Nursing Central vs RNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nursing Central
This comprehensive nursing app integrates multiple best-selling resources to provide quick access to vital clinical information. It offers detailed data on diseases, drugs, tests, and procedures, along with a medical dictionary and access to the PubMed database. Features include study tools, custom notes, and multimedia content to enhance learning and efficiency for healthcare professionals and students.
- Drug information with updates
- Medical dictionary with 75,000+ entries
- Laboratory and diagnostic test details
- Disease and disorder information
- PubMed database access
- Exclusive study system (Grasp™)
- Custom notes and highlights
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Five best-selling nursing apps combine to form the premier, integrated clinical nursing solution. Use valuable tools to find and apply the information you need. Purchase includes iOS app, macOS app, and web access. PLEASE NOTE: Current customers and institutional subscribers can use this app to download content to their iOS devices. ABOUT NURSING CENTRAL Nursing Central helps nurses and students be more efficient by providing detailed information on diseases, tests, drugs, and procedures where and when it is needed. The moment a question arises you can consult the updating database of 5,000 drugs, find a definition in the dictionary with 75,000+ entries, interpret hundreds of laboratory and diagnostic tests, and consult the latest disease information. You can also search the entire PubMed database or study unfamiliar topics using the exclusive study system - Grasp™, all from your mobile device Five best-selling nursing applications combine to form Nursing Central. DAVIS’S DRUG GUIDE FOR NURSES Refer to regularly updated information on dosing, contraindications, drug interactions, and patient education for more than 5,000 medications. TABER’S MEDICAL DICTIONARY Define over 75,000 medical terms and enhance learning with images, videos, and audio pronunciations. DAVIS’S LABORATORY AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTS Access rationale and results for tests as well as pretest requirements, intratest procedures, and post-test patient care. DISEASES AND DISORDERS Review complete coverage of more than 250 medical conditions. Prime PubMed Connect to the full PubMed journal citations and abstracts database on your mobile device. Stay up to date with your favorite nursing and medical journals with Prime Journals, perform powerful searches, receive suggestions on relevant articles with Prime ForYou, link directly to the publisher’s full text, and share articles via email or social media. Visually explore the literature using Grapherence®, a unique way to find related and relevant articles. FEATURES • Receive 1-year of drug updates • Create custom notes and highlights within entries • Consult trusted disease and test information • Jump quickly between resources using Cross Links • View thousands of colorful images, figures, and videos • Learn on the go with our exclusive study system - Grasp™ • Access the full PubMed database • Use the Full Text Search to help find topics across all resources • Bookmark important entries with “Favorites” • Get access to Nursing Central website for one year • Personalize your app by re-ordering resources to match your unique needs and preferences. DRUG AND CONTENT UPDATE RENEWAL • After initial Nursing Central purchase you will receive updates for one year • After one year, you can purchase updates for an additional year, at the discounted rate of $99.99. If you do not choose to purchase, you can continue to use the product but will not receive updates. • If you purchase updates, they will automatically renew annually at the renewal rate ($99.99) and charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase, unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours prior to the conclusion of the one-year subscription period. • Account will be charged ($99.99) for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the yearly subscription term. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement
RNotes
This medical reference app provides essential nursing information for students and professionals. It offers quick access to clinical content, NCLEX tips, and safety alerts, with updated guidelines and laboratory values. An in-app purchase unlocks all features and ongoing updates.
- Nursing Alerts for critical safety information
- HIPAA- and OSHA-compliant notes
- Quick-access tabs for fast navigation
- Highlighted critical laboratory values
- Interventions and patient education
- ACLS resuscitation procedures
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"Try before you buy" - Download the FREE App, which includes sample content. In-App purchase required to unlock all content. A Davis’s Notes title! Your one-stop source for class, clinical, and practice! Access the clinically oriented content you need to deliver safe and effective health care in hospital and home settings for all of your patients. Handy mobile app is great for students and educators on the go, while NCLEX® tips, highlighted throughout, make it perfect for those preparing for the licensure exam. KEY FEATURES - ‘Nursing Alerts’ that highlight critical safety information. - HIPAA- and OSHA-compliant write-on/wipe-off pages - Quick-access tabs - Critical level laboratory values highlighted in bold, red type to correlate to potential diseases and disorders described in other sections. - Interventions and patient education information for the most common conditions - Coverage of life span considerations as well as complications and emergencies associated with pregnancy and delivery - Tools for a thorough general assessment of the adult patient - ACLS resuscitation procedures as well as pediatric and neonatal advanced life support information - The basics of 12-lead interpretation tailored to nurses with little or no 12-lead experience - An emphasis on symptom and patient presentation rather than medical diagnosis NEW TO THIS EDITION - Updated & Revised! Thoroughly updated, reviewed, and revised throughout to reflect the art and science of nursing practice today. - New! All laboratory values sourced from Van Leeuwen: Davis's Comprehensive Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests With Nursing Implications. New! 2020 AHA Guidelines - Updated! ACLS content and reorganized to appear at the beginning of the Emergency section Content licensed from printed editionISBN 10: 1719646252 Content licensed from printed edition ISBN 13: 9781719646253 SUBSCRIPTION : Please purchase a yearly auto-renewing subscription to receive content access and available updates. Yearly auto-renewing payments- $29.99 Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Subscription may be managed by the user and auto-renewal can be disabled at any time by going to your device “Settings” and tapping “iTunes & App Store”. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable." If you have any questions or comments, email us any time: customersupport@skyscape.com or call 508-299-3000 Privacy Policy - https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/privacypolicy.aspx Terms and Conditions - https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/licenseagreement.aspx Author(s): Ehren Myers Publisher: F. A. Davis Company
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Nursing Central at none against RNotes's shown. Nursing Central also leads on ratings volume (10K vs 26) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). RNotes's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, 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. Nursing Central sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year and RNotes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Nursing Central against 5.0 for RNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nursing Central has 10K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Nursing Central ships an update every 6 weeks, RNotes every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nursing Central | RNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (10K ratings) | 5.0 (26 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10K — better | 26 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #49 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Unbound Medicine, Inc. | Skyscape Medpresso Inc |
Customer experience
Nursing Central
RNotes
Bugs and requests
Nursing Central
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login and account issues
- Syncing problems across devices
- Outdated content and lack of updates
- Compatibility problems with newer devices
Requested features
5 requests- Offline access to content
- More detailed disease and medication information
- Integration with electronic medical records
- Video tutorials and demonstrations
- Improved search and filtering capabilities
RNotes
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nursing Central
- Intravenous Medications$49.991 Year
- Drugs and Tools Renewal$49.991 Year
- Nursing Central$99.991 Year
- NCLEX-RN Quest$19.99
- RNotes 5th Edition$29.99
- RNotes$29.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Disaster Nursing$39.99
- Taylor's Clinical$42.99
- Nurse's Pocket Guide$49.99
- Nurse's Pocket Guide 16e$49.99
- Nurses' Health Assessment2 variants$59.99
- Nursing Central$199.99
RNotes
- RNotes 1/Y Sub$29.991 Year
- RNotes®: Nurse's Clinical Pock$29.99
- RNotes Ed.6$29.99
Questions
Is Nursing Central free?
Is RNotes free?
Which has better reviews, Nursing Central or RNotes?
Do Nursing Central or RNotes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nursing Central or RNotes?
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