Comparison

MBS Search vs APLS Australia

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

Head to head
About

MBS Search

Access the Australian Medicare Benefits Schedule on your iPhone to quickly find item numbers and calculate bills. It offers fee descriptions with Gap Cover rates and allows for easy bill emailing and creation of favorite item lists.

Highlights
  • Find Medicare item numbers quickly
  • Calculate bills for multiple item numbers
  • View Gap Cover rates
  • Automatic Assistant fee calculations
  • Email bills and item numbers
  • Create favorite item lists
Features
Read full description

Get the latest Australian Medicare Benefits Schedule free on your iPhone: Find items numbers super fast. Automatically calculate bills for cases with multiple item numbers. Fee descriptions include Gap Cover rates for 60 different fee schedules. Automatic Assistant fee calculations. Email bills and item numbers to your rooms: simple out of pocket expense calculations. Create your own favourites for commonly used items or groups of items.

About

APLS Australia

Provides paediatric emergency algorithms for medical professionals in acute care. Features flowcharts for various emergencies, updated for current guidelines. Also offers information on courses and conferences.

Highlights
  • Paediatric emergency algorithms
  • Easy reference flowcharts
  • Cardiac arrest management
  • Anaphylaxis management
  • Newborn life support
  • Course information
  • Conference details
Features
Read full description

This app contains paediatric emergency algorithms produced by Advanced Paediatric Life Support, Australia, for medical professionals working in acute care in Australia. Flowcharts are in easy reference format for a wide range of paediatric emergencies, including: • Paediatric Basic Life Support • Advanced Life Support • Cardiac Arrest Management • The Choking Child • Anaphylaxis Management • Bradycardia Management • SVT (Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia) Management • VT (Ventricular Tachycardia) Management • Management of Coma • Status Epilepticus Management • Spinal Imaging, Referral and Clearance • Intubation Checklist • Failed Intubation Checklist • Hyperkalaemia Management • Blood and Fluid Therapy in Trauma • Structured Approach to Emergency Paediatrics • Newborn Life Support - Australian / New Zealand Resuscitation Council These algorithms form part of the three day APLS course, regarded as the international gold standard in paediatric emergency training. They are intended for use by trained medical professionals who have completed a full APLS course in Australia or New Zealand only. Fully updated for 2026 for consistency with current APLS course content, the 7th edition of 'Advanced Paediatric Life Support: A Practical Approach to Emergencies (Australia & New Zealand)' and the latest international consensus guidelines. Elsewhere in the app, discover more about the APLS course and APLS Australia, watch sessions from past Paediatric Acute Care Conferences and find upcoming courses near you.

Screenshots

MBS Search4 screens
APLS Australia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MBS Search at 5.0 against APLS Australia's 3.0. MBS Search also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 11 months) and review sentiment (49% vs 20%). APLS Australia's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

MBS Search holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of MBS Search's written reviews are positive against 20% of APLS Australia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MBS Search ships an update every 6 weeks, APLS Australia every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MBS Search versus APLS Australia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMBS SearchAPLS Australia
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews49.3% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB72 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperUmbrella Network Pty LimitedAdvanced Paediatric Life Support, Australia

Customer experience

MBS Search

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive49.3%
Neutral10.1%
Negative40.6%

APLS Australia

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative70.0%

Bugs and requests

MBS Search

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Crashes after latest update
  • Item numbers difficult to find for GP
  • Medicare rebate calculation incorrect
  • Crashing frequently
  • No ability to change insurance details
Show 15 more
  • Items only show Medicare rates
  • Item numbers not updated
  • Lost favorites after updates
  • Favorites reset randomly
  • Crashes with iPhone X
  • Crashes when changing anesthesia billing times
  • Crashing with iOS update
  • Excision section broken
  • Favorites wiped on upgrade
  • Calculation for 51303 not accurate
  • Cannot scan patient label
  • Not working with iPhone 5
  • Crashes on start up
  • Hangs and crashes on skin procedures menu
  • No listing of fees for visits

Requested features

7 requests
  • Update insurance covers
  • Update with July release codes
  • Add landscape orientation for iPad
  • Improve sorting of categories
  • Easier favorite adding
Show 2 more
  • Ability to mail log book
  • Differentiate GP vs Specialist procedures

APLS Australia

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MBS Search

No in-app purchases

None

APLS Australia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MBS Search free?
MBS Search is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is APLS Australia free?
APLS Australia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MBS Search or APLS Australia?
MBS Search is rated higher. MBS Search averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while APLS Australia averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do MBS Search or APLS Australia have ads?
Neither MBS Search nor APLS Australia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MBS Search or APLS Australia?
MBS Search ships an update every 6 weeks, and APLS Australia every 11 months. Most recently, MBS Search was updated on October 22, 2026 and APLS Australia on October 26, 2026.

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