Comparison

Medscape vs Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

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

Head to head
About

Medscape

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
Read full description

Your Go-To Medical Resource for Immediate Clinical Answers With Medscape, you get free access to the latest medical news, expert commentary, clinical tools, drug and disease information, CME/CE activities, and more—all in one place. AI-Driven Solutions to Transform Your Practice Scribe: Real-time transcription and summarization of patient visits. Dialer: Call patients using your office number from anywhere. AI Search: Get instant, expert answers to complex medical questions. Essential Clinical Tools 450+ medical calculators organized by specialty. Drug Interaction Checker, Pill Identifier, and step-by-step procedural videos. Up-to-date prescribing and safety info on 9,200+ drugs, herbals, and supplements. Stay Informed & Connected The latest FDA approvals, conference news, and clinical trial data. Expert insights across 30+ specialties. Medscape Original Podcasts, including This Week in Cardiology. Free CME/CE credits & ABIM MOC points with an Activity Tracker. Network with peers via Medscape Consult and MedscapeLIVE! events. Medscape is the Leading Online Destination for Healthcare Professionals. The information provided in the app is for informational and clinical reference purposes only and is not intended to replace independent clinical judgment, support self-diagnosis, or guide individual patient care. For additional information, please review our Terms of Use: https://www.medscape.com/public/termsofuse & our Medscape AI disclaimer https://reference.medscape.com/public/ai_search-disclaimer Have feedback? Email us at medscapemobile@webmd.net.

About

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

Provides clinicians with concise, evidence-based treatment guidance for infectious diseases. Features interactive tools like spectra charts, drug interaction checkers, and dosing calculators to support rapid decision-making in fast-paced medical settings.

Highlights
  • Clinically actionable answers
  • Institutionally diverse editorial team
  • Constant updates
  • Interactive antibacterial spectra chart
  • Drug-drug interaction checker
  • Trustworthy dosing calculators
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Clinically Actionable, Concise Answers Get exactly what you need to make the best decision in a fast-paced setting. Institutionally Diverse Editorial Team by Design Not every organization has the same patient population, budget, or processes. We bring perspectives from many medical institutions. Constant Updates New recommendations are added quickly by our nine-member editorial team. ‘Why Didn’t I Think of That’ Tools An interactive antibacterial spectra chart, drug-drug interactions, and trustworthy calculators to define accurate dosing. Praise from Providers “Indispensable—If you're going to prescribe you must have a way to remain current.” “One of the most helpful tools in medicine!” “I use this app every day I work” Who Needs This App Since 1969, Sanford Guide has been the leading clinical treatment guide for infectious diseases. Popular with physicians, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other clinicians, Sanford Guide provides convenient, concise, and reliable medical information. Coverage includes clinical syndromes (organized by anatomic system/site of infection), pathogens (bacterial, fungal, mycobacterial, parasitic and viral), anti-infective agents (dosing, adverse effects, activity, pharmacology, interactions), expanded HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis information, specialized dosing tables and tools, calculators, and preventative therapy, all evidence-based and extensively referenced. Sanford Guide Antimicrobial Therapy is currently written in the English language. Auto-renewing subscriptions: -An in-app subscription is $39.99 for one year. (Subscription price varies by country) -Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. -Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. -Your Apple ID will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. -Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. -No cancellation of a current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. -Subscriptions are subject to our Terms of Use, which are available at: https://www.sanfordguide.com/about/legal/terms-of-use/. -Our privacy policy can be viewed at: https://www.sanfordguide.com/about/legal/privacy-policy/ Disclaimer: The “Sanford Guide Antimicrobial Therapy” app is intended for use by health care professionals and trainees only, and not by the general public. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the content of this app. However, current full prescribing information available in the package insert for each drug should be consulted before prescribing any product. The editors and publisher are not responsible for errors or omissions or for any consequences from application of our print and digital content, and make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the currency, accuracy, or completeness of the contents of this publication. The information in this app is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Application of this information in a particular situation remains solely the professional responsibility of the health care provider.

Screenshots

Medscape4 screens
Sanford Guide Antimicrobial4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sanford Guide Antimicrobial at 4.8 against Medscape's 3.7. Sanford Guide Antimicrobial also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (85% vs 64%). Medscape's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Sanford Guide Antimicrobial sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Medscape asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 1.9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Medscape's written reviews are positive against 85% of Sanford Guide Antimicrobial's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Medscape ships an update every 2 weeks, Sanford Guide Antimicrobial every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Medscape versus Sanford Guide Antimicrobial: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMedscapeSanford Guide Antimicrobial
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (1.5K ratings)4.8 (1.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews84.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K1.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size279 MB46 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperWebMDAntimicrobial Therapy, Inc.

Customer experience

Medscape

All ratings1,509 ratings
Positive65.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative25.1%
Written reviews479 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral9.2%
Negative26.9%

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

All ratings1,879 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive84.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative11.7%

User reviews

Medscape

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Quick access to information
  • 💡 Helpful charts and tables
  • 🔍 Comprehensive coverage of infections and treatments
  • 📚 Up-to-date content and frequent updates

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezing
  • ⏱️ Slow search function
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Login issues and subscription verification problems

Bugs and requests

Medscape

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezing or closing unexpectedly
  • Login and subscription verification problems
  • Corrupted passwords and inability to reset

Requested features

3 requests
  • Side-by-side antibiotic susceptibility comparison
  • Offline access to content
  • Improved navigation and UI

In-app purchases

None

Medscape

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

Subscriptions3
  • U.S. Vaccine Guidelines7 Days trial$4.991 Year
  • Sanford Guide7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Sanford Guide All Access7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Medscape free?
Medscape is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sanford Guide Antimicrobial free?
Sanford Guide Antimicrobial is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Medscape or Sanford Guide Antimicrobial?
Sanford Guide Antimicrobial is rated higher. Medscape averages 3.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Sanford Guide Antimicrobial averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.
Do Medscape or Sanford Guide Antimicrobial have ads?
Medscape shows ads; Sanford Guide Antimicrobial does not.
Which is updated more often, Medscape or Sanford Guide Antimicrobial?
Medscape ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sanford Guide Antimicrobial every 3 weeks. Most recently, Medscape was updated on October 29, 2026 and Sanford Guide Antimicrobial on October 29, 2026.

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