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 clinical reference app provides nurses and students with quick access to essential medical information, including guidelines, procedures, and exam preparation tools. It features full-color images, charts, and customizable notes to enhance patient care and learning.
- Quick-reference clinical nursing information
- Updated AHA guidelines
- Full-color images and charts
- NCLEX exam topic indicators
- Step-by-step procedures and assessment guidance
- Customizable notes and highlights
- Nursing alerts for critical safety information
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** The essential clinical companion for nurses and students ** ABOUT RNOTES® RNotes is a quick-reference application that puts the latest clinically-focused nursing information at your fingertips, helping you improve patient care. Find answers fast by browsing or searching, then review clinical findings, collaborative management, and quick-read information along with full-color images and charts. The latest edition also helps students prepare for the NCLEX examinations by noting topics that are covered on the exam. FEATURES • Answers to the questions faced in clinical rotations • Updated AHA guidelines • Full-color images and figures • NCLEX icons indicating topics found on licensure exam • Step-by-step procedures and enhanced physical assessment guidance • Details for interpreting ECG, lab values, priority interventions, and more • Convenient tables and charts for finding information quickly • Ability to make custom notes and highlights within entries • Nursing alerts highlighting critical safety information • “Favorites” for bookmarking important topics Author: Ehren Myers Publisher: F.A. Davis Powered by: Unbound Medicine Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nursing Central at 74% against RNotes®'s 0%. Nursing Central also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (10K vs 41). RNotes®'s advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Nursing Central sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year and RNotes® sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Nursing Central holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nursing Central has 10K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Nursing Central's written reviews are positive against 0% of RNotes®'s.
Nursing Central ships an update every 6 weeks, RNotes® every 7 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Nursing Central | RNotes® |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (10K ratings) — better | 4.5 (41 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 74.2% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 10K — better | 41 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #45 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Unbound Medicine, Inc. | Unbound Medicine, 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® 4th Edition$29.99
- RNotes® 5th Edition$29.99
- RNotes$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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