epocrates vs Pocket Pharmacist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
epocrates
This clinical reference app empowers healthcare professionals to make safer, faster decisions. It offers comprehensive drug information, interaction checks, pill identification, lab values, and dosing calculators. Access essential clinical tools offline to enhance patient care and workflow efficiency.
- Comprehensive Drug Reference
- Drug Interaction Checker
- Pill Identifier
- Lab Reference Values
- Dosing Calculators
- Offline Access
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Make safer, faster clinical decisions – anywhere you practice. epocrates is the trusted clinical reference app for U.S. physicians (MDs/DOs), nurse practitioners (NPs), physician associates (PAs), pharmacists, and medical students – helping you confidently prescribe, stay up to date, calculate dosages, and save time. Top tools for busy clinicians: • Comprehensive Drug Reference – 6,000+ Rx and OTC monographs for brand and generic drugs, including adult and pediatric dosing, contraindications, black box warnings, and pharmacology. • Drug Interaction Checker – Quickly identify interactions among up to 30 medications at once to ensure safer prescribing and reduce medication errors. • Pill Identifier – Instantly identify pills using imprint, shape, color, or image – one of the most trusted pill finder tools for clinicians. • Lab Reference Values – Access normal lab ranges, interpretations, and clinical guidance to support diagnostic decisions. • Dosing Calculators – Weight- and age-based calculators for precise prescription guidance at the point of care. • Symptom Checker & Disease Reference – Evaluate symptoms and conditions efficiently with evidence-based guidelines. • Herbs & Supplements Database – Search herbal, supplement, and alternative medicine information, including known interactions. • Offline Access – Use the full app without internet —perfect for rural, remote or on-the-go care. Whether you’re searching by pill identifier, entering ICD-10 codes, or looking up a prescription, epocrates delivers fast, reliable results. It’s more than a drug reference—it’s your trusted clinical assistant. Why Clinicians Choose epocrates: • #1-Rated Clinical App – trusted by U.S. physicians, NPs, and PAs for fast, reliable drug reference and clinical decision support. • Used Millions of Times Monthly – Tools like the pill identifier, drug interaction checker, and dosing calculators improve workflow efficiency. • Enhances Patient Safety – Helps reduce medication errors with evidence-based guidance and interaction alerts. • Continuously Updated – Medical Editors and healthcare experts ensure current, accurate drug and clinical information. • Saves Hours Each Week – Streamline prescribing, lab lookups, and clinical reference tasks with integrated tools. • Supports Medication Delivery & Fulfillment – Optimized for use in prescribing, pharmacy, and point-of-care environments. Download now to support safer, faster prescribing with the leading decision support app trusted by over 2M prescribers. Subscription & Payment Info: Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation of premium upgrade purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Introductory pricing or discounts, if available, apply only to the first subscription period. Learn more: • Terms of Service: https://www.epocrates.com/termsOfUse.do • Privacy Policy: http://www.epocrates.com/privacy
Pocket Pharmacist
Access comprehensive drug information curated by pharmacists, check for drug interactions, and test your knowledge with quizzes. Organize your medications and impress your medical team with neat printouts.
- Pharmacist-curated drug summaries
- Unbiased drug information
- Fast drug search (offline)
- Drug interaction checker
- Medication quizzes
- Medication organizer
- Printable medication summaries
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"Pocket Pharmacist feels like you're talking to a live pharmacist versus reading through an encyclopedia!" Download now for a free trial. Not impressed? Simply unsubscribe and walk away without paying a dime (during the 1-week free trial period). DRUG INFORMATION ∙ Drug summaries are curated and summarized by a Pharmacist (Doctor of Pharmacy) -- focused on drugs approved by the United States FDA ∙ Unbiased information (zero pharmaceutical sponsorship and no advertisements) ∙ Wicked fast drug search (internet not required) INTERACTION CHECKER ∙ Provides interactions as well as overlapping precautions and side effects (no other app has this feature) ∙ Easy to understand (no complicated medical jargon) ∙ Super accurate MED QUIZ ∙ The best drug study guide, period. ∙ Test your drug and medication knowledge ∙ Unlimited multiple-choice questions and flashcards MED BOX ∙ All your medication information...nice and neat ∙ Impress your medical team with organized printouts ∙ Run interaction checks _______________________ FEATURED IN ∙ O (The Oprah Magazine) ∙ SteadyHealth ∙ iPhone Life Magazine ∙ Woman's Day ∙ CNET _______________________ In-App Auto-Renewable Subscription Details - Pocket Pharmacist Monthly and Pocket Pharmacist Yearly include an ad-free experience, access to all current features, drug information curated and summarized by a pharmacist (updated monthly), future features, technical updates, and prompt email support for the duration of the subscription period. - Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Your subscription will automatically renew at the duration selected unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your iTunes Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost of the renewal will be the subscription fee you have agreed to. - You can manage your subscription by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. - If you choose not to renew your subscription, you will no longer have access to the App after the end of the current period. For more information, please see Pocket Pharmacist's Privacy Policy (https://pocketpharmacist.io/privacy-policy) and Terms & Conditions of Use (https://www.pocketpharmacist.io/terms-conditions-of-use).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pocket Pharmacist at 77% against epocrates's 32%. Pocket Pharmacist also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). epocrates's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. epocrates sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $21.99 per month and Pocket Pharmacist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pocket Pharmacist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.1K and 3.9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of epocrates's written reviews are positive against 77% of Pocket Pharmacist's.
epocrates ships an update fortnightly, Pocket Pharmacist every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | epocrates | Pocket Pharmacist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (7.1K ratings) | 4.7 (3.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.1% of reviews | 77.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.1K — better | 3.9K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #1 — better | #121 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 226 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Epocrates | Danike, Inc. |
Customer experience
epocrates
Pocket Pharmacist
User reviews
epocrates
From 7.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Streamlined information
- 👍 Concise and to-the-point
- 👍 Helpful for first-year NP
- 👍 Excellent reference for physicians
- 👍 Useful for checking medications
Room to improve
- 🐛 Constant updates causing freezing and crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable app performance
- 🐛 Forced to update frequently
- 🐛 Incompatible with older devices and iOS versions
- 🔒 Concerns about falsification of credentials
Pocket Pharmacist
From 3.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Convenient for keeping track of medications
- 🚀 Quick and easy to use
- 💡 Helpful for healthcare professionals
- 🔍 Comprehensive drug information
- ⭐️ Excellent app overall
Room to improve
- 💰 Subscription model frustrates existing users
- 🇨🇦 Limited coverage for non-US drugs
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and access
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
Bugs and requests
epocrates
Reported bugs
5 issues- Search function malfunction
- Frequent freezing and crashes
- Inability to access app on older devices
- Medication interactions not always accurately displayed
- Drug lists not saving properly
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to save and manage multiple drug lists
- Option to disable news and notifications
- More comprehensive information on medication overdoses
- Inclusion of vitamins and herbal supplements
- Improved IV drug dosing guidance
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- Differential diagnosis feature
- Ability to customize app interface and content
Pocket Pharmacist
Reported bugs
3 issues- Subscription screen appears unexpectedly
- Unable to access or delete personal information
- Interaction checker not working properly
Requested features
4 requests- Add medication reminders
- Include over-the-counter medications
- Improve sync functionality between devices
- Provide more customization options
In-app purchases
epocrates
- Epocrates Plus Monthly$21.991 Month
- Epocrates Plus14 Days trial$21.991 Month
- epocrates Plus$24.991 Month
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- epocrates+ Monthly$24.991 Month
- Essentials$179.991 Year
- Epocrates Plus Annual1 Year trial$179.991 Year
- Epocrates Plus14 Days trial$179.991 Year
- epocrates+ Annual1 Year trial$179.991 Year
- epocrates+ Annual$179.991 Year
- epocrates+14 Days trial$179.991 Year
- epocrates Plus14 Days trial$224.991 Year
Pocket Pharmacist
- Pocket Pharmacist Monthly7 Days trial2 variants$0.991 Month
- Pocket Pharmacist Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Year
Questions
Is epocrates free?
Is Pocket Pharmacist free?
Which has better reviews, epocrates or Pocket Pharmacist?
Do epocrates or Pocket Pharmacist have ads?
Which is updated more often, epocrates or Pocket Pharmacist?
Which is more popular, epocrates or Pocket Pharmacist?
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