# Medscape vs Drugs.com Medication Guide

The clearest difference is rating: Drugs.com Medication Guide at 4.8 against Medscape's 3.6. Drugs.com Medication Guide also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 64%) and ratings volume (16K vs 1.4K). Medscape's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drugs.com Medication Guide sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Medscape asks for nothing beyond the download.

Drugs.com Medication Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drugs.com Medication Guide has 16K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Medscape's written reviews are positive against 87% of Drugs.com Medication Guide's.

Medscape ships an update fortnightly, Drugs.com Medication Guide every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medscape | Drugs.com Medication Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medscape/id321367289/reviews) | **[4.8 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drugscom-medication-guide/id599471042/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K | **16K** |
| Positive reviews | 63.7% of reviews | **87.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#194** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [WebMD](https://appshunter.io/developer/295076332) | [Drugs.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/389479628) |

## What reviewers say

### Medscape

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

**Currently charting:** #194 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


### Drugs.com Medication Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drugscom-medication-guide/id599471042)

Access comprehensive information on over 24,000 medications, including prescription drugs, OTCs, and natural products. Manage your medications, check for interactions, identify pills, and find the lowest prices. Stay informed with FDA alerts and detailed side effect information.

**Highlights:** Medication list with interaction tracking, Drug price comparison and pharmacy finder, Pill identification by imprint, color, and shape, Drug interaction checker, Side effects and dosage information, FDA alerts and recalls

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads for 3 months | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads for 1 year | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Excellent app
- 🚀 Very useful and informative
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 📚 Comprehensive drug information
- 🔍 Helpful pill identifier

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 💰 Ads or paid features
- 🌍 Limited support for non-US medications

**Reported bugs**

- Registration process issues
- Inconsistent search results

**Requested features**

- Ability to easily add/remove medications
- More detailed medication profiles
- Improved international drug coverage


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medscape free?

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

### Is Drugs.com Medication Guide free?

Drugs.com Medication Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Medscape or Drugs.com Medication Guide?

Drugs.com Medication Guide is rated higher. Medscape averages 3.6 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Drugs.com Medication Guide averages 4.8 from 16K ratings.

### Do Medscape or Drugs.com Medication Guide have ads?

Both Medscape and Drugs.com Medication Guide show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Medscape or Drugs.com Medication Guide?

Medscape ships an update fortnightly, and Drugs.com Medication Guide every 5 weeks. Most recently, Medscape was updated on September 23, 2026 and Drugs.com Medication Guide on September 24, 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.*