# PubMed On Tap vs Bates' Pocket Guide

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | PubMed On Tap | Bates' Pocket Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pubmed-on-tap/id301316540/reviews) | **[4.8 (304 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 304 |
| Positive reviews | **65.7% of reviews** | 40.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [ReferencesOnTap](https://appshunter.io/developer/301316543) | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) |

## What reviewers say

### PubMed On Tap

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pubmed-on-tap/id301316540)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great resource
- 👍 Excellent access to PubMed
- 👍 Very handy
- 👍 Handy App
- 👍 Excellent

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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?

**Reported bugs**

- Your application does not open on my ipad after download
- Crashes on load/run every time, even after reset and/or reinstallation

**Requested features**

- 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


### Bates' Pocket Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bates' Pocket Guide 9th ed. | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Reliable reference
- 🖼️ Helpful pictures for diagnosis
- 📚 Good for quick reference
- 💡 Easy to understand and logical format
- 🎯 Useful for clinicals and easy to maneuver

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overpriced app
- 🔄 Outdated software
- 🖱️ Not user-friendly navigation
- 💸 Repeated payments required
- ❌ Incorrect information/algorithms

**Reported bugs**

- Sectional information is wrong
- Topics do not correlate to information
- Asterisk information is incorrect
- App information needs updating and reviewing
- Software is glitchy

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PubMed On Tap free?

PubMed On Tap costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?

Bates' Pocket Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PubMed On Tap or Bates' Pocket Guide?

Bates' Pocket Guide is rated higher. PubMed On Tap averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Bates' Pocket Guide averages 4.8 from 304 ratings.

### Do PubMed On Tap or Bates' Pocket Guide have ads?

Neither PubMed On Tap nor Bates' Pocket Guide shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PubMed On Tap or Bates' Pocket Guide?

PubMed On Tap ships an update every 6 months, and Bates' Pocket Guide every 11 months. Most recently, PubMed On Tap was updated on November 6, 2026 and Bates' Pocket Guide on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*