# Medscape vs UpToDate

The clearest difference is monetization model: Medscape at free with in-app purchases against UpToDate's subscription. Medscape also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 28%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). UpToDate's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.6 for Medscape against 3.6 for UpToDate. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.4K and 579 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Medscape's written reviews are positive against 28% of UpToDate's.

Medscape ships an update fortnightly, UpToDate every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medscape | UpToDate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medscape/id321367289/reviews) | [3.6 (579 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uptodate/id334265345/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | 579 |
| Positive reviews | **63.7% of reviews** | 28.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #186 | **#168** |
| Size | 263 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [WebMD](https://appshunter.io/developer/295076332) | [UpToDate, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/334265348) |

## What reviewers say

### Medscape

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medscape/id321367289)

**Currently charting:** #186 Top Free · Medical (US App Store)

This app provides healthcare professionals with immediate clinical answers, medical news, and CME/CE activities. It features AI-driven tools for patient visit transcription and summarization, patient calling, and instant expert answers to medical questions. Access a comprehensive drug database, calculators, and procedural videos to enhance clinical practice.

**Highlights:** AI-driven Scribe for transcription and summarization, AI Search for instant medical answers, Drug Interaction Checker, Pill Identifier, 450+ medical calculators, Free CME/CE credits, Medical news and expert commentary

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick and easy to use
- 📚 Comprehensive medical information
- 💻 Offline access to content
- 🆓 Free app with no ads
- 🏥 Useful for healthcare professionals

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- 📱 Not optimized for iPad/larger screens
- 🛒 Issues with Amazon gift card rewards
- ⏱️ Slow response speed and lagging
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find information

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on opening after recent update
- Unable to access articles or content
- Broken links and issues with CME activities
- Logging in and account management problems
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Allow users to manually enter city during registration
- Add more languages (e.g., Spanish)
- Improve CME/education features and tracking
- Introduce an ad-free paid version
- Enhance search functionality and organization


### UpToDate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uptodate/id334265345)

**Currently charting:** #168 Top Free · Medical (US App Store)

This clinical decision support tool provides healthcare professionals with evidence-based guidance to improve patient care. It features AI-powered conversational answers, continuously updated medical content, and tools for drug reference, calculations, and patient education.

**Highlights:** Expert AI conversational guidance, Gold standard clinical content, Practice-changing updates, Patient education materials, Drug reference and interactions, Clinical calculators, Kidney dosing guidance

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Invaluable medical resource
- 🚀 Quick and easy to use
- 🔍 Comprehensive and up-to-date content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🔌 Unreliable offline functionality
- 💰 Expensive subscription cost

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to download offline content
- Constant need to re-authenticate
- Incompatibility with recent iOS updates

**Requested features**

- Highlight and annotate content
- Improved institutional login support
- Dark mode and font size options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medscape free?

Medscape is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is UpToDate free?

UpToDate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Medscape or UpToDate?

Medscape and UpToDate are both rated 3.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.4K and 579 ratings respectively.

### Do Medscape or UpToDate have ads?

Medscape shows ads; UpToDate does not.

### Which is updated more often, Medscape or UpToDate?

Medscape ships an update fortnightly, and UpToDate every 5 weeks. Most recently, Medscape was updated on September 29, 2026 and UpToDate on September 28, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Medscape or UpToDate?

Medscape currently peaks at #186 in the App Store charts, and UpToDate at #168. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*