Comparison

VisualDx vs Read by QxMD

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

Head to head
About

VisualDx

This visual reference tool aids medical professionals in improving patient engagement and diagnostic accuracy. It utilizes AI and a vast image atlas to help build custom differentials, share patient-specific images, and access comprehensive diagnostic information. Earn continuing education credits while making better medical decisions.

Highlights
  • Build custom differentials
  • Engage patients with visual aids
  • Improve diagnostic accuracy
  • Access therapy and test options
  • Recognize infectious diseases
  • Earn CME credits
Currently charting
Read full description

VisualDx is a visual reference tool for medical professionals that leverages AI technology and a comprehensive image atlas to support faster, more confident decisions, fewer unnecessary referrals and testing, and higher patient engagement and satisfaction. With VisualDx, clinicians can: • Build dynamic differentials that evolve as you think. • Use guided support to surface clinically relevant results. • Compare diagnoses to improve decisions for your patients. • Use our AI to take a picture of your patient’s skin condition to better understand morphology and possibilities. • Engage with patients by sharing pictures of skin that reflect their disease presentation. • Access therapy and testing recommendations across over 3,500 conditions. • Quickly recognize infectious diseases and travel-related illnesses with our public health resources. • Test your diagnostic skills with our image challenges and educational resources. • Earn 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for internet point of care activity with every search. See why this award-winning clinical decision support system is being used in more than 2,300 hospitals, clinics, and medical schools by physicians, nurses, students, PAs, NPs, and other healthcare professionals worldwide. VisualDx requires a subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.visualdx.com/legal/acceptable-use-policy-notice Privacy Policy: https://www.visualdx.com/legal/privacy-policy/

About

Read by QxMD

Access and organize the latest medical research and topic reviews in a personalized digital journal. Stay updated with new scientific findings and easily retrieve full-text PDFs from PubMed and other sources.

Highlights
  • Personalized digital medical journal
  • Access latest medical research
  • Read topic reviews
  • Search PubMed
  • Full-text PDF access
  • Organize article collection
Features
Read full description

'Read by QxMD' provides a single place to keep up with new medical & scientific research, read outstanding topic reviews and search PubMed. This iPhone & iPad app provides a simple interface that drives discovery and seamless access to the medical literature by reformatting it into a personalized digital journal. Praise for Read: 5 stars: "Stellar. The future of medical literature review... This could be the best application to stay up-to-date in medicine since, well, UpToDate." - User Review 4¾ stars: "The Flipboard for medical journals has arrived" and among "...the most innovative medical apps" - iMedicalApps.com On Apple's 'What's Hot' list in >60 countries, as well as Medical Essentials & Apps for Healthcare Professionals. Featured in Apple iBook: "iOS in Healthcare: Revolutionizing Healthcare Productivity"   Features: - Get full text PDFs with one tap - Keep up with the latest new research that will impact your practice - Browse through 1000s of outstanding topic reviews - Search millions of articles from PubMed and our database of outstanding topic reviews - Read your favorite journals or browse article collections. - Access full text through your university/institutional subscription or via open access publishers - Share articles with colleagues over email, Twitter and Facebook - Organize and review your personal collection of articles Why did we build 'Read by QxMD'? Health care professionals need to stay up to date on the latest medical research and topic reviews to provide optimal care. Unfortunately, the process of content discovery is broken with research artificially compartmentalized by publishers and hidden behind countless institutional pay walls. At QxMD, we believe that knowledge translation– the process by which new knowledge is incorporated into clinical practice – is an important and unsolved challenge for our health care system. We hope that ‘Read by QxMD’ will be a part of the solution. Seamless 1-tap access available at thousands of institutions. Sources: From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Founded by medical professionals, QxMD is dedicated to creating high quality point-of-care tools for practicing health care professionals.

Screenshots

VisualDx4 screens
Read by QxMD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Read by QxMD at none against VisualDx's 10. Read by QxMD also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (6K vs 186). VisualDx's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#21 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and device support 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. VisualDx sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per month. Read by QxMD asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Read by QxMD holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read by QxMD has 6K ratings behind it against 186, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of VisualDx's written reviews are positive against 89% of Read by QxMD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VisualDx ships an update fortnightly, Read by QxMD monthly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
VisualDx versus Read by QxMD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVisualDxRead by QxMD
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (186 ratings)4.8 (6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.3% of reviews89.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1866K — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#21 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB205 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperLogical ImagesWebMD

Customer experience

VisualDx

All ratings186 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral4.8%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews102 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral1.0%
Negative14.7%

Read by QxMD

All ratings6,040 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews889 reviews
Positive89.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative8.0%

User reviews

VisualDx

From 186 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📸 Excellent clinical images and kodachromes
  • 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
  • 🎓 Comprehensive differential diagnosis tool
  • 📚 Detailed disease summaries and treatment information
  • 🌍 Inclusive representation of skin of color

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription cost
  • ❌ Difficult subscription cancellation process
  • 🐛 App crashes and performance issues
  • 📱 Quiz feature laggy and unreliable
  • 😤 Poor customer service responsiveness

Read by QxMD

From 6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient access to latest research
  • 👍 Customizable journal and keyword tracking
  • 🔒 Institutional access integration
  • 💡 Convenient PDF downloads
  • 👍 Helpful for staying up-to-date

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔒 Institutional access issues
  • 💻 Lack of desktop/web version
  • 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
  • 📤 Difficulty sharing articles

Bugs and requests

VisualDx

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes when using quiz feature
  • CME credit claiming functionality fails
  • Subscription cancellation not processed
  • Renewal charges despite cancellation requests
  • Quiz unable to load properly
Show 1 more
  • Account access issues after payment

Requested features

6 requests
  • Make app free again (previously free)
  • Simplify subscription cancellation in-app
  • Improve quiz functionality for mobile
  • Add quiz feature to desktop version
  • Expand patient information handouts
Show 1 more
  • Better quiz image clarity and context

Read by QxMD

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login and authentication problems
  • Inconsistent app performance after updates
  • Inability to access full-text articles
  • Syncing issues between devices
  • Unreliable article refresh functionality

Requested features

6 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to annotate and highlight PDFs
  • Improved article organization and collections
  • Integration with reference managers (e.g. Zotero, Mendeley)
  • Enhanced search and filtering capabilities
Show 1 more
  • Offline access to saved articles

In-app purchases

10 purchases

VisualDx

Subscriptions9
  • Complete (1 Month)1 Month trial$39.991 Month
  • VisualDx Core Monthly7 Days trial$39.991 Month
  • Complete+DermExpert (1 Month)1 Month trial$49.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • VisualDx Elite Monthly7 Days trial$49.991 Month
  • Add DermExpert (1 Year)$99.991 Year
  • Complete (1 Year)1 Month trial$149.991 Year
  • VisualDx Core Annual7 Days trial$249.991 Year
  • VisualDx Elite Annual7 Days trial$299.991 Year
  • Complete+DermExpert (1 Year)1 Month trial$499.991 Year
One-time1
  • Complete (1 yr)$399.99
None

Read by QxMD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VisualDx free?
VisualDx is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Read by QxMD free?
Read by QxMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VisualDx or Read by QxMD?
Read by QxMD is rated higher. VisualDx averages 4.4 out of 5 from 186 ratings, while Read by QxMD averages 4.8 from 6K ratings.
Do VisualDx or Read by QxMD have ads?
Read by QxMD shows ads; VisualDx does not.
Which is updated more often, VisualDx or Read by QxMD?
VisualDx ships an update fortnightly, and Read by QxMD monthly. Most recently, VisualDx was updated on November 6, 2026 and Read by QxMD on November 6, 2026.

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