Comparison

Anesthesia Central vs EXPAREL® NOW

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

Head to head
About

Anesthesia Central

This app provides anesthesiologists and critical care specialists with essential information for patient care before, during, and after surgery. It includes disease, drug, test, and procedure details, along with access to the PubMed database for journal articles.

Highlights
  • Disease, drug, test, and procedure information
  • Access to PubMed database
  • MGH Clinical Anesthesia Procedures
  • Davis's Drug Guide
  • Pocket ICU Management
  • Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests
  • Integrated calculators
Features
Read full description

** The All-In-One Mobile and Web Solution for Anesthesiology ** ABOUT ANESTHESIA CENTRAL Anesthesia Central is a must-have resource for every anesthesiologist, critical care specialist, nurse anesthetist, and trainee. Consult the automatically updating collection of disease, drug, test, and procedure information for treating patients before, during, and after surgery. Download to your mobile device and use the quick-read format to find answers fast or search for journal articles and citations in the full PubMed database – anytime, anywhere. Five comprehensive resources included with Anesthesia Central. MGH CLINICAL ANESTHESIA PROCEDURES Includes proven guidelines for preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative anesthesia care, developed by the renowned Massachusetts General Hospital. DAVIS’S DRUG GUIDE Refer to need-to-know information on dosing, contraindications, drug interactions, and patient education for more than 5,000 medications. POCKET ICU MANAGEMENT Focuses on conditions found in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and covers a range of topics from life-threatening disorders to presenting conditions. POCKET GUIDE TO DIAGNOSTIC TESTS Pocket Guide to Diagnostics Tests provides evidence-based recommendations on the selection and interpretation of over 450 laboratory, imaging, and microbiology tests. Prime PubMed Search Connect to the full MEDLINE/PubMed database. Stay up to date with your favorite medical journals, perform powerful searches, link directly to the publisher’s full text, and share articles via email or social media. Visually explore the literature using Grapherence®, a unique way to find related and relevant articles. FEATURES • Receive 1-year of drug updates • Download any new editions of included resources free for 1-year • Make quick calculations with integrated calculators • Create custom notes and highlights within entries • Consult trusted, up-to-date procedure, drug, and test information • Jump quickly between resources using Cross Links • Access to PubMed database through Prime • Use the advanced search capabilities to find topics fast • Bookmark important entries with “Favorites” • Get access to Anesthesia Central website for 1-year DRUG AND CONTENT UPDATES • After initial Anesthesia Central purchase you will receive updates for one year • After one year, you can purchase updates for an additional year, at the discounted rate of $99.99. If you do not choose to purchase, you can continue to use the product but will not receive updates. • This app will automatically renew annually at the current renewal rate ($99.99) and charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase, unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours prior to the conclusion of the one-year 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. Clinical Anesthesia Procedures of the Massachusetts General Hospital: Senior Editor: Wilton C. Levine, MD Associate Editors: Rae M. Allain, MD; Theodore A. Alston, MD, PhD; Peter F. Dunn, MD; Jean Kwo, MD; Carl E. Rosow, MD, PhD Publisher: Lippincott Willams & Wilkins Pocket ICU Management: Authors: Michael H. Wall, MD, FCCM; Pamela R. Roberts, MD, FCCM; J. Christopher Farmer, MD, FCCM Publisher: PocketMedicine.com Davis's Drug Guide: Authors: April Hazard Vallerand, PhD, RN, FAAN; Cynthia A. Sanoski, BS, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS Publisher: F.A. Davis Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests: Editors: Diana Nicoll, MD, PhD, MPA; Chuanyi Mark Lu, MD; Michael Pignone, MD, MPH; Stephen J. McPhee, MD Publisher: McGraw-Hill Medical Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

About

EXPAREL® NOW

This medical resource app provides quick access to guidance on using EXPAREL in surgical procedures. It offers information on regional field blocks and nerve blocks, including dosing, neuroanatomy, and probe positioning with ultrasound imagery and video. Content is available offline.

Highlights
  • EXPAREL usage guidance
  • Dosing information
  • Neuroanatomy and probe positioning
  • Ultrasound imagery and video
  • Offline content access
  • Administrative case reports
Read full description

EXPAREL® NOW EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) dosing and regional block resource. EXPAREL® NOW delivers real-time, offline access to bupivacaine liposome dosing, approved nerve block techniques, and regional anesthesia guidance for the OR — EXPAREL® NOW is your trusted clinical companion for postsurgical pain management. Built by Pacira BioSciences, the makers of EXPAREL®. CLINICAL TOOLS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS: • Procedural dosing guidance • Ultrasound-guided probe positioning with full neuroanatomy references • Step-by-step surgical video walkthroughs for regional and field blocks • Complete case reports for clinical decision support • Offline access to all content • For full Prescribing Information, please visit Exparelpro.com DESIGNED FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS: From residency to private practice, EXPAREL NOW informs your non-opioid multimodal approach to postsurgical pain management with the clinical depth your team needs. Download free. No login required. Works offline.

Screenshots

Anesthesia Central4 screens
EXPAREL® NOW4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EXPAREL® NOW at none against Anesthesia Central's 2. EXPAREL® NOW also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 74%). Anesthesia Central's advantage is ratings volume (104 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Anesthesia Central sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $99.99 per year. EXPAREL® NOW asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

EXPAREL® NOW holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Anesthesia Central has 104 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Anesthesia Central's written reviews are positive against 100% of EXPAREL® NOW's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Anesthesia Central ships an update every 9 months, EXPAREL® NOW every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Anesthesia Central versus EXPAREL® NOW: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnesthesia CentralEXPAREL® NOW
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (104 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings104 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB48 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Customer experience

Anesthesia Central

All ratings104 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral4.8%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive74.4%
Neutral7.0%
Negative18.6%

EXPAREL® NOW

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Anesthesia Central

Subscriptions1
  • Anesthesia Central Renewal$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Anesthesia Central$169.99
None

EXPAREL® NOW

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Anesthesia Central free?
Anesthesia Central is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is EXPAREL® NOW free?
EXPAREL® NOW is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Anesthesia Central or EXPAREL® NOW?
EXPAREL® NOW is rated higher. Anesthesia Central averages 4.6 out of 5 from 104 ratings, while EXPAREL® NOW averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Anesthesia Central or EXPAREL® NOW have ads?
Neither Anesthesia Central nor EXPAREL® NOW shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Anesthesia Central or EXPAREL® NOW?
Anesthesia Central ships an update every 9 months, and EXPAREL® NOW every 2 months. Most recently, Anesthesia Central was updated on September 23, 2026 and EXPAREL® NOW on June 20, 2026.

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