Comparison

AO Surgery Reference vs IPS Gate US

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
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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

IPS Gate US

Features
Read full description

IPS® stands for "Individual Patient Solutions." Every patient is unique and so are the cases surgeons deal with every day. The use of modern technologies opens up new possibilities in the treatment of complex defect situations. With our IPS Gate® app, you as a medical staff can safely and easily track cases: from the request for an implant, to the evaluation of the design requirements, to the delivery of the medical products and debriefing. At the same time, IPS Gate® is not just a tool for securely uploading patient data: It provides both medical professionals and our engineers with a communication platform for efficient case planning. Status notifications keep everyone involved always up to date. App features: • Easy case creation - with digital request forms and sketch function. • Efficient case planning - patient data such as image files and CT scans can be reviewed and managed in the app • Continuous communication - thanks to the chat function, all persons involved in the case are in contact with each other during the entire process • Highest security - centrally managed user authentication and SSL encryption for data transfer • Intuitive design - awarded the Red Dot Award 2020 for interface design Learn more about our patient-specific end-to-end solutions here: https://www.klsmartin.com/de/produkte/individual-patient-solutions-mkg/?utm_source=Appstore&utm_medium=App_description&utm_campaign=IPS_Gate Notes and Regulatory: • Requires an internet connection • Requires a user account (registration via app or https://ips.klsmartin.com) • Exclusively for medical professionals, medical device consultants and KLS Martin Group employees. • The IPS Gate® app is not a medical device. It is developed by Karl Leibinger Medizintechnik GmbH & Co. KG licensed for medical image viewing. The application is not intended for diagnostic interpretation with mobile devices.

Screenshots

AO Surgery Reference4 screens
IPS Gate US4 screens

Verdict

The call

AO Surgery Reference and IPS Gate US are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, IPS Gate US every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
AO Surgery Reference versus IPS Gate US: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAO Surgery ReferenceIPS Gate US
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (14 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings14 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB40 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperAO FoundationKLS Martin SE & Co. KG

In-app purchases

None

AO Surgery Reference

No in-app purchases

None

IPS Gate US

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AO Surgery Reference free?
AO Surgery Reference is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IPS Gate US free?
IPS Gate US is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AO Surgery Reference or IPS Gate US have ads?
Neither AO Surgery Reference nor IPS Gate US shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AO Surgery Reference or IPS Gate US?
AO Surgery Reference ships an update every 6 months, and IPS Gate US every 3 months. Most recently, AO Surgery Reference was updated on September 24, 2026 and IPS Gate US on September 7, 2026.

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