Comparison

AHS EMS vs Responder

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

Head to head
About

AHS EMS

Access essential Alberta Health Services Medical Control Protocols for pre-hospital emergency medical providers. Includes adult and pediatric algorithms, reference materials, and pharmacology information.

Highlights
  • Alberta Health Services Protocols
  • Medical Control
  • Medical First Response
  • Incident Response
  • Adult and pediatric algorithms
  • Reference material
  • Pharmacology information
Features
Read full description

The Alberta Emergency Medical Services Medical Control Protocols app for iOS devices provides emergency medical providers access to easy-to-use Alberta Health Services Protocols (Medical Control, Medical First Response, Incident Response and Critical Care Medical Control) specifically designed for use in the pre-hospital environment. This app includes adult and pediatric algorithms as well as necessary reference material and pharmacology information, including infusion charts, resource information, and provincial contacts. This app provides government-related information (from Alberta Health Services Emergency Medical Services at https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/ems/ems.aspx) that is generated and published from AHSEMS.com (https://www.ahsems.com). App information is also publicly available at https://protocols.ahsems.com.

About

Responder

Features
Read full description

Responder – Community-Based Connected Care Every day, lives are lost during emergencies—not because help isn't available, but because it doesn’t arrive in time. Responder was born out of a personal tragedy—the founder’s father passed away from a preventable medical crisis. From that painful loss came a powerful mission: no one should face a life-threatening emergency alone. Responder is more than an app. It’s a technology, a movement, and a public safety platform designed to transform how communities respond to emergencies. Medical Emergencies: Every Second Counts Responder bridges the gap between a 911 call and the arrival of professional responders. It connects trained citizen volunteers, health professionals, and emergency services to mobilize faster when cardiac arrest, allergic reactions, overdoses, or other crises strike. Whether you're a professional paramedic, a firefighter, a community responder, or a trained citizen, Responder allows you to: - Receive instant alerts when nearby emergencies occur - Navigate quickly to the scene - Log incidents, share critical updates, and coordinate with others in real time - Save more lives by being in the right place, at the right time Civil Security & Disaster Response Responder is also a powerful coordination platform during large-scale emergencies, including: - Floods, storms, wildfires, and heatwaves - Missing persons, structural collapses, or public safety threats - Planned events or crowd-heavy situations requiring pre-deployed coverage Municipal teams can create response groups, assign roles, dispatch units, and track live field data from all responders—volunteer or professional. When the unexpected hits, Responder transforms chaos into coordinated action. Why Responder? Responder empowers cities, regions, and communities with: - Faster on-site intervention in life-threatening medical cases - Real-time coordination between professionals and vetted volunteers - Municipality-level civil security readiness for any scale of disaster - Smarter response coverage for events, vulnerable zones, and rural areas - Stronger public engagement, by involving citizens in saving lives From first responders to everyday heroes, Responder brings people together to act—and make a difference. How It Works 1. Emergency Occurs: A crisis is reported through 911, internal dispatch, or directly within the Responder network. 2. Alerts Sent: The system locates the nearest available responders—volunteers and professionals—and sends an alert with GPS navigation. 3. Intervention Begins: First aid, CPR, or other actions are performed ahead of ambulance arrival, reducing critical response time. 4. Incident Logged: Responders can document interventions, track progress, and share key info with others or emergency command. 5. Municipal managers can monitor activity in real time, issue instructions, or escalate to regional teams with one tap. Key Features - Live GPS positioning and mapping - Medical and civil incident logging - Multi-role responder groups (EMS, citizens, volunteers) - Mass alerting and push notifications - Offline mode for no-signal emergencies - Incident replay and reporting - Seamless integration with city emergency protocols - Language-ready for French and English - Because even heroes work as a team. Responder isn’t just about speed—it’s about solidarity, shared responsibility, and saving lives together. Built proudly in Québec, Canada. Ready to serve communities worldwide. Download Responder today—your community’s safety may depend on it.

Screenshots

AHS EMS3 screens
Responder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Responder at every 10 days against AHS EMS's every 11 months. AHS EMS's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AHS EMS ships an update every 11 months, Responder every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
AHS EMS versus Responder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAHS EMSResponder
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews34.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB160 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperThe Essential Talk Network IncorporatedBaselineTelematics.com

Bugs and requests

AHS EMS

Reported bugs

28 issues
  • Does not allow access if phone does not have reception
  • Protocols just come up as “not found.”
  • Very glitchy on IOS, requires multiple restarts to return to the main menu. Menu bars disappear once zoomed in or scrolled and don’t always reappear.
  • Formatting of some protocol/med pages are warped as if an image has been inserted into the page but incorrectly sized.
  • Updates will not download to be able to get in
Show 23 more
  • App is no longer working for iPhone
  • Won’t update, just freezes
  • Seems to be stuck on the download update page.
  • App is broken, won’t update
  • Landscape mode on IPAD is not supported
  • Needs an in-app update every time you open it
  • Order of the protocols for the different disciplines has randomized since the last time you opened it
  • Formatting is terrible once you can open a protocol. You have to zoom in to read anything
  • Permanently stuck on downloading. If you leave the app it says no connection to internet and closes. Completely broken.
  • Cannot download any content - fully not functional.
  • Cannot download updates, or are delayed in downloading them- you can’t skip it. It just tells you “no public protocols are available.”
  • App not updating and missing large sections
  • Randomly stopped working on my iPhone, tried to delete it and redownload, still doesn’t work.
  • After the app opens there is nothing but a white screen!
  • Newest update has to be downloaded over and over, won't save to work without Internet connection.
  • Requires you to download it every time you open the app.
  • If you need to close the app to use the phone during a mission, all the information is gone.
  • Why do I have to download the CCP guidelines everytime I open the app??
  • When you down load the app on your i phone it does not allow me to see the whole protocol, The words are cut short on the right hand side.
  • Portrait mode does not work for Drug section.
  • Not working on iOS 7 . App won't even open. seems to work if updated over the air update but from new install, it crashes.
  • Nothing comes up for this up, just null. I've got an iPhone 4.
  • When I open the app everything comes up as (null). Not sure if its compatible with iPhone 5.

Requested features

9 requests
  • Allow offline access to downloaded content
  • Improve iPad optimization for landscape mode
  • Fix update download issues
  • Ensure protocols are not randomized after updates
  • Improve formatting for readability and protocol switching
Show 4 more
  • Allow users to skip updates if needed
  • Bring back the old version of the app
  • Add protocols for dehydration, metabolic/respiratory acidosis
  • Keep the app updated with protocol changes

Responder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

AHS EMS

No in-app purchases

None

Responder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AHS EMS free?
AHS EMS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Responder free?
Responder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AHS EMS or Responder have ads?
Neither AHS EMS nor Responder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AHS EMS or Responder?
AHS EMS ships an update every 11 months, and Responder every 10 days. Most recently, AHS EMS was updated on November 13, 2026 and Responder on November 12, 2026.

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