MedLab Tutor vs LabRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MedLab Tutor
Learn to interpret medical lab values like CBC, CMP, and ABG. This app provides tutorials, exercises, and normal value ranges for students in health professions and the general public interested in understanding lab reports.
- Interpreting medical lab findings
- Tutorials on lab result figures
- Exercises associating lab values with conditions
- Normal lab value ranges
- Illustrations of lab report parts
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Purpose: Designed for students in health professions (medical, nursing, allied health) learning to record and interpret medical lab values from Complete Blood Chemistry (CBC), Complete Metabolic Panel (CMP) and Arterial Blood Gas (ABG). You can see illustrations noting the basic parts of lab reports and short-hand figures, videos explaining general steps for interpreting labs, and exercises that present lab results and associated conditions. Be able to see if a lab value is normal, low/high, or critical. Features: •Introduction to interpreting medical lab findings •Tutorial on handwritten fishbone figures for CBC, CMP, ABG lab results •Learning exercises associating lab values with common conditions •Norms for lab values Additional Audience: •Medical educators working with students •General Public interested in having a general background on medical lab reports that their physicians may order for them Disclaimer: This app is intended as a teaching tool for learner development and should not be used for clinical care. LANGUAGES: English REQUIREMENTS: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch Requires iPhone OS 4.3 or later
LabRef
This medical reference app provides concise interpretations and reference ranges for common laboratory values across various disciplines. It's designed for quick access at the bedside, aiding in clinical decision-making. The app is for educational and informational purposes only.
- Interprets common laboratory values
- Covers hematology, nephrology, critical care, and perioperative medicine
- Provides concise interpretations
- Includes reference ranges
- Clean, intuitive interface
- Optimized for bedside use
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LabRef is a clinically focused reference for interpreting common laboratory values. Covering disciplines from hematology and nephrology to critical care and perioperative medicine, it delivers concise interpretations and reference ranges through a clean, intuitive interface optimized for rapid use at the bedside. This app is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, and never disregard or delay seeking professional advice because of information provided by this app. About Rishi Kumar, MD, FACC ("RK.MD") I'm an adult cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and cardiovascular ICU intensivist practicing in academic medicine. I'm passionate about teaching with free, open-access medical education. Learn more on my site: https://rk.md
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LabRef at 5.0 against MedLab Tutor's 3.8. LabRef also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 10 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). MedLab Tutor's advantage is iOS requirement (10.2 vs 26). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LabRef holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LabRef has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of MedLab Tutor's written reviews are positive against 100% of LabRef's.
MedLab Tutor ships an update every 10 months, LabRef every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MedLab Tutor | LabRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 25 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.2 — better | 26 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 216 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Augusta University | Rishi Kumar |
Customer experience
MedLab Tutor
LabRef
In-app purchases
MedLab Tutor
No in-app purchases
LabRef
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MedLab Tutor free?
Is LabRef free?
Which has better reviews, MedLab Tutor or LabRef?
Do MedLab Tutor or LabRef have ads?
Which is updated more often, MedLab Tutor or LabRef?
Other comparisons
