# AHA PALS vs Red Book®

The clearest difference is review sentiment: AHA PALS at 55% against Red Book®'s 0%. AHA PALS also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months) and chart position (#136 vs unranked). Red Book®'s advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AHA PALS sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per year and Red Book® sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Red Book® holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 54 and 71 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of AHA PALS's written reviews are positive against 0% of Red Book®'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

AHA PALS ships an update every 2 months, Red Book® every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AHA PALS | Red Book® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (54 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aha-pals/id1577470913/reviews) | **[4.8 (71 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-book/id1586673573/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 54 | **71** |
| Positive reviews | **54.5% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#136** | — |
| Size | 48 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Massachusetts General Hospital](https://appshunter.io/developer/376928206) | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) |

## What reviewers say

### AHA PALS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aha-pals/id1577470913)

**Currently charting:** #136 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

This app provides pediatric advanced life support (PALS) protocols and tools for healthcare professionals at the point-of-care. Developed by physicians and vetted by the American Heart Association, it offers intuitive access to algorithms, drug information, and timers for critical care situations.

**Highlights:** PALS pathways and algorithms, Drug therapy and dosing, CPR and intervention timers, Metronome for compression accuracy, Critical care references, Vetted by AHA and physicians

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PALS | $3.99 | per year |


### Red Book®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-book/id1586673573)

This app provides the latest information on pediatric infectious diseases from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It includes immunization schedules, vaccine status, influenza resources, and new chapters on COVID-19 and Mpox. Features like note-taking and enhanced search aid quick access to essential medical data.

**Highlights:** Immunization schedules, Vaccine status table, Influenza resources, COVID-19 and Mpox chapters, Note-taking and highlighting, Enhanced search functionality

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Red Book 32e | $99.99 | one-time |
| Red Book | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AHA PALS free?

AHA PALS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Red Book® free?

Red Book® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, AHA PALS or Red Book®?

Red Book® is rated higher. AHA PALS averages 4.5 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while Red Book® averages 4.8 from 71 ratings.

### Do AHA PALS or Red Book® have ads?

Neither AHA PALS nor Red Book® shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AHA PALS or Red Book®?

AHA PALS ships an update every 2 months, and Red Book® every 11 months. Most recently, AHA PALS was updated on October 25, 2026 and Red Book® on October 22, 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.*