Pocket Pharmacist vs mobilePDR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Pharmacist-curated drug summaries
- Unbiased drug information
- Fast drug search (offline)
- Drug interaction checker
- Medication quizzes
- Medication organizer
- Printable medication summaries
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"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).
mobilePDR
Access up-to-date drug prescribing information for healthcare professionals. Quickly search thousands of drug summaries, compare medications, and check for interactions. Identify pills with color photos and imprint codes.
- Concise drug summaries
- Drug comparison tool
- Drug interaction checker
- Pill identification with photos
- Search by brand, generic, or class
- Continuous updates
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mobilePDR® is the OFFICIAL drug information app from PDR®, publisher of Physicians’ Desk Reference® – the most trusted resource for drug prescribing information since 1946. mobilePDR allows healthcare professionals FREE access to the most current drug prescribing information available from PDR. Fast and easy to use, mobilePDR employs a simple, but powerful search tool with access to thousands of concise drug summaries. Users can search by generic, brand or pharmacologic class names. A drug comparison feature helps healthcare providers choose the right medication for their patients based on key drug properties such as indications and side effects, dosing, and more. Know at a glance when there may be a drug interaction. Identify a pill based on its physical characteristics and visually confirm with full-color photos. All therapeutic areas and medical specialties are covered within the PDR drug app, including diabetes drugs, pain drugs, asthma and allergy drugs, cardiovascular drugs, obesity drugs, cholesterol drugs, psychiatric and mental health drugs, pediatric drugs, oncology drugs, vaccines and biologics, and more. Features: - Free to all U.S. healthcare professionals - Simple, powerful search provides fast access to drug information with auto-completion - Personalize your experience by saving drugs that you look up often for quick access - Search by brand, generic or pharmacologic class names - Access concise drug summaries and dosing information to answer important prescribing questions - Drug information is updated continuously with the latest information - Covers thousands of drugs in active use - Swipe left-right to compare key drug characteristics such as dosing, indications, and side effects - Save drug comparisons to refer to them again later - Check for drug interactions and learn what drug combinations to avoid - Identify pills by tablet imprint codes, shape or drug color, complete with color pill images Requirements: - Registration is free, and required the first time you use the mobilePDR app - mobilePDR is intended for use by U.S. healthcare professionals
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pocket Pharmacist at 77% against mobilePDR's 32%. Pocket Pharmacist also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (3.9K vs 101). mobilePDR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, 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. Pocket Pharmacist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. mobilePDR asks for nothing beyond the download.
Pocket Pharmacist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Pharmacist has 3.9K ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Pocket Pharmacist's written reviews are positive against 32% of mobilePDR's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pocket Pharmacist | mobilePDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3.9K ratings) — better | 3.2 (101 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 77.1% of reviews — better | 31.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.9K — better | 101 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #83 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 112 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Danike, Inc. | PDR Equity, LLC |
Customer experience
Pocket Pharmacist
mobilePDR
User reviews
Pocket Pharmacist
From 3.9K App Store ratingsWhat 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
mobilePDR
From 101 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great information resource
- 👍 Useful for medical professionals
- 👍 Detailed drug information
- 👍 No subscriptions needed
- 👍 Quick and accurate descriptions
Room to improve
- ⚫ Unreadable in dark mode
- ⚫ Dark text on black background
- ⚫ Poor contrast issues
- 🐛 Buggy at times
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
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
mobilePDR
Reported bugs
9 issues- Text unreadable in dark mode
- Black text on black background
- App crashes during comparison
- App crashes on launch
- Login errors
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Drug identification incorrect
- Cannot read description after upgrade
- App not communicating with password manager
- Random black background behind text
Requested features
9 requests- Add dark mode option
- Improve readability in dark mode
- Allow landscape orientation
- Fix drug identification errors
- Add DEA/drug scheduling tab
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Add related drugs tab
- Improve drug comparison tool
- Add favorite drugs tab
- Add flashcard feature
In-app purchases
Pocket Pharmacist
- Pocket Pharmacist Monthly7 Days trial2 variants$0.991 Month
- Pocket Pharmacist Yearly7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Year
mobilePDR
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pocket Pharmacist free?
Is mobilePDR free?
Which has better reviews, Pocket Pharmacist or mobilePDR?
Do Pocket Pharmacist or mobilePDR have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pocket Pharmacist or mobilePDR?
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