# Pocket Heart vs ESC Pocket Guidelines

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ESC Pocket Guidelines at none against Pocket Heart's 2. ESC Pocket Guidelines also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 11 months). Pocket Heart's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 51%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pocket Heart sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. ESC Pocket Guidelines asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pocket Heart against 4.8 for ESC Pocket Guidelines. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 493 and 841 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Pocket Heart's written reviews are positive against 51% of ESC Pocket Guidelines's.

Pocket Heart ships an update every 11 months, ESC Pocket Guidelines every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pocket Heart | ESC Pocket Guidelines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (493 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-heart/id384060873/reviews) | **[4.8 (841 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esc-pocket-guidelines/id683079599/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 493 | **841** |
| Positive reviews | **77.8% of reviews** | 50.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 226 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [EMEDIA INTERACTIVE LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/330292122) | [ESC - European Society of Cardiology](https://appshunter.io/developer/440684535) |

## What reviewers say

### Pocket Heart

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-heart/id384060873)

This interactive 3D cardiology app offers a beautiful and engaging way to learn about the human heart. It features detailed anatomical and clinical content, intuitive navigation, and interactive quizzes for self-paced learning. Ideal for medical professionals, students, and educators.

**Highlights:** Interactive 3D heart model, Detailed anatomical and clinical content, Intuitive 3D navigation, Multiple quiz types for self-paced learning, Multimedia learning content, Patient communication tool

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $9.49 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Stunning 3D graphics and visual presentation
- 📚 Excellent educational resource for students and professionals
- 🔄 Interactive 3D rotation and zoom capabilities
- 💓 Realistic heart animation and beating visualization
- 👨‍⚕️ Useful tool for doctors to explain to patients

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Incorrect quiz answers and medical inaccuracies
- 🐛 Heartbeat sound feature not functioning
- 📐 Layout issues - text too small and menu positioning problems
- 💳 Misleading free trial payment model
- 🔧 Limited customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Heartbeat sound/audio playback not working
- Menu displaying vertically instead of at bottom on some devices
- Difficulty rotating heart on iPhone 5
- Reduced zoom capability in newer versions
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Adjustable text size and menu positioning
- Apple Watch integration with real-time heart rate sync
- Customizable heart pulse/beat rate
- Internal 3D heart dissection from multiple angles
- Visualization of heart pathologies and diseases (myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, congenital defects)


### ESC Pocket Guidelines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esc-pocket-guidelines/id683079599)

Access a comprehensive library of the latest cardiovascular disease guidelines and consensus statements from the European Society of Cardiology. Features include interactive algorithms, full-text search, bookmarking, note-taking, and content sharing capabilities for quick reference and study.

**Highlights:** Latest ESC Guidelines (2023-2025), Interactive algorithms, Full-text search, Bookmarking and notes, Content sharing, Printable pages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Practical and handy for clinical use
- 📚 Valuable medical information and guidelines
- ⭐ Excellent content quality
- 🎯 Easy to use interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and stability issues
- 🔐 Sign-in system problematic and unnecessary
- 📖 Small font size and poor design readability
- ❌ Missing content topics after updates
- ⚪ Blank white page display issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iPad and iPhone devices
- Login authentication failures
- White blank page display
- App crashes when opening pathways
- Guidelines not appearing in downloaded folder

**Requested features**

- Update to support iPad Mini 6 resolution
- Include 2023 ESC Congress updates
- Remove or make sign-in optional
- Improve font size and design for better readability
- Add new guidelines (e.g., 2013 stable angina guidelines)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pocket Heart free?

Pocket Heart is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ESC Pocket Guidelines free?

ESC Pocket Guidelines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pocket Heart or ESC Pocket Guidelines?

ESC Pocket Guidelines is rated higher. Pocket Heart averages 4.7 out of 5 from 493 ratings, while ESC Pocket Guidelines averages 4.8 from 841 ratings.

### Do Pocket Heart or ESC Pocket Guidelines have ads?

Neither Pocket Heart nor ESC Pocket Guidelines shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pocket Heart or ESC Pocket Guidelines?

Pocket Heart ships an update every 11 months, and ESC Pocket Guidelines every 4 months. Most recently, Pocket Heart was updated on September 25, 2026 and ESC Pocket Guidelines on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*