# AO Surgery Reference vs AMBOSS Medical Knowledge

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AO Surgery Reference at none against AMBOSS Medical Knowledge's 1. AO Surgery Reference also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). AMBOSS Medical Knowledge's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). On price, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AMBOSS Medical Knowledge sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per month. AO Surgery Reference asks for nothing beyond the download.

AMBOSS Medical Knowledge holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AMBOSS Medical Knowledge has 14K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 86% and 87% positive.

AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, AMBOSS Medical Knowledge monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AO Surgery Reference | AMBOSS Medical Knowledge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ao-surgery-reference/id403961165/reviews) | **[4.9 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amboss-medical-knowledge/id1169487026/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 14 | **14K** |
| Positive reviews | 85.8% of reviews | **86.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#36** |
| Size | 1 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [AO Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/399757056) | [AMBOSS](https://appshunter.io/developer/918156225) |

## What reviewers say

### AO Surgery Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ao-surgery-reference/id403961165)

Access a comprehensive online repository of surgical knowledge for fracture management. It provides detailed guidance on diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare for numerous fracture types, supported by extensive illustrations and expert review.

**Highlights:** 353 fracture types covered, 172 surgical approaches, 1222 surgical procedures, Over 30,000 illustrations, Feline, canine, and equine fracture care, Powerful search function

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### AMBOSS Medical Knowledge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amboss-medical-knowledge/id1169487026)

**Currently charting:** #36 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

This app provides quick, reliable answers for medical professionals and students. It offers offline access to clinical information, diagnostic image interpretation, and patient care tools. Prepare for exams with high-yield content and integrate with flashcards for enhanced learning.

**Highlights:** Offline clinical knowledge access, Diagnostic image interpretation, Patient care tools (flowcharts, checklists, calculators), USMLE and Shelf exam preparation, Anki flashcard integration, Evidence-based medical content

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AMBOSS Membership | $19.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to navigate and fast to find information
- 🚀 Comprehensive and clear
- 🚀 Excellent platform for learning medicine
- 🚀 Great medical resource for students and clinicians
- 🚀 Unequivocally the best platform for learning medicine

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Difficulties using the app and studying after recent update
- 🔓 App limitations like no highlighting, text size adjustment, or digital notebook
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Knowledge app stopped working
- 🐛 Poor quality of questions in the question bank

**Reported bugs**

- Forced interaction with Safari from the app
- Inability to access articles and diagrams
- Tiny font size that cannot be adjusted

**Requested features**

- Add article options in clinician mode
- Bring back old highlight color
- Add dark mode
- Increase text size
- Add AI assistant to search content and provide answers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AO Surgery Reference free?

AO Surgery Reference is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AMBOSS Medical Knowledge free?

AMBOSS Medical Knowledge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, AO Surgery Reference or AMBOSS Medical Knowledge?

AMBOSS Medical Knowledge is rated higher. AO Surgery Reference averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while AMBOSS Medical Knowledge averages 4.9 from 14K ratings.

### Do AO Surgery Reference or AMBOSS Medical Knowledge have ads?

AMBOSS Medical Knowledge shows ads; AO Surgery Reference does not.

### Which is updated more often, AO Surgery Reference or AMBOSS Medical Knowledge?

AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, and AMBOSS Medical Knowledge monthly. Most recently, AO Surgery Reference was updated on October 23, 2026 and AMBOSS Medical Knowledge on October 30, 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.*