Comparison

Bedside EM vs ECG Test for Doctors

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

Head to head
About

Bedside EM

This comprehensive medical reference app provides evidence-based, peer-reviewed information for emergency medicine providers and those caring for acutely ill patients. It features a searchable, offline database with continuously updated content and a user-friendly interface.

Highlights
  • Offline access
  • Searchable database
  • Evidence-based content
  • Peer-reviewed updates
  • Pediatric tape
  • Clinical decision rules
Features
Read full description

START YOUR 30 DAY FREE TRIAL TODAY! Bedside EM (formerly ERres) is the ORIGINAL emergency medicine app designed for where you need it the most.. at the bedside! First released in 2011, Bedside EM has been consistently ranked as one of the best medical apps worldwide! Continuously updated, evidence-based and peer reviewed!! The entire app is searchable and available offline!! And although Bedside EM was created with emergency medicine providers in mind, it has proven to be a great resource for ANYONE who takes care of acutely ill patients including other doctors, PAs/NPs, nurses, paramedics, EMTs, and students!! Starting in 2024 I have decided to go ALL IN to ensure Bedside EM continues to be the best emergency medicine app out there. This began with a complete overhaul of the app from the ground up to improve user experience. Some things were added, some things were removed. Many more additions will be coming later in the year. I hope you like it! I am now in the process of updating the styling for EVERY section within Bedside EM to align with the new layout and support dynamic text and dark mode. This is a very time-consuming process. Thus far I have updated the “pediatric tape” and all of the clinical decision rules, as these tend to be quite popular. The other sections will all be updated over the next few months. Once that is completed, the plan is to go back and UPDATE EVERY SECTION with the latest evidence-based medicine recommendations before then adding some brand new stuff. Exciting times!!! FREE 30 DAY TRIAL! To make the above possible/sustainable, a paid subscription is required to use this app starting 2024. All prior users will be granted lifetime access for free. App Subscription Options: ∙ Yearly (annual auto-renewable subscription) The subscription period will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. To turn this function off, simply go to your iTunes account and turn off auto-renew. Renewal payments will differ depending on subscription and pricing at the time of renewal. Your iTunes account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Terms and Conditions: https://www.darkmedicalapps.com/terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.darkmedicalapps.com/privacy-policy

About

ECG Test for Doctors

Enhance your ECG interpretation skills with a vast library of real patient cases. This app offers detailed ECG recordings and interactive tests to challenge and improve your diagnostic abilities. Ideal for medical professionals and students seeking to build a strong cardiology foundation.

Highlights
  • 1000+ real patient ECG samples
  • Static images and real-time monitor
  • Interactive interpretation tests
  • Detailed wave analysis
  • Covers numerous ECG findings
  • Challenging case scenarios
Features
Read full description

Test and improve your ECG interpreting skills with 1000+ samples in static images, and real-time monitor. [What users say about us] "Using this as a study guide for my paramedic. It's a good way to look at the whole picture and put your interpretation skills to the test." "This collection of ECGs designed as realtime display is an essential app for every medical practitioner." "This app is great for anyone learning how to read an EKG" "Professional ecg app with nice monitor display" "Awesome app!!! Worth the download and perfect for studying!" The app is very challenging because it uses REAL patients' ECG recordings, and many of them are complicated with multiple diseases involved. The test need you to pick all interpretations, to get a 3-star rate. Wrong picks will buzz your iPhone / iPad and give you a minus score. [Note] 1) All cases are stored in raw data (sample rate is 500 points per second), not static images, so you can look into very detailed waves in pixels 2) You should already have basic knowledge of ECG interpretation, and you use the cases to build a solid cardiology foundation [Findings Covered] Atrial Flutter Atrial Fibrillation Ventricular Fibrillation Escape Beat PAC (Premature Atrial Contruction) PAC Bigeminy PAC Trigeminy PVC (Premature Ventricular Contruction) PVC Bigeminy PVC Trigeminy Supraventricular Tachycardia Ventricular Tachycardia Ventricular Escape Rhythm Ventricular Rhythm QT Prolongation Short QT High T ST Elevation S1,S2,S3 Pattern High Voltage Positive T in V1 Ventricular Hypertrophy LVH Left / Right Atrial Enlargement Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Left Atrial Overload Short PR Interval WPW Syndrome Suspect WPW Syndrome AV Block I (Wenckebach / Mobitz) 2:1 AV Block Complete AV Block Artificial Pacemaker Rhythm(A / V / D) RSR' Pattern IRBBB (Incomplete Right Bundle Branch Block) IVCD (Intraventricular Conduction Block) CRBBB (Complete Right Bundle Branch Block) CLBBB (Complete Left Bundle Branch Block) ICLBBB (Incomplete Left Bundle Branch Block) LAH (Left Anterior Hemi Block) LPH (Left Posterior Hemi Block) BBBB (Bifascicular Bundle Block) TBBB (Trifascicular Bundle Block) Flat T Negative T ST-T Abnormality Premature repolarization Syndrome Poor R Progression Abnormal Q wave Subendcardial Infarction Possible Anterior Infarction Anterior Infarction Anteroseptal Infarction Possible Lateral Infarction Lateral Infarction Inferior Infarction Possible High-Post Infarction Sinus Rhythm Coronary Sinus Rhythm AV Junctional Rhythm AV Dissociation Marked Sinus Bradycardia Sinus Bradycardia Sinus Tachycardia Tachycardia Bradycardia Extreme Tachycardia Extreme Bradycardia Sinus Arrhythmia

Screenshots

Bedside EM4 screens
ECG Test for Doctors4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: ECG Test for Doctors at free with in-app purchases against Bedside EM's subscription. ECG Test for Doctors also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Bedside EM sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year and ECG Test for Doctors sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ECG Test for Doctors holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ECG Test for Doctors has 394 ratings behind it against 60, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of Bedside EM's written reviews are positive against 81% of ECG Test for Doctors's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bedside EM ships an update every 5 months, ECG Test for Doctors monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bedside EM versus ECG Test for Doctors: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBedside EMECG Test for Doctors
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (60 ratings)4.7 (394 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews — better80.8% of reviews
Number of ratings60394 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB69 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperDark Medical Apps LLCWMS, Inc

Customer experience

Bedside EM

All ratings60 ratings
Positive81.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative12.5%

ECG Test for Doctors

All ratings394 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews214 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral12.1%
Negative7.0%

User reviews

Bedside EM

From 60 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great quick reference
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 👍 Useful for residents and attendings
  • 👍 High-yield information
  • 👍 Well-organized content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Lost notes and bookmarks
  • 🐛 Missing dental portion
  • 🐛 New upgrade is lacking
  • 🐛 Incomplete toxicology information
  • 🐛 Basic information

ECG Test for Doctors

From 394 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great practice
  • 👍 Helpful study tool
  • 👍 Challenging and keeping you up with the skills needed
  • 👍 Recommended for any junior cardiologists
  • 👍 Good for medics needing practice in ECG interpretations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Incorrect interpretations
  • 🐛 Lacks basic understanding of 12-lead ECG interpretation
  • 🐛 Asks to identify infarct locations without 12-lead view
  • 🐛 Doesn't tell you what ECG lead you're seeing
  • 🐛 Provides limited options for answers

Bugs and requests

Bedside EM

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Lost notes and bookmarks since update
  • Categories reorganized and hard to find
  • Temporarily lost access after rebranding
  • EKG illustrations covered by back task bar

Requested features

10 requests
  • Update privacy label
  • Add settings button to enlarge print
  • Add an 'update' option for newest information
  • Support French language
  • Add more categories
Show 5 more
  • Add a notes section
  • Add more info to toxicology
  • Improve content depth
  • Fix orientation quirk
  • Remove ad banner

ECG Test for Doctors

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Incorrect interpretations of rhythms like bigeminy, trigeminy, and ST changes
  • Answers not matching the ECG shown
  • Crashes and freezes on login screen
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add report feature for ECGs missing important findings
  • Provide physiological explanations for rhythms
  • Show the ECG lead being displayed
  • Add more beginner-level ECG cases
  • Provide full coding instead of just a few possible diagnoses
Show 4 more
  • Add opportunity to correct errors in readings
  • Provide full explanations with markup and ability to turn markup on/off
  • Add calipers for measurements
  • Include questions on etiology

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Bedside EM

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Subscription1 Month trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$199.99
1 purchases

ECG Test for Doctors

One-time1
  • ECG Pro Bundle$9.99

Questions

Is Bedside EM free?
Bedside EM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ECG Test for Doctors free?
ECG Test for Doctors is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bedside EM or ECG Test for Doctors?
ECG Test for Doctors is rated higher. Bedside EM averages 4.2 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while ECG Test for Doctors averages 4.7 from 394 ratings.
Do Bedside EM or ECG Test for Doctors have ads?
Neither Bedside EM nor ECG Test for Doctors shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bedside EM or ECG Test for Doctors?
Bedside EM ships an update every 5 months, and ECG Test for Doctors monthly. Most recently, Bedside EM was updated on September 23, 2026 and ECG Test for Doctors on September 16, 2026.

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