Comparison

Red Book® vs PREP Self

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

Head to head
About

Red Book®

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
Read full description

** The Red Book is the foundational resource on pediatric infectious disease** Featuring content from the latest edition, the Red Book: 2024–2027 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides the most up-to-date information on a wide variety of infectious diseases that physicians encounter in children. Written and edited by leading experts in the field, along with contributions from the CDC, the FDA, and hundreds of other professionals, this resource stands as the most authoritative and comprehensive available. The Red Book features: * Immunization Schedules - Recommended immunization and catch-up schedules for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. * Vaccine Status Table - Current information about recently submitted, licensed, and recommended vaccines and biologics, including status of the FDA licensure process and related AAP/CDC recommendations. * Influenza Resources - A comprehensive collection of information on influenza, serving as a centralized reference for vaccine guidance, prevention, treatment, payment policies, news, and other relevant details for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. * Standardized approaches to disease prevention through immunizations, antimicrobial prophylaxis, and infection-control practices have been updated throughout the Red Book. * Two new chapters on Covid-19 and Mpox have been added. * The System-Based Treatment Table has been reordered so that the grouped recommendations by body system are more easily and quickly accessed. * Greatly expanded tables, figures and algorithms enable quick access to essential information. * The Breastfeeding and Human Milk chapter was updated to align with information from the latest AAP policy statement on breastfeeding. * The listing of Codes for Commonly Administered Pediatric Vaccines, Toxoids, and Immune Globulins has been expanded. * Reference to evidence-based policy recommendations have been updated throughout the Red Book. Unbound Medicine Features: * Highlighting and note-taking within entries * “Favorites” for bookmarking important topics * Enhanced Search to find topics quickly * Prime PubMed links to the primary literature Author: Committee on Infectious Diseases Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics Editor: David W. Kimberlin, MD, FAAP; Associate Editors: Ritu Banerjee, MD, PhD, FAAP, Elizabeth D. Barnett, MD, FAAP; Ruth Lynfield, MD, FAAP; and Mark H. Sawyer, MD, FAAP Powered By: Unbound Medicine Unbound Medicine Privacy Policy: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Medicine Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

About

PREP Self

Access trusted pediatric learning content through a new mobile app. Build a personalized question bank by selecting blocks from various content areas to fit your learning style and schedule. Earn CME credits and MOC points with each block.

Highlights
  • Trusted PREP content
  • Customizable question bank
  • Case-based questions
  • Earn CME credits
  • Earn MOC points
  • Modern user interface
Read full description

Trusted PREP® Content, New Mobile App! For nearly 45 years, the PREP Self-Assessment Program has been a trusted source for pediatric learning and professional growth. Now, we're reimagining the experience. Meet PREP Blocks: A new, customizable way to access the same trusted PREP questions you know and value, designed to fit your learning style, pace, and schedule. • Enjoy a modern, user-friendly interface with a long-awaited mobile app and new desktop experience • Build a Question Bank by selecting blocks from content areas that match your goals • 20 case-based questions per block • Earn up to 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 4 MOC Part 2 Points with each block

Screenshots

Red Book®4 screens
PREP Self4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PREP Self at 67% against Red Book®'s 0%. PREP Self also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (daily vs every 11 months). Red Book®'s advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (67 vs 9). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Red Book® sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. PREP Self asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Red Book® holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Red Book® has 67 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Red Book®'s written reviews are positive against 67% of PREP Self's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Red Book® ships an update every 11 months, PREP Self daily. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Red Book® versus PREP Self: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRed Book®PREP Self
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (67 ratings) — better3.7 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings67 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB44 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.American Academy of Pediatrics

Customer experience

Red Book®

All ratings67 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral1.5%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral66.7%
Negative33.3%

PREP Self

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Red Book®

One-time2
  • Red Book 32e$99.99
  • Red Book$99.99
None

PREP Self

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Red Book® free?
Red Book® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PREP Self free?
PREP Self is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Red Book® or PREP Self?
Red Book® is rated higher. Red Book® averages 4.8 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while PREP Self averages 3.7 from 9 ratings.
Do Red Book® or PREP Self have ads?
Neither Red Book® nor PREP Self shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Red Book® or PREP Self?
Red Book® ships an update every 11 months, and PREP Self daily. Most recently, Red Book® was updated on September 24, 2026 and PREP Self on September 21, 2026.

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