PubMed On Tap vs Bates' Pocket Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PubMed On Tap
Access and manage biomedical literature from PubMed and PubMed Central. Find, display, and import reference information and full-text articles. Organize your references and share them easily.
- Search PubMed and PubMed Central
- Import reference information and PDFs
- Organize references in groups
- Email references for import
- Advanced boolean searches
- Search for full text
Read full descriptionHide full description
••• Check out Bookends - PubMed On Tap's big brother ••• PubMed On Tap searches PubMed and PubMed Central to find, display, and import reference information and PDFs of the full article (requires access privileges). You can search your personal reference library, organize your references in groups (static and smart), and email references from your device to yourself or others in a form suitable for reading or importing into other reference management apps. Many features are optimized for reference retrieval and management (advanced boolean searches, search for Full Text or Free Full text, recall recent searches, etc.).
Bates' Pocket Guide
This app provides essential information for obtaining health histories and conducting physical exams. It features step-by-step techniques, updated images, and differential diagnoses for quick and accurate interpretation of findings. Ideal for students and professionals needing a fast reference.
- Over 130 detailed topics
- Step-by-step instructions
- Updated photographs and illustrations
- Two-column layout
- New Algorithms for symptom approaches
- Differential diagnoses
- Highlighting and note-taking
- Advanced search
Read full descriptionHide full description
*Featuring the latest content from the latest edition* ABOUT THE BATES' GUIDE: The Bates’ Pocket Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking contains the critical information needed to obtain a meaningful health history, conduct a thorough physical exam, and interpret the findings quickly and accurately. Locate answers fast and review step-by-step techniques and possible findings using the distinctive two-column format with updated images. Bates’ Pocket Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking is the ideal quick-reference resource for today’s medical, PA, pharmacy, and nursing students. FEATURES: • Over 130 detailed topics with step-by-step instructions • Updated photographs, illustrations, and references reinforce key content based on the latest evidence-based information • Two-column layout optimized for smartphones and tablets • New Algorithms provide helpful starting approaches for patients with common presenting symptoms. • Differential diagnoses for common, normal, and abnormal findings • Highlight and take notes within any entry • Advanced Search helps find topics quickly • “Favorites” for bookmarking important entries Authors: Lynn S. Bickley MD, FACP, Peter G. Szilagyi MD, MPH, Richard M. Hoffman MD, MPH, FACP, Rainier P. Soriano MD Publisher: Wolters Kluwer | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 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 price: Bates' Pocket Guide at Free against PubMed On Tap's $2.99. PubMed On Tap's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (66% vs 41%). On rating, update cadence, ads 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
Bates' Pocket Guide is free to download; PubMed On Tap costs $2.99 up front. Bates' Pocket Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PubMed On Tap asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for PubMed On Tap against 4.8 for Bates' Pocket Guide. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 304 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of PubMed On Tap's written reviews are positive against 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's.
PubMed On Tap ships an update every 6 months, Bates' Pocket Guide every 11 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | PubMed On Tap | Bates' Pocket Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (1K ratings) | 4.8 (304 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.7% of reviews — better | 40.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1K — better | 304 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | ReferencesOnTap | Unbound Medicine, Inc. |
Customer experience
PubMed On Tap
Bates' Pocket Guide
User reviews
PubMed On Tap
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great resource
- 👍 Excellent access to PubMed
- 👍 Very handy
- 👍 Handy App
- 👍 Excellent
Room to improve
- 🐛 Does not work. Does not search pubmed
- 🐛 Useless - Can't select best match
- 🐛 Horrible
- 🐛 Would benefit enormously if it had 'related citations' ability
- 🐛 Developer Out of Business?
Bates' Pocket Guide
From 304 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Reliable reference
- 🖼️ Helpful pictures for diagnosis
- 📚 Good for quick reference
- 💡 Easy to understand and logical format
- 🎯 Useful for clinicals and easy to maneuver
Room to improve
- 💰 Overpriced app
- 🔄 Outdated software
- 🖱️ Not user-friendly navigation
- 💸 Repeated payments required
- ❌ Incorrect information/algorithms
Bugs and requests
PubMed On Tap
Reported bugs
2 issues- Your application does not open on my ipad after download
- Crashes on load/run every time, even after reset and/or reinstallation
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to save favorite search words
- Ability to highlight parts of abstract text
- Option to sort the library by author, date, publication type
- Option to create more than one library within the app
- Option to save search history for future retrieval
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Option of folders for easy paper organization
- Safari or Zotero integration
Bates' Pocket Guide
Reported bugs
9 issues- Sectional information is wrong
- Topics do not correlate to information
- Asterisk information is incorrect
- App information needs updating and reviewing
- Software is glitchy
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Hard to navigate between topics
- Algorithm images are mismatched with titles
- Doesn't take Bates account
- Didn't work (iOS 7)
Requested features
5 requests- Update and review app information for accuracy
- Improve content layout and navigation
- Offer better preview options before purchase
- Provide discounts for existing textbook/resource owners
- Clarify product offerings to avoid buyer confusion
In-app purchases
PubMed On Tap
No in-app purchases
Bates' Pocket Guide
- Bates' Pocket Guide 9th ed.$69.99
Questions
Is PubMed On Tap free?
Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?
Which has better reviews, PubMed On Tap or Bates' Pocket Guide?
Do PubMed On Tap or Bates' Pocket Guide have ads?
Which is updated more often, PubMed On Tap or Bates' Pocket Guide?
Other comparisons
