Comparison

AO Surgery Reference vs VitalCount

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

VitalCount

Quickly and accurately assess vital signs for humans and animals. This app allows users to measure heart and respiratory rates with a simple tap, offering organized data storage and export options for professional use.

Highlights
  • Tap-based vital sign measurement
  • Automatic extrapolation to 60 seconds
  • Secure patient/animal record storage
  • Data export (PDF, reports)
  • Graphical visualization of trends
  • PALS tables and animal vital ranges
Features
Read full description

An intuitive app designed for healthcare professionals, pediatricians, veterinarians, students, and anyone who needs to assess vital signs quickly, accurately, and in an organized way—with just a tap. *How does it work? 1. Select a time interval (in seconds). 2. Tap the screen to the rhythm of heartbeats or breathing. 3. The app automatically extrapolates the result to 60 seconds if a shorter interval is used. 4. Easily save and export data for later analysis. *What’s included? » PALS tables with normal vital sign ranges in children » Standard values for common pets and animals (dogs, cats, birds, and more) » Multiple measurement records per patient or animal » Quick data export for reports and clinical tracking » Graphical visualization of saved data » PDF export for sharing or printing *Ideal for: » Medical and veterinary professionals » Pediatricians » Medical and veterinary students » Pet owners » Prehospital care or field monitoring *Key features: » Fast calculation in 5-second intervals, automatically extrapolated to 1 minute » Secure and organized patient record storage » Practical data export options, including PDF » Graphs to visualize trends over time » Record browsing by patient or animal name Discover a compact, reliable, and easy-to-use tool for evaluating vital signs in both humans and animals. Professional-level accuracy at your fingertips. Available languages: English · Spanish · German · French · Italian · Portuguese Disclaimer: This app is intended as a support tool and does not replace clinical judgment or professional medical advice. Results must be interpreted by healthcare professionals. Developers are not responsible for decisions made based on data obtained through the app. Always consult a professional for diagnosis or treatment decisions.

Screenshots

AO Surgery Reference4 screens
VitalCount4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: AO Surgery Reference at Free against VitalCount's $0.99. AO Surgery Reference also leads on ratings volume (14 vs 3) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). VitalCount's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (100% vs 86%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

AO Surgery Reference is free to download; VitalCount costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VitalCount holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of AO Surgery Reference's written reviews are positive against 100% of VitalCount's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
AO Surgery Reference versus VitalCount: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAO Surgery ReferenceVitalCount
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.4 (14 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB111 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAO FoundationGerson Rodriguez

Customer experience

AO Surgery Reference

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

VitalCount

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

AO Surgery Reference

No in-app purchases

None

VitalCount

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AO Surgery Reference free?
AO Surgery Reference is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VitalCount free?
VitalCount costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AO Surgery Reference or VitalCount?
VitalCount is rated higher. AO Surgery Reference averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while VitalCount averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do AO Surgery Reference or VitalCount have ads?
Neither AO Surgery Reference nor VitalCount shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AO Surgery Reference or VitalCount?
AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, and VitalCount every 6 months. Most recently, AO Surgery Reference was updated on October 15, 2026 and VitalCount on October 11, 2026.

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