Comparison

UpToDate vs MDLink Health

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

Head to head
About

UpToDate

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
Read full description

UpToDate is the clinical decision support solution trusted by over 3M healthcare professionals to help improve care delivery and patient outcomes. Now powered by UpToDate Expert AI, a generative AI experience built on rigorously maintained UpToDate clinical intelligence to delivers fast, clinically grounded answers through a conversational interface. Expert AI, available in select packages and applications, brings together the latest evidence and real-world clinical expertise and provides transparent sourcing, embedded guardrails, and oversight, supporting clinical reasoning and helping clinicians make confident, informed decisions. Key features include: • Expert AI: Conversational guidance that mirrors how clinicians think. • Gold Standard Clinical Content: Clinician-authored clinical intelligence and graded recommendation, enriched with clinical algorithms, graphics, videos, and continuously updated to reflect the latest evidence and clinical care experience. • Practice-Changing Updates: Timely insights that reflect the latest evidence and how it impacts patient care. • Patient Education: Thousands of patient education leaflets in up to 19 different languages to improve patient understanding and support care plan adherence. • Key Points Panels: Quick, clinically actionable guidance to help clinicians avoid common diagnostic and treatment errors embedded in UpToDate search results. • Drug Reference & Interactions: Evidence-based drug monographs and interaction analysis to support safe and informed prescribing decisions. • Clinical Calculators: Over 200 tools to support dosing, risk scoring, and patient assessments. • Rx Transitions: Step-by-step support for switching antidepressants safely. • Kidney Dosing: Drug dosing guidance for patients with renal impairment. Available on mobile, desktop, and integrated into EHRs, ensuring you can access UpToDate’s trusted guidance where and when you need it. Access to features will vary depending on your UpToDate account. Expert AI is now available in personal trainee subscriptions and UpToDate Pro Plus subscriptions in the US, and through select Enterprise Edition accounts. To get access, explore personal subscription options on the UpToDate website or contact your Enterprise account lead. This app is designed for use by medical professionals. If you are not a medical professional, please consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any medical decisions.

About

MDLink Health

Access online medical consultations with various specialists for diagnosis, prescriptions, or advice. Connect via video, audio, or text for affordable healthcare from your device. Receive e-prescriptions and sick notes securely.

Highlights
  • Online GP and specialist consultations
  • Video, audio, and text communication
  • E-prescriptions and sick notes
  • Affordable healthcare with upfront costs
  • Secure and encrypted health data
Features
Read full description

MDLink connects you with a GP/Family doctor, Paediatrician, Mental Health Physician or other Specialists ONLINE in minutes for a diagnosis, prescription, sick note or medical advice. See a Doctor on your phone or computer - Anytime, Anywhere! [Registrations is FREE!] We make healthcare more affordable by allowing you to see a doctor on your phone, tablet or computer. You will always see your appointment cost upfront and sometimes we share coupon codes with our registered members. BOOK APPOINTMENT - Select any available appointment and a certified doctor will contact you within minutes. CONNECT WITH A DOCTOR- Connect within minutes (VIDEO, AUDIO or TEXT) and your doctor will give you a brief diagnosis of your condition. Payment is made online. If your condition is more serious, please visit a hospital right away. GET YOUR E-PRESCRIPTION - A copy of the prescription will be emailed to your pharmacy of choice. You will also receive a copy for record keeping. GET YOUR SICK NOTE - If necessary, your doctor can send sick notes for work or school. Your health data is encrypted and secure so no need to worry about privacy or confidentiality issues. Visit our website www.theMDLink.com for more information!

Screenshots

UpToDate4 screens
MDLink Health4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MDLink Health at free against UpToDate's subscription. MDLink Health also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 28%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). UpToDate's advantage is ratings volume (586 vs 30). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.6 for UpToDate against 3.5 for MDLink Health. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UpToDate has 586 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 28% of UpToDate's written reviews are positive against 38% of MDLink Health's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UpToDate ships an update every 5 weeks, MDLink Health every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
UpToDate versus MDLink Health: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUpToDateMDLink Health
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (586 ratings) — better3.5 (30 ratings)
Positive reviews28.2% of reviews37.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings586 — better30
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB191 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUpToDate, Inc.MDLink Inc

Customer experience

UpToDate

All ratings579 ratings
Positive60.4%
Neutral10.4%
Negative29.2%
Written reviews386 reviews
Positive28.2%
Neutral9.6%
Negative62.2%

MDLink Health

All ratings30 ratings
Positive56.7%
Neutral13.3%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

UpToDate

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

3 requests
  • Highlight and annotate content
  • Improved institutional login support
  • Dark mode and font size options

MDLink Health

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

UpToDate

No in-app purchases

None

MDLink Health

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is UpToDate free?
UpToDate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MDLink Health free?
MDLink Health is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, UpToDate or MDLink Health?
UpToDate is rated higher. UpToDate averages 3.6 out of 5 from 586 ratings, while MDLink Health averages 3.5 from 30 ratings.
Do UpToDate or MDLink Health have ads?
Neither UpToDate nor MDLink Health shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UpToDate or MDLink Health?
UpToDate ships an update every 5 weeks, and MDLink Health every 3 weeks. Most recently, UpToDate was updated on November 6, 2026 and MDLink Health on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons