Comparison

AO Surgery Reference vs Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review

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

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review

Prepare for the American Board of Plastic Surgery exam with this comprehensive study aid. It offers a vast collection of practice questions, detailed progress tracking, and expert-developed content to help you master key facts and real-world scenarios.

Highlights
  • 6,860+ practice questions
  • Covers all OB/GYN board exam competencies
  • 100+ high-resolution images
  • Hundreds of high-yield topics
  • Unlimited access to all categories
  • Real-world scenarios
  • Unique question and single answer format
Features
Read full description

Are you busy prepping for the American Board of Plastic Surgery exam (ABPS) or medical boards? If so, this comprehensive and dynamic tool will undoubtedly become an indispensable study aid. As life rushes by, optimizing your preparation time is critical to your success, let us help. Great for last-minute studying on clinical rotations or during hardcore study sessions, this is the perfect tool to have at your fingertips. Derived from the highly respected “Pearls of Wisdom Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Board Review” published by McGraw-Hill, this premier resource is sure to bolster the path to your goals. Install the free version today and jumpstart your studying! We have provided a limited free version of the content that you can try before deciding to upgrade. This version includes a limited amount of practice questions and basic progress metrics. Upgrade to the Standard Version with a one time, in-app purchase that includes access to additional practice questions, detailed progress metrics and much more! Get your best value by upgrading to the Premium Version with a one time, in-app purchase. The Premium Version includes lifetime access to: • 6,860+ practice questions • Covers ALL competencies on the OB/GYN Board Exam • Developed by experts • 100+ high-resolution images and illustrations, including surgical techniques • Hundreds of high-yield topics found on the in-training exam and written boards • Unlimited access to ALL categories: • Plastic Surgery Anesthesia, • Facial Reconstruction, • Head and Neck Anatomy, • Breast and GU system, • Lower Extremity Trauma and Reconstruction, • and many more! • Real-world scenarios to test your knowledge Eliminate the guesswork of traditional multiple-choice format and emphasize only the key facts with a unique question and single answer format for exam success. This high-yield review is the perfect compliment to larger texts and delivers an intense, streamlined review in the days and weeks before your in-service or board exam. About the Authors: Samuel J. Lin, MD, FACS Site Director, Combined Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Assistant Professor of Surgery Divisions of Plastic Surgery and Otolarynology-Head and Neck Surgery Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Boston, MA John B. Hijjawi, MD, FACS Assistant Professor of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Director of Breast Reconstruction Program Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI

Screenshots

AO Surgery Reference4 screens
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: AO Surgery Reference at 86% against Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review's 45%. AO Surgery Reference also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (4.4 vs 4.0). Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. AO Surgery Reference asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AO Surgery Reference holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of AO Surgery Reference's written reviews are positive against 45% of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review every 31 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
AO Surgery Reference versus Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAO Surgery ReferencePlastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (14 ratings) — better4.0 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews85.8% of reviews — better45.5% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 31 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB66 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperAO FoundationgWhiz, LLC

Customer experience

AO Surgery Reference

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive85.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative10.6%

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative45.5%

In-app purchases

None

AO Surgery Reference

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review

One-time3
  • Plastic Surgery - $34.99$34.99
  • Plastic Surgery - Standard$44.99
  • Premium Set of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Questions and Answers$79.99

Questions

Is AO Surgery Reference free?
AO Surgery Reference is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review free?
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AO Surgery Reference or Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review?
AO Surgery Reference is rated higher. AO Surgery Reference averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review averages 4.0 from 10 ratings.
Do AO Surgery Reference or Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review have ads?
Neither AO Surgery Reference nor Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AO Surgery Reference or Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review?
AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, and Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review every 31 months. Most recently, AO Surgery Reference was updated on October 23, 2026 and Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Board Review on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons