 release of AHA recommendations for ACLS. We owe it to our patients to use the best digital health tools to give them the highest chance of surviving acute life-threatening cardiac illnesses. To this end, we have developed a low cost, intuitive, and rigorously vetted mobile app to assist clinicians— including in all stages of training—and enhance ACLS care at the bedside. Features: - Intuitive design to rapidly access 4 ACLS algorithms (i.e. cardiac arrest, tachycardia with pulse, bradycardia with pulse, and post cardiac arrest care) - Includes all recently released 2025 ACLS content including drug therapy and dosing, reversible causes, etc. - Easy-to-read timers and ability to log rounds of CPR, epinephrine, and defibrillations - Button within cardiac arrest algorithm that allows for rapid transition to post cardiac arrest care pathway once patient achieves ROSC - All content rigorously vetted by AHA science team and practicing Harvard-affiliated physicians We continue to iterate based on real-time clinician feedback, so that you will have the best experience providing life-saving care at the bedside. AHA ACLS offers an auto-renewing annual subscription at $3.99/year with a 3-day free trial. You will have unlimited access to all content while you maintain an active subscription. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your Apple ID Account when you confirm the initial subscription purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. You may manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. You can read more about our terms and conditions in the app.

About

Ophthalmology Toolbox

A comprehensive medical reference and screening tool for eye care professionals. It offers a suite of clinical utilities including medication guides, vision conversion tables, fundus photography, and color vision testing, designed for efficient use in clinical settings.

Highlights
  • Eye Drops Guide
  • VA Conversion Table
  • Retina Viewer
  • Nine-Gaze Camera
  • Ishihara Test
  • IPD Measurement
  • Amsler Grid
  • Cobalt Blue Screen
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A pocket toolbox for ophthalmology. Thirteen clinical tools — handbooks, screening tests, calculators, and cameras — in one native iOS app. Built for ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, orthoptists, residents, and medical students. Designed for the bedside, the clinic, and the corridor. Every tool is one tap away from the Home Screen. POCKET HANDBOOKS • Eye Exam Guide The eye examination in 13 step-by-step chapters, from history taking to the slit lamp, gonioscopy, and the dilated fundus. Normal values, how to record findings, common pitfalls, 85 photos and diagrams, and linked references. • Eye Drops Guide A searchable reference to more than 100 eye medications in seven categories, from antibiotics and glaucoma drops to allergy, dilation, and dry eye. Doses, forms, brands, safety, and interactions, checked against US, UK, and Saudi labels. BEDSIDE TOOLS • VA Conversion Table Meter, Feet, and decimal acuities side-by-side. Convert at a glance. • Retina Viewer Smartphone fundus photography using a 20D lens. Live camera with smooth zoom, capture photos or video, save to Photos. • Nine-Gaze Camera Guide the patient through the nine cardinal gaze positions. The app auto-stitches each frame into a single 3×3 motility montage, ready to save. • Ishihara Test 24-plate color vision screening with a 1–15 scoring table, protan/deutan classification, and linked validation studies for digital screening. • IPD Measurement Measure interpupillary distance via the TrueDepth front camera. • Amsler Grid On-screen central vision testing for macular monitoring. • Cobalt Blue Screen Blue illumination for fluorescein when a cobalt blue light source isn't available — a workaround for low-resource and emergency settings. CLINICAL CALCULATORS Live results as you dial in values, with the formulas and published sources behind every answer. • Age to Bifocal Add Set the patient's age for a tentative near add at 40 cm, with the full age-band table alongside. • Rx Toolkit Transpose between plus and minus cylinder, find the spherical equivalent, and vertex-compensate between spectacle and contact lens powers, rounded to steps you can order. • Prism Toolkit Prentice's rule for both lenses at once: vertical imbalance at the reading level, PD-error prism graded against ANSI Z80.1, and whether decentration can supply a prism. • AC/A Ratio Calculated and gradient methods side by side, with the working shown. See which binocular vision pattern the findings fit, and predict how a near add will shift the near phoria. DESIGNED FOR CLINICIANS Short workflows, help sheets that spell out technique and limitations, and no marketing fluff. Home Screen quick actions open VA Conversion, Search Medications, and Cobalt Blue Screen in one long-press. A NOTE ON SCOPE Ophthalmology Toolbox is a clinical reference and screening companion. It is not a substitute for slit-lamp examination, formal perimetry, or standard ophthalmic equipment when those are available. The Cobalt Blue Screen and digital Ishihara test are best treated as bedside workarounds, with printed plates or proper equipment used to confirm significant findings. The Eye Exam Guide supports supervised training, and the calculators support clinical judgment; neither replaces them. JUST THE BEGINNING The toolbox is still growing, with more tools and handbooks on the way. If something's missing from your workflow, send a note: the next update might add it. MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This app is intended for educational, informational, and clinical reference purposes only. It does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, clinical judgment, or consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. Users should seek a doctor’s advice before making any medical decisions or acting on information provided by this app. Designed and developed by a clinician, for clinicians.

Screenshots

AHA ACLS4 screens
Ophthalmology Toolbox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ophthalmology Toolbox at 100% against AHA ACLS's 26%. Ophthalmology Toolbox also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). AHA ACLS's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (391 vs 5). On price, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. AHA ACLS sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per year. Ophthalmology Toolbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AHA ACLS holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AHA ACLS has 391 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 26% of AHA ACLS's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ophthalmology Toolbox's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
AHA ACLS versus Ophthalmology Toolbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAHA ACLSOphthalmology Toolbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (391 ratings) — better4.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews26.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings391 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank#48 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB66 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperMassachusetts General HospitalTaha Khayat

Customer experience

AHA ACLS

All ratings277 ratings
Positive99.3%
Neutral0.4%
Negative0.4%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive26.3%
Neutral3.8%
Negative70.0%

Ophthalmology Toolbox

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

AHA ACLS

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App fails to load information despite subscription payment
  • Users locked out of app mid-code
  • Unexpected app crashes during critical moments

Requested features

10 requests
  • Multiple log storage with dates
  • More detailed code logging with event documentation (IO access, medications, rhythms)
  • End code button and pause compressions feature
  • Real-time log tracking for back-charting
  • LVAD algorithm inclusion
Show 5 more
  • Additional medication counters (bicarbonate, calcium)
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Free basic version with premium features behind paywall
  • Voluntary donation model instead of mandatory subscription
  • Actual time reflection in logs for accurate timekeeping

Ophthalmology Toolbox

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

AHA ACLS

Subscriptions1
  • ACLS Pro3 Days trial$3.991 Year
None

Ophthalmology Toolbox

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AHA ACLS free?
AHA ACLS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ophthalmology Toolbox free?
Ophthalmology Toolbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AHA ACLS or Ophthalmology Toolbox?
AHA ACLS is rated higher. AHA ACLS averages 4.9 out of 5 from 391 ratings, while Ophthalmology Toolbox averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do AHA ACLS or Ophthalmology Toolbox have ads?
Neither AHA ACLS nor Ophthalmology Toolbox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AHA ACLS or Ophthalmology Toolbox?
AHA ACLS ships an update every 2 months, and Ophthalmology Toolbox every 2 months. Most recently, AHA ACLS was updated on November 7, 2026 and Ophthalmology Toolbox on November 5, 2026.

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