Comparison

The PreMed App vs NextStep

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

Head to head
About

The PreMed App

This app helps aspiring doctors create a strategic plan for medical school admission. Developed by medical students and doctors, it offers tools for goal setting, activity tracking, and connecting with mentors.

Highlights
  • Goal setting for GPA and MCAT
  • Extracurricular activity tracking
  • Connect with medical student mentors
  • Daily MCAT questions
  • Productivity tools for focused study
Features
Read full description

The PreMed App takes your dream of becoming a Doctor and makes it a plan. Inspired and created by medical students and doctors, this App has everything you need to be successful and get accepted into your dream medical school. Whether you are just deciding to start this journey or currently applying to medical school, The PreMed App is the daily companion you need. “As I'm sure many pre-med students feel, I was anxious, stressed and spent most of my time trying to keep track of credentials for med school. Although those worries are not behind me yet, Motivate MD’s “The PreMed App” has allowed me to set my goals, have strategy, and execute them in a timely manner. Thank you Motivate MD!” - Sergio C. Features • Progress –Set and crush individual goals for GPA, MCAT score, shadowing, volunteering, extracurricular activities, required courses, letters of recommendation, etc. • Tracking – Keep track of all of your shadowing, volunteering, research, and other extracurricular activities with our intuitive tracking software. • MyMentor – Instantly communicate with medical students and doctors across the country who truly know what it takes to get accepted into your dream program (because they did it themselves). • Daily – Set your goals for the day, find motivation, learn something from the MCAT Question of the Day. • Focus – Inspired by the study techniques of medical students, this scientifically-proven productivity tool will keep you fresh and focused so you can study longer and more efficiently.

About

NextStep

This app helps pre-med students organize their academic and extracurricular activities. It allows users to log hours, track progress towards goals, and manage application milestones efficiently. Designed by former students, it aims to reduce stress in the med school application process.

Highlights
  • Experience logging for various activities
  • Hour tracking and statistical visualization
  • Customizable goals and reminders
  • Offline functionality
  • AI-powered insights (coming soon)
  • Built by pre-med students
Features
Read full description

Ready for med school? NextStep helps pre-med students log hours, track experiences, and hit application milestones—without the stress. Whether you're shadowing, volunteering, doing research, or prepping for the MCAT, NextStep keeps you organized and on track. Key Features: • Experience Tracker – Log clinical, research, volunteer, and extracurricular activities • Hour Tracking & Stats – Visualize your time, find your gaps, stay balanced • Guided AI Insights – Coming soon! • Custom Goals & Reminders – Set targets, get notified, stay accountable • Offline First – Works without Wi-Fi, syncs when you're back online • Built for Pre-Meds – Created by students who’ve been there Stop guessing. Start progressing. Download NextStep and take control of your med school journey today.

Screenshots

The PreMed App4 screens
NextStep3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NextStep at 100% against The PreMed App's 45%. NextStep also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and rating (4.2 vs 3.8). The PreMed App's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NextStep holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The PreMed App has 25 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of The PreMed App's written reviews are positive against 100% of NextStep's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The PreMed App ships an update every 6 months, NextStep fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The PreMed App versus NextStep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe PreMed AppNextStep
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (25 ratings)4.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMotivate MD LLCJosh Hoffman

Customer experience

The PreMed App

All ratings23 ratings
Positive69.6%
Neutral13.0%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative36.4%

NextStep

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

The PreMed App

No in-app purchases

None

NextStep

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The PreMed App free?
The PreMed App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NextStep free?
NextStep is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The PreMed App or NextStep?
NextStep is rated higher. The PreMed App averages 3.8 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while NextStep averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do The PreMed App or NextStep have ads?
NextStep shows ads; The PreMed App does not.
Which is updated more often, The PreMed App or NextStep?
The PreMed App ships an update every 6 months, and NextStep fortnightly. Most recently, The PreMed App was updated on October 24, 2026 and NextStep on October 23, 2026.

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