# ABG Acid vs Pocket ICU

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ABG Acid at none against Pocket ICU's 3. ABG Acid also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Pocket ICU's advantage is ratings volume (317 vs 7) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pocket ICU sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. ABG Acid asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for ABG Acid against 4.6 for Pocket ICU. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket ICU has 317 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of ABG Acid's written reviews are positive against 64% of Pocket ICU's.

ABG Acid ships an update every 5 months, Pocket ICU every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ABG Acid | Pocket ICU |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abg-acid-base-eval/id426019807/reviews) | **[4.6 (317 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-icu/id999527431/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **317** |
| Positive reviews | 63.0% of reviews | **64.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 1 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Joshua D. steinberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/374154837) | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) |

## What reviewers say

### ABG Acid

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abg-acid-base-eval/id426019807)

This app guides clinicians through analyzing ABGs and electrolytes to identify acid-base disorders and diagnostic ideas for ill patients. It teaches a stepwise thinking process and provides differential diagnoses with explanations, aiding patient care and clinician learning.

**Highlights:** Stepwise ABG and electrolyte analysis, Identifies acid-base disorders, Provides diagnostic ideas, Teaches critical thinking process, Includes differential diagnoses mnemonics, Calculates predicted pCO2 and corrected bicarbonate

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Pocket ICU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-icu/id999527431)

This app offers concise critical care guidance written by attending physicians. It covers diagnosis, treatment, and management across various subspecialties, including detailed images and decision algorithms. Quickly find information, bookmark entries, and take notes for efficient ICU rounds and consultations.

**Highlights:** Concise guidance by attending physicians, Diagnosis, treatment, and management details, Subspecialty coverage, Detailed images and algorithms, Statistics and EBM overview, Pharmacological data and formulas, Full text search and bookmarking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pocket ICU | $69.99 | one-time |
| Pocket ICU 2023 | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Quick reference material
- 👍 Well-laid out and written material
- 👍 Useful for reviewing previous cases
- 👍 Resourceful and to the point
- 👍 Good preview/summary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 No access for duration paid
- 😞 Not user friendly/confusing
- 😞 Disappointed content (nursing school without experience)
- 😞 Bait and switch (expensive, not well thought out)
- 😞 Content is limited

**Reported bugs**

- No information loads after purchase
- Issues with download/access


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ABG Acid free?

ABG Acid is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pocket ICU free?

Pocket ICU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ABG Acid or Pocket ICU?

Pocket ICU is rated higher. ABG Acid averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Pocket ICU averages 4.6 from 317 ratings.

### Do ABG Acid or Pocket ICU have ads?

Neither ABG Acid nor Pocket ICU shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ABG Acid or Pocket ICU?

ABG Acid ships an update every 5 months, and Pocket ICU every 9 months. Most recently, ABG Acid was updated on October 23, 2026 and Pocket ICU on October 30, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*