Comparison

Davis's Drug Guide vs RNotes®

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Davis's Drug Guide

This comprehensive drug reference provides essential information for safe medication administration across all age groups. It includes detailed drug monographs, audio pronunciations, pill images, regular updates, and safety alerts. Access to an exclusive online portal offers additional features like dosing calculators and drug of the week notifications.

Highlights
  • 1,700+ drug monographs
  • Audio pronunciations
  • Pill images
  • Regular updates
  • Dosing calculators
  • Safety alerts
  • Canadian-specific content
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Davis’s Drug Guide for Nurses delivers everything you need to administer medications safely across the lifespan. Includes EXCLUSIVE DrugGuide.com access, regular updates, dosing calculators, Drug of the Week, and more! DAVIS DRUG GUIDE FEATURES: • 1,700+ monographs — covering 5,000+ trade name and generic medications • Audio pronunciations — to learn new drug names • Pill images — to visually confirm drug forms • Regular updates — featuring new FDA approvals and prescribing changes • Critical safety alerts and warnings • Highlighted Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) • Pharmacology, Natural & Herbal, Canadian, and Combination Rx indexes • Canadian-specific content, including Canadian trade names and drugs specifically approved for use in Canada • Ideal for courses in nursing programs covering medications, drug administration and preparation for NCLEX-RN & NCLEX-PN exam. • Trusted companion for practicing nurses, physicians & pharmacists. • Now includes Routine Pediatric and Adult Immunizations appendix which incorporates the most recent recommendations. • Adverse side effects are now listed in order of most frequent, life threatening and frequent, life threatening, and other side effects. • A streamlined presentation of the nursing implementation and family teaching sections in the monographs. EXCLUSIVE UNBOUND MEDICINE FEATURES • Free access to the DrugGuide.com website (after purchase) • IV calculators for drips and dosing — fully integrated • Highlighting and note-taking within entries • “Favorites” for bookmarking important entries • 'Drug of the Week' Alerts • Enhanced Search to find Rx medications quickly Authors: April Hazard Vallerand, PhD, RN, FAAN; Cynthia A. Sanoski, BS, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS Publisher: F.A. Davis Powered by: Unbound Medicine TRIAL / SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS • New users can access the complete Davis Drug Guide app free for 14 days. • After 14 days, your iTunes account will be charged $39.99 for a one-year subscription unless you have turned off auto-renew in Account Settings at least 24 hours before the free trial ends. • At the end of the one-year period, your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off in Account Settings 24 hours prior to the renewal date. • If you choose not to renew, you will still be able to use the app but will not receive medication updates. Unbound Medicine Privacy Policy: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Medicine Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

** 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

Davis's Drug Guide4 screens
RNotes®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Davis's Drug Guide at 72% against RNotes®'s 0%. Davis's Drug Guide also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (9.2K vs 41). RNotes®'s advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Davis's Drug Guide sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per year and RNotes® sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Davis's Drug Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Davis's Drug Guide has 9.2K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Davis's Drug Guide's written reviews are positive against 0% of RNotes®'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Davis's Drug Guide ships an update every 6 weeks, RNotes® every 7 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Davis's Drug Guide versus RNotes®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDavis's Drug GuideRNotes®
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (9.2K ratings) — better4.5 (41 ratings)
Positive reviews72.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9.2K — better41
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#9 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB13 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Unbound Medicine, Inc.

Customer experience

Davis's Drug Guide

All ratings9,163 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews129 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative24.0%

RNotes®

All ratings41 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral4.9%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Davis's Drug Guide

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes or freezes
  • Login/access issues
  • Compatibility problems with new devices/OS
  • Incorrect or incomplete drug information

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to add custom drugs
  • More calculators and tools
  • Improved search functionality
  • Better integration with other systems

RNotes®

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Davis's Drug Guide

Subscriptions3
  • Drug Interactions$34.991 Year
  • Davis’s Drug Guide for Nurses14 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Davis's Drug Guide Subsription1 Year trial$39.991 Year
3 purchases

RNotes®

One-time3
  • RNotes® 4th Edition$29.99
  • RNotes® 5th Edition$29.99
  • RNotes$29.99

Questions

Is Davis's Drug Guide free?
Davis's Drug Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RNotes® free?
RNotes® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Davis's Drug Guide or RNotes®?
Davis's Drug Guide is rated higher. Davis's Drug Guide averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.2K ratings, while RNotes® averages 4.5 from 41 ratings.
Do Davis's Drug Guide or RNotes® have ads?
Neither Davis's Drug Guide nor RNotes® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Davis's Drug Guide or RNotes®?
Davis's Drug Guide ships an update every 6 weeks, and RNotes® every 7 months. Most recently, Davis's Drug Guide was updated on September 24, 2026 and RNotes® on September 24, 2026.

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