# Merck Manual Consumer vs Bates' Pocket Guide

Merck Manual Consumer and Bates' Pocket Guide both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 88% of Merck Manual Consumer's written reviews are positive against 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's. Merck Manual Consumer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 14 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bates' Pocket Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Merck Manual Consumer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bates' Pocket Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 169 and 302 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 88% of Merck Manual Consumer's written reviews are positive against 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Merck Manual Consumer ships an update every 4 months, Bates' Pocket Guide every 14 months. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merck Manual Consumer | Bates' Pocket Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (169 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merck-manual-consumer/id331008341/reviews) | **[4.8 (302 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 169 | **302** |
| Positive reviews | **87.9% of reviews** | 40.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 14 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 200 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Merck & Co Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/334253467) | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) |

## What reviewers say

### Merck Manual Consumer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merck-manual-consumer/id331008341)

Access comprehensive medical information in everyday language. This app provides clear explanations of thousands of medical disorders, symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments, along with expert insights and multimedia resources.

**Highlights:** Expert-written health information, Everyday language explanations, Symptom, diagnosis, and treatment search, Photos and illustrations, Animations of diseases and treatments, Drug and medicine information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Trustworthy knowledge source
- 👍 Excellent and handy resource
- 👍 Valuable information
- 👍 Easy to understand
- 👍 Authoritative and current

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes when searching
- 🐛 App keeps crashing
- 🐛 Search crashes
- 🐛 Unable to load data
- 🐛 Search aborts

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes when searching for specific terms
- App crashes repeatedly, especially during searches
- App crashes when searching for 'Flea'
- App crashes after update
- Unable to load data

**Requested features**

- More intuitive search for related topics
- Improve search algorithms for easier topic finding
- Allow changing font size
- Fix download banner issue


### 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 Merck Manual Consumer free?

Merck Manual Consumer is free to download, 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, Merck Manual Consumer or Bates' Pocket Guide?

Bates' Pocket Guide is rated higher. Merck Manual Consumer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 169 ratings, while Bates' Pocket Guide averages 4.8 from 302 ratings.

### Do Merck Manual Consumer or Bates' Pocket Guide have ads?

Neither Merck Manual Consumer nor Bates' Pocket Guide shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Merck Manual Consumer or Bates' Pocket Guide?

Merck Manual Consumer ships an update every 4 months, and Bates' Pocket Guide every 14 months. Most recently, Merck Manual Consumer was updated on October 21, 2026 and Bates' Pocket Guide on October 21, 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.*