Comparison

Hand Surgery Source vs Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand

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

Head to head
About

Hand Surgery Source

This app provides medical professionals with on-the-go access to a comprehensive knowledge base on hand surgery. It features diagnostic guides, CPT codes, exam details, and visual aids like photos and videos.

Highlights
  • Diagnostic guides
  • CPT codes
  • Exam, test, and sign sections
  • Diagnostic studies
  • Search function
  • Photos and drawings
  • Videos
Features
Read full description

*This app is intended as a learning aid for medical professionals. Please contact your healthcare service provider for medical help. This app gives on-the-go access to users of handsurgeryresource.net. Version 8.0 of the knowledge base gives access to: 281 diagnostic guides sections Common hand surgery related CPT codes 160 exams, tests and signs sections 25 diagnostic studies sections The app has search function 2,265 photos and drawings make visualising the teaching points easy 177 videos also support the text Hand Surgery Source 8.0 content is supported by more references and more direct links to PubMed.

About

Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand

Features
Read full description

Primal's 3D Real-time Human Anatomy app for the Hand is the ultimate 3D interactive anatomy viewer for all medical educators, practitioners and students. Meticulously built over ten years from high-resolution cross-sectional photographs of real cadavers, the app provides an accurate and visually stunning reconstruction of the anatomy of the hand. The easy to use and intuitive interface lets you choose precisely the anatomy you want to see, from exactly the angle you want to see it. This flexibility is supported by a wealth of user-friendly tools to help you set up your ideal anatomical image, quickly and easily: • The Gallery contains 18 pre-set scenes, designed by an in-house team of anatomical experts, to clearly and comprehensibly present in-depth regional and systemic anatomy of the hand. Each scene is divided into five layers to provide greater control over the depth of anatomy shown; making tailoring the anatomy you want to see simple and quick. • The Contents folders arrange all 465 structures systemically, meaning you can browse by subcategory and switch all related structures on at once. It provides an excellent learning tool – for example turn on all branches of the radial artery, or the hypothenar muscles. • The Contents layer controls split each system into five layers – from deep to superficial. This allows you to quickly build up different systems to the depth you want to see. **Save to Favourites** Save the views you create for later in the Favourites, save anything as an image, or share with another user as a URL link. Use the pins, labels and drawing tools to customize your images for enlivened presentations, engaging course materials and handouts – all from your iPad! **Informative** Read detailed and accurate text for each structure using the T icon, and in a feature unique to Primal Pictures, each anatomical term in the text is linked to the appropriate model in the 3D model. Selecting these links will highlight the relevant structures, bringing the text to life and make learning anatomy more visual and immediate. **Context** See each structure in context with the anatomy that surrounds it. Explore these relationships and easily navigate to related anatomical structures to expand your learning. Select a field name in the right-hand menu to show the anatomical category and sub-category of the structure for added understanding and simple navigation. **Technical Specifications** iPad 3 and above only. iPad Air and above for optimal viewing. iPhone 6 and above for best performance

Screenshots

Hand Surgery Source4 screens
Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hand Surgery Source at none against Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand's 1. On price, update cadence, ads 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. Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hand Surgery Source asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hand Surgery Source ships an update every 3 weeks, Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hand Surgery Source versus Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHand Surgery SourcePrimal's 3D Forearm & Hand
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB134 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperHand Surgery ResourcePharma Intelligence UK Ltd

In-app purchases

None

Hand Surgery Source

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand

One-time1
  • Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand$39.99

Questions

Is Hand Surgery Source free?
Hand Surgery Source is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand free?
Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hand Surgery Source or Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand have ads?
Neither Hand Surgery Source nor Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hand Surgery Source or Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand?
Hand Surgery Source ships an update every 3 weeks, and Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand every 5 weeks. Most recently, Hand Surgery Source was updated on October 24, 2026 and Primal's 3D Forearm & Hand on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons