# UpToDate vs Drugs.com Medication Guide

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drugs.com Medication Guide at 87% against UpToDate's 28%. Drugs.com Medication Guide also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (18K vs 583). UpToDate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drugs.com Medication Guide sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. UpToDate 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 18K ratings behind it against 583, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of UpToDate's written reviews are positive against 87% of Drugs.com Medication Guide's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | UpToDate | Drugs.com Medication Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (583 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uptodate/id334265345/reviews) | **[4.8 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drugscom-medication-guide/id599471042/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 583 | **18K** |
| Positive reviews | 28.2% of reviews | **87.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#200** | #210 |
| Size | 56 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [UpToDate, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/334265348) | [Drugs.com](https://appshunter.io/developer/389479628) |

## What reviewers say

### UpToDate

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

**Currently charting:** #200 Top Free · Medical (US App Store)

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


### Drugs.com Medication Guide

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

**Currently charting:** #210 Top Free · Medical (US App Store)

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 UpToDate free?

UpToDate 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, UpToDate or Drugs.com Medication Guide?

Drugs.com Medication Guide is rated higher. UpToDate averages 3.6 out of 5 from 583 ratings, while Drugs.com Medication Guide averages 4.8 from 18K ratings.

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

Drugs.com Medication Guide shows ads; UpToDate does not.

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

UpToDate ships an update every 5 weeks, and Drugs.com Medication Guide every 5 weeks. Most recently, UpToDate was updated on October 22, 2026 and Drugs.com Medication Guide on October 21, 2026.

### Which is more popular, UpToDate or Drugs.com Medication Guide?

UpToDate currently peaks at #200 in the App Store charts, and Drugs.com Medication Guide at #210. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*