# UpToDate vs athenaOne

The clearest difference is rating: athenaOne at 4.5 against UpToDate's 3.6. athenaOne also leads on monetization model (ad-supported vs subscription) and chart position (#195 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

athenaOne holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 586 and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of UpToDate's written reviews are positive against 33% of athenaOne's.

UpToDate ships an update every 5 weeks, athenaOne every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | UpToDate | athenaOne |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (586 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uptodate/id334265345/reviews) | **[4.5 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/athenaone/id1486336635/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 586 | **2.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 28.2% of reviews | **33.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#195** |
| Size | 56 MB | 598 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [UpToDate, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/334265348) | [athenahealth](https://appshunter.io/developer/535158438) |

## What reviewers say

### UpToDate

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

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


### athenaOne

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/athenaone/id1486336635)

**Currently charting:** #195 Top Free · Medical (US App Store)

This secure mobile extension of clinical workflows allows healthcare providers to manage their daily schedules, clinical inboxes, and patient visits. It enables documentation of exams, placement of orders, and creation of new patient cases directly from a mobile device.

**Highlights:** Access daily schedule, Manage clinical inbox, Prepare for visits, Use documentation accelerators, Document exams, Place orders, Create patient cases

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to navigate
- 🚀 Convenient for reviewing patient info
- 🚀 Helpful for after-hours calls
- 🚀 Saves time with chart prep

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and login issues
- 🔍 Limited functionality compared to desktop version
- 🔍 Difficult to access old documents and records
- 🔍 Clunky interface and too many clicks
- 🔍 Lacks key features like scheduling, billing, and controlled substance prescribing

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and credential expiration
- Inconsistent performance and freezing
- Incompatibility with certain devices and OS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to schedule appointments and visits
- Integrate billing functionality
- Support for controlled substance prescribing
- Improved search and document access
- Customizable interface and text size


## Frequently asked questions

### Is UpToDate free?

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

### Is athenaOne free?

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

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

athenaOne is rated higher. UpToDate averages 3.6 out of 5 from 586 ratings, while athenaOne averages 4.5 from 2.8K ratings.

### Do UpToDate or athenaOne have ads?

Neither UpToDate nor athenaOne shows ads.

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

UpToDate ships an update every 5 weeks, and athenaOne every 3 weeks. Most recently, UpToDate was updated on November 6, 2026 and athenaOne on November 7, 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.*