CTCAE v4.0 vs CTCAE 5 Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CTCAE v4.0
This medical reference app provides a standardized system for grading the severity of adverse events related to drug treatments or medical devices. It offers hierarchical navigation, bookmarking, and search functionality for quick access to definitions and grading standards.
- Standardized adverse event grading system
- Definitions for event severity (grades 1-5)
- Hierarchical navigation of categories
- Bookmark frequently used events
- Search across names, definitions, and grades
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The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) is a standardized system to quantify or grade the severity of adverse events (AE) that occur with drug treatment or from medical devices. A definition of mild (grade 1), moderate (2), severe (3), life-threatening (4) and death related to AE (5) events is provided for each AE term. The CTCAE v4.02 was published by NCI on October 6, 2009, and is used by many healthcare providers and researchers to characterize adverse events consistently. The Center for Biomedical Informatics (CBMi) at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has converted the 190+ pages of the CTCAE v4.02 document into an intuitive iPhone application. With this application, healthcare providers can reference the full CTCAE v4.02 with an iPhone or iPod Touch, allowing for bedside grading at the time of a visit and generally allowing the information to be accessed from anywhere at any time. The application contains all published grading standards for all 26 categories of adverse events as well as event definitions. The application also offers a variety of advantages over the flat file CTCAE v4.02, including: * Hierarchical navigation of adverse event categories * Ability to bookmark adverse events and categories to quickly access frequently graded events * Search for events across names, definitions and grades This application is one example of the many ways in which CBMi helps transform clinical care and research at our institution and across the industry. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is a non-profit entity as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 460-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu. About The Center for Biomedical Informatics: The Center for Biomedical Informatics (CBMi) resides in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute as the home for development of innovative solutions to healthcare's immediate and long-term informatics needs. We provide informatics-focused services, products, and educational programs to Children's Hospital clinicians and researchers and seek to transform their craft with high-impact, low-cost solutions. For more information, visit http://www.research.chop.edu/cbmi. References: Please note that NCI has directed us to use the May 29, 2009 reference without regard to updates. Our app uses the most updated version of the CTCAE despite our reference to the original. National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0 NCI, NIH, DHHS. May 29, 2009 NIH publication # 09-7473
CTCAE 5 Pro
This app helps review and take notes on CTCAE documents. It offers local data storage for privacy and premium features like version comparison and advanced note-taking with a subscription.
- Streamlined CTCAE Document Access
- Local data storage for enhanced privacy
- Version comparison tool
- Advanced chronological note-taking with hashtags
- Custom app creation from spreadsheets
- Flexible backup and archiving (XLSX, CSV)
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CTCAE 5 Pro is designed to assist in the documentation, review, and reference of CTCAE-related information. This app is intended for informational support and is not designed for medical purposes such as diagnosis, clinical decision-making, or treatment recommendations. Users are responsible for verifying all information and making clinical decisions. ::::::::: Standard features (available to all users) :::::: - Streamlined CTCAE Document Access - Easily navigate CTCAE 5.0 documents using an intuitive interface. - Enhanced privacy with local data storage - protect your data by storing it locally instead of relying on cloud services, ensuring privacy and control. ::::::::: Premium Features (available with subscription) ::::::: - Version Comparison Tool - Easily compare different versions of CTCAE 5.0 and 4.03. - Advanced Notes feature - allows you to record CTCAEs in chronological order. You can also use hashtags and other features to efficiently organize and track notes for important information. - Custom App Creation Feature - Simply import a spreadsheet and convert it into a list app. No programming knowledge is required. - Flexible backup and archiving solution - easily back up and archive data in formats such as XLSX and CSV for versatility and accessibility. - More features are available in the Premium version. Note: With the Premium feature, a minimal number of files are automatically stored in a secure iCloud Drive to resume link information between files. This can be turned off based on user preference.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CTCAE 5 Pro at 4.8 against CTCAE v4.0's 3.5. CTCAE 5 Pro also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 44 months) and ratings volume (38 vs 11). CTCAE v4.0's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (17% vs 0%). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. CTCAE 5 Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. CTCAE v4.0 asks for nothing beyond the download.
CTCAE 5 Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 38 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 17% of CTCAE v4.0's written reviews are positive against 0% of CTCAE 5 Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
CTCAE v4.0 ships an update every 44 months, CTCAE 5 Pro every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CTCAE v4.0 | CTCAE 5 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (11 ratings) | 4.8 (38 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 38 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 44 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.2 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | Koichiro Watanabe |
Customer experience
CTCAE v4.0
CTCAE 5 Pro
In-app purchases
CTCAE v4.0
No in-app purchases
CTCAE 5 Pro
- Monthly subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Annual subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Questions
Is CTCAE v4.0 free?
Is CTCAE 5 Pro free?
Which has better reviews, CTCAE v4.0 or CTCAE 5 Pro?
Do CTCAE v4.0 or CTCAE 5 Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, CTCAE v4.0 or CTCAE 5 Pro?
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