Comparison

Epic Canto vs BackpackEMR

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

Head to head
About

Epic Canto

Securely access patient information, schedules, and notes from Epic's Electronic Health Record. Supports dictation and In Basket for authorized clinical users.

Highlights
  • Secure EHR access
  • Clinic schedules
  • Patient lists
  • Health summaries
  • Test results
  • Dictation support
  • In Basket access
Read full description

Canto provides authorized clinical users of Epic’s Electronic Health Record with secure access to clinic schedules, hospital patient lists, health summaries, test results and notes. Canto also supports dictation and In Basket access. Your organization needs to license Canto and will determine the exact feature set and any applicable charges for your use of Canto. If you are unsure whether you can use Canto, please contact your administrative staff.

About

BackpackEMR

This lightweight electronic medical records system is designed for remote areas with limited internet and power. It enables offline data sharing between devices, ensuring continuous operation and no data loss during power outages. Features include streamlined workflows, specialty modules, and secure, encrypted data storage.

Highlights
  • Offline data-sharing network
  • Streamlined patient flow
  • Specialty modules
  • Voice-to-text integration
  • Secure, encrypted data
  • Integrated patient photos
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

BackpackEMR is a light-weight, electronic medical records (EMR) system for use in rural areas. Our app is often used for medical outreaches to remote communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where access to the internet and electricity is often limited. This is the first EMR to share data with other clinic devices without using a local server, which requires electricity, or cloud server, which requires the internet. BackpackEMR enables a "no single point of failure" system where data is stored on each device, and data is shared without consistent power or the internet. So in a clinic where the power goes out, the clinic seamlessly continues to run, and no data is ever lost. Key features: • Offline data-sharing network • Easy-to-use screens • Low-clicks and less typing with: - Streamlined flow - Modules by specialty - Custom drop-down values - Voice-to-text integration • Secure, encrypted data • Integrated patients and exam photos • Available in multiple languages • Patients flow through station queues

Screenshots

BackpackEMR3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BackpackEMR at 4.0 against Epic Canto's 1.9. BackpackEMR also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Epic Canto's advantage is ratings volume (124 vs 4) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BackpackEMR holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Epic Canto has 124 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 9% of Epic Canto's written reviews are positive against 0% of BackpackEMR's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Epic Canto ships an update every 3 weeks, BackpackEMR every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Epic Canto versus BackpackEMR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEpic CantoBackpackEMR
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.9 (124 ratings)4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews8.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings124 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size559 MB26 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperEpicBinary Bridge

Customer experience

Epic Canto

All ratings124 ratings
Positive12.9%
Neutral11.3%
Negative75.8%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive8.9%
Neutral16.5%
Negative74.7%

BackpackEMR

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Epic Canto

No in-app purchases

None

BackpackEMR

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Epic Canto free?
Epic Canto is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BackpackEMR free?
BackpackEMR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Epic Canto or BackpackEMR?
BackpackEMR is rated higher. Epic Canto averages 1.9 out of 5 from 124 ratings, while BackpackEMR averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Epic Canto or BackpackEMR have ads?
Neither Epic Canto nor BackpackEMR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Epic Canto or BackpackEMR?
Epic Canto ships an update every 3 weeks, and BackpackEMR every 2 months. Most recently, Epic Canto was updated on October 14, 2026 and BackpackEMR on October 5, 2026.

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