Comparison

Pocket Pharmacist vs PTCB

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Pharmacist

Access comprehensive drug information curated by pharmacists, check for drug interactions, and test your knowledge with quizzes. Organize your medications and impress your medical team with neat printouts.

Highlights
  • Pharmacist-curated drug summaries
  • Unbiased drug information
  • Fast drug search (offline)
  • Drug interaction checker
  • Medication quizzes
  • Medication organizer
  • Printable medication summaries
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"Pocket Pharmacist feels like you're talking to a live pharmacist versus reading through an encyclopedia!" Download now for a free trial. Not impressed? Simply unsubscribe and walk away without paying a dime (during the 1-week free trial period). DRUG INFORMATION ∙ Drug summaries are curated and summarized by a Pharmacist (Doctor of Pharmacy) -- focused on drugs approved by the United States FDA ∙ Unbiased information (zero pharmaceutical sponsorship and no advertisements) ∙ Wicked fast drug search (internet not required) INTERACTION CHECKER ∙ Provides interactions as well as overlapping precautions and side effects (no other app has this feature) ∙ Easy to understand (no complicated medical jargon) ∙ Super accurate MED QUIZ ∙ The best drug study guide, period. ∙ Test your drug and medication knowledge ∙ Unlimited multiple-choice questions and flashcards MED BOX ∙ All your medication information...nice and neat ∙ Impress your medical team with organized printouts ∙ Run interaction checks _______________________ FEATURED IN ∙ O (The Oprah Magazine) ∙ SteadyHealth ∙ iPhone Life Magazine ∙ Woman's Day ∙ CNET _______________________ In-App Auto-Renewable Subscription Details - Pocket Pharmacist Monthly and Pocket Pharmacist Yearly include an ad-free experience, access to all current features, drug information curated and summarized by a pharmacist (updated monthly), future features, technical updates, and prompt email support for the duration of the subscription period. - Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Your subscription will automatically renew at the duration selected unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Your iTunes Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost of the renewal will be the subscription fee you have agreed to. - You can manage your subscription by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase. - If you choose not to renew your subscription, you will no longer have access to the App after the end of the current period. For more information, please see Pocket Pharmacist's Privacy Policy (https://pocketpharmacist.io/privacy-policy) and Terms & Conditions of Use (https://www.pocketpharmacist.io/terms-conditions-of-use).

About

PTCB

Prepare for your Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam with a personalized study plan. Practice with over 500 questions covering key knowledge domains and track your progress with detailed statistics. Boost your confidence to pass the exam on your first attempt.

Highlights
  • Personalized study plan
  • 500+ practice questions
  • Track strengths and weaknesses
  • Detailed test statistics
  • Compare scores to community average
  • Covers key pharmacy knowledge domains
Read full description

Pass your Pharmacy Technician exam with flying colors! Boost your confidence in passing the first time with our mobile app and a personal study plan based on your current skill and requirements. The pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is used by The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) as one of the four requirements for certification as a Pharmacy Technician. The test was designed as a result of a job analysis study conducted by the PTCB that determined the knowledge and skills needed to work as a pharmacy technician. It consists of multiple-choice questions with four answer choices. Our app trains you in the required “knowledge domains” in the area of pharmacy: – Medications (40%) – Federal Requirements (12.5%) – Patient Safety and Quality Assurance (26.25%) – Order Entry and Processing (21.25%) Key features: - Choose from different topics required to become a certified pharmacist - Practice with 500+ questions - Track your strengths and weaknesses within Stats section of the app - Study detailed statistics of every test you take - Compare your score to the community average for almost any type of exam PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician™, PTCB™, PTCE™, Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam™ and CPhT™ are registered trademarks of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board™ (PTCB®) and are administered exclusively by the PTCB®. This material is not endorsed or approved by the PTCB®. - - - - Purchases, subscriptions and terms You need to buy a lifetime access or subscribe to get access to all features, courses and questions. The cost of the purchase is charged to your iTunes account. Subscriptions are auto-renewable and are billed at the rate and period selected depending on the subscription plan. Users’ accounts are charged for auto-renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions can be managed and auto-renewal can be turned off in Account Settings in iTunes after the purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of use: https://mastrapi.com/terms Privacy policy: https://mastrapi.com/policy

Screenshots

Pocket Pharmacist4 screens
PTCB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: PTCB at free with in-app purchases against Pocket Pharmacist's subscription. PTCB also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). Pocket Pharmacist's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 45%) and chart position (#147 vs unranked). On price, rating, 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. Pocket Pharmacist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and PTCB sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pocket Pharmacist against 4.7 for PTCB. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Pharmacist has 3.9K ratings behind it against 557, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Pocket Pharmacist's written reviews are positive against 45% of PTCB's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Pharmacist ships an update every 2 months, PTCB every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Pocket Pharmacist versus PTCB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket PharmacistPTCB
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.9K ratings)4.7 (557 ratings)
Positive reviews77.0% of reviews — better45.5% of reviews
Number of ratings3.9K — better557
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#147 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB36 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDanike, Inc.MastrAPI

Customer experience

Pocket Pharmacist

All ratings3,859 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews165 reviews
Positive77.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative21.2%

PTCB

All ratings557 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative45.5%

User reviews

Pocket Pharmacist

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Convenient for keeping track of medications
  • 🚀 Quick and easy to use
  • 💡 Helpful for healthcare professionals
  • 🔍 Comprehensive drug information
  • ⭐️ Excellent app overall

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model frustrates existing users
  • 🇨🇦 Limited coverage for non-US drugs
  • 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and access
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs

PTCB

From 557 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Detailed explanations for answers
  • 👍 Helps users learn material
  • 👍 Organizes study material
  • 👍 Engaging and motivating study tool
  • 👍 Good for test preparation

Room to improve

  • repetitive questions
  • repetitive questions
  • repetitive questions
  • repetitive questions
  • poorly formatted math explanations

Bugs and requests

Pocket Pharmacist

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription screen appears unexpectedly
  • Unable to access or delete personal information
  • Interaction checker not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add medication reminders
  • Include over-the-counter medications
  • Improve sync functionality between devices
  • Provide more customization options

PTCB

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App does not update questions
  • App does not work after purchase
  • Charged for free trial

Requested features

2 requests
  • Update app questions regularly
  • Improve formatting of math explanations

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pocket Pharmacist

Subscriptions2
  • Pocket Pharmacist Monthly7 Days trial2 variants$0.991 Month
  • Pocket Pharmacist Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Year
2 purchases

PTCB

Subscriptions1
  • PTCB Pharmacy Technician7 Days trial$24.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Pocket Pharmacist free?
Pocket Pharmacist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PTCB free?
PTCB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Pharmacist or PTCB?
Pocket Pharmacist and PTCB are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3.9K and 557 ratings respectively.
Do Pocket Pharmacist or PTCB have ads?
Neither Pocket Pharmacist nor PTCB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Pharmacist or PTCB?
Pocket Pharmacist ships an update every 2 months, and PTCB every 2 weeks. Most recently, Pocket Pharmacist was updated on September 23, 2026 and PTCB on September 17, 2026.

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