Comparison

Elsevier eBooks+ vs PodCE

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

Head to head
About

Elsevier eBooks+

Access your medical textbooks offline and enhance your learning with tools for note-taking, highlighting, and flashcard creation. Sync your progress and annotations across devices for a seamless study experience.

Highlights
  • Offline book access
  • Note-taking and highlighting
  • Flashcard creation
  • Cross-device syncing
  • In-book search
  • Figure viewing and zooming
Features
Read full description

The Elsevier eBooks+ Bookshelf companion app provides on and offline access to the books in your eBooks+ account on the Content Library page. Enhance your reading experience with tools designed to build and improve your medical knowledge; making and sharing notes, highlighting key text, and creating flashcards. Elsevier eBooks Features: • Download books to your iOS device for easy online or offline reading. • Simple, user-friendly navigation and a clean reading experience. • Search inside your current book or across your full library. • Select text to create notes or highlights from your mobile device. • Tap to open figures, view captions, and pinch to zoom. • Sync your bookmarks, last page read, and all of your notes and highlights between your iOS device and our desktop or web-based eBooks+ apps. Requirements: • Elsevier eBooks+ account • One or more books available in your eBooks+ Bookshelf account • iOS 17+

About

PodCE

Effortlessly track continuing education requirements for various professions. Automatically logs podcast sessions and allows manual entry for other activities, providing visual progress and exportable reports for renewals.

Highlights
  • Automatic podcast session logging
  • Manual entry for seminars and workshops
  • Visual progress charts and deadline tracking
  • Comprehensive statistics on learning
  • Professional PDF and CSV export options
  • Pre-built goal templates for professions
  • Integrated podcast player with playback controls
Features
Read full description

Effortless Continuing Education Tracking PodCE transforms how busy professionals manage their continuing education requirements. Instead of manually logging hours and scrambling for documentation before renewals, let PodCE automatically record every educational podcast session with detailed metadata that certification boards need. AUTOMATIC TIME TRACKING Listen to educational podcasts and PodCE creates timestamped session logs automatically. Every episode generates a complete record including start time, duration, completion percentage, and show information - no manual entry required. BUILT FOR MULTIPLE PROFESSIONS Whether you're maintaining healthcare licensure, IT certifications, or professional development requirements, PodCE supports your needs with pre-built goal templates for: - Healthcare: RN License Renewal, Medical CME, PT License, OT Certification - IT Security: CISSP, Security+, CEH, CISM, CISA - Professional: Annual CME Requirements, Quarterly CE Goals, Custom periods VISUAL PROGRESS MANAGEMENT See your progress at a glance with interactive charts and deadline tracking. Color-coded urgency indicators help you prioritize which goals need attention, while completion celebrations keep you motivated when you reach milestones. COMPREHENSIVE STATISTICS Understand your learning patterns with detailed analytics: - Total CE hours across all activities - Monthly trends with bar charts - Hours breakdown by podcast show - Completion metrics and streaks - Activity vs. podcast time comparison PROFESSIONAL EXPORT OPTIONS Generate certification-ready documentation in seconds: - PDF reports with professional formatting - CSV exports with detailed session data - Customizable date ranges for specific reporting periods - Direct email sharing to certification boards FLEXIBLE ACTIVITY TRACKING Not all CE comes from podcasts. Manually log seminars, webinars, conferences, and workshops with: - Custom titles and descriptions - Precise time tracking - File attachments for certificates - Notes for future reference SMART GOAL TEMPLATES Start tracking immediately with ready-made templates for common certifications, or create custom goals with: - Flexible time periods (annual, quarterly, custom dates) - Hour targets that match your requirements - Automatic or manual tracking modes - Progress pace recommendations - Deadline alerts and notifications SEAMLESS LISTENING EXPERIENCE PodCE is a full-featured podcast player designed for professionals: - iTunes podcast search and discovery - Cache episodes for offline listening - Playback speed control (0.5x to 2.0x) - 15-second skip controls - Chapter support for detailed navigation - Lock screen controls and CarPlay support PRIVACY FIRST Your CE data stays on your device. No account required, no cloud sync, no data sharing. Export when you need it, control who sees it. PERFECT FOR - Nurses maintaining RN licensure - IT professionals with certification requirements - Physical therapists tracking state-mandated CE - Medical professionals managing CME credits - Cybersecurity experts maintaining CISSP/Security+ - Any professional with continuing education requirements KEY FEATURES - Automatic podcast listening time tracking - 12+ professional certification templates - Visual progress charts and statistics - PDF and CSV export for certification boards - Manual activity logging with attachments - Deadline tracking with urgency alerts - Full-featured podcast player - Temporary offline caching - No account or subscription required Download PodCE today and never miss a certification deadline again.

Screenshots

Elsevier eBooks+4 screens
PodCE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PodCE at every 5 days against Elsevier eBooks+'s every 2 months. PodCE also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Elsevier eBooks+'s advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 1) and monetization model (freemium vs paid). On price, ads, 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

PodCE holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elsevier eBooks+ has 1.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elsevier eBooks+ ships an update every 2 months, PodCE every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Elsevier eBooks+ versus PodCE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElsevier eBooks+PodCE
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.9K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.9K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size183 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElsevier Inc.Christopher Haynes

Customer experience

Elsevier eBooks+

All ratings1,873 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral1.8%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral17.5%
Negative39.7%

PodCE

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Elsevier eBooks+

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Figures placed at the end of chapters
  • Search function only works for single words
  • Inability to clear search history
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Incompatibility with older devices

Requested features

8 requests
  • More highlighting and note-taking options
  • Ability to write, draw, or paste images on pages
  • Separate flashcard option integration with Anki/Quizlet
  • More font size options
  • Streamlined text selection for voiceover
Show 3 more
  • Page turning instead of scrolling
  • Ability to write on pages
  • Interactive features

PodCE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Elsevier eBooks+

No in-app purchases

None

PodCE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Elsevier eBooks+ free?
Elsevier eBooks+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PodCE free?
PodCE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Elsevier eBooks+ or PodCE?
PodCE is rated higher. Elsevier eBooks+ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while PodCE averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Elsevier eBooks+ or PodCE have ads?
Neither Elsevier eBooks+ nor PodCE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Elsevier eBooks+ or PodCE?
Elsevier eBooks+ ships an update every 2 months, and PodCE every 5 days. Most recently, Elsevier eBooks+ was updated on October 16, 2026 and PodCE on October 6, 2026.

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