Comparison

AO Surgery Reference vs Fractures

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

Head to head
About

AO Surgery Reference

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
Read full description

QUICK ONLINE REFERENCE IN CLINICAL LIFE Gain easy access to the award-winning AO Surgery Reference. AO Surgery Reference is an online repository for surgical knowledge. It describes the complete surgical management process from diagnosis to aftercare for all fractures of a given anatomical region, and also assembles relevant material that the AO has published before. It gives access to:   • aid in surgical decision making for 353 fracture types • 172 approaches • 1222 surgical procedures • all richly illustrated with more than 30'000 Illustrations and much more. To ensure the quality of the content, it is authored, edited, and peer reviewed by experienced AO Faculty from all over the world, some of which are also well-known textbook authors/editors. This is a relaunch of the AO Surgery Reference app utilizing the same responsive user interface that was released February 2020. The highlights are: • Consistent navigational logic and user experience on all screen sizes • Inclusion of feline, canine, and equine fracture care • Combination of Preparation – Approach – Reduction and Fixation – Aftercare into one step called treatment. • Introduction of a powerful search function, allowing simplifications of the user interface as it replaces previous shortcuts.

About

Fractures

This free medical reference app provides emergency physicians and healthcare providers with easy-to-use guidance on managing fractures and bony injuries. It features a bone map, step-by-step splinting instructions, and offline access to expert-approved content.

Highlights
  • Bone map for injury selection
  • Keyword search for fractures
  • Step-by-step splinting instructions
  • Offline access to information
  • Expert-approved and curated content
Features
Read full description

Say hello to Fractures.app - your new best friend when it comes to dealing with fractures and bony injuries! This awesome (and free) app is here to make life easier for emergency physicians and healthcare providers, whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out. Key Features: - Easy-to-use interface: Use our bone map to select the injured region and get a selection of fractures. You can also search through a comprehensive list with just a keyword. - Step-by-step guidance: No more guesswork! Our app gives you straightforward, easy-to-follow instructions on splint application and managing all sorts of fractures. - Offline support: No internet? No problem: Get crucial fracture info even when you're offline, so you're always ready to roll. - Trustworthy content & expert-approved: Rest easy knowing that all information in Fractures.app is meticulously curated, reviewed, and updated by a team of medical experts, so you're always working with reliable and accurate knowledge. Fractures.app is changing the game for healthcare providers everywhere, putting top-notch fracture treatment info right at your fingertips. Disclaimer: This application is not intended to be used by non-clinicians. If you are not a clinician and have sustained a laceration - please seek professional medical attention.

Screenshots

AO Surgery Reference4 screens
Fractures4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Fractures at 5.0 against AO Surgery Reference's 4.4. Fractures also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 82%). AO Surgery Reference's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Fractures holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of AO Surgery Reference's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fractures's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, Fractures every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
AO Surgery Reference versus Fractures: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAO Surgery ReferenceFractures
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (14 ratings)5.0 (22 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1422 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB33 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperAO FoundationTom Fadial

Customer experience

AO Surgery Reference

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive82.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative13.3%

Fractures

All ratings22 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

AO Surgery Reference

No in-app purchases

None

Fractures

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AO Surgery Reference free?
AO Surgery Reference is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fractures free?
Fractures is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AO Surgery Reference or Fractures?
Fractures is rated higher. AO Surgery Reference averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Fractures averages 5.0 from 22 ratings.
Do AO Surgery Reference or Fractures have ads?
Neither AO Surgery Reference nor Fractures shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AO Surgery Reference or Fractures?
AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, and Fractures every 9 months. Most recently, AO Surgery Reference was updated on September 18, 2026 and Fractures on September 15, 2026.

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