CPT QuickRef vs FP Notebook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CPT QuickRef
This app provides a mobile reference for Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, aiding in accurate medical billing. It offers tools like an E/M Wizard and access to RVUs, global days, and illustrations to help healthcare professionals select appropriate codes.
- CPT code lookup
- E/M Wizard for code selection
- RVU and GPCI calculations
- Global days reference
- Color procedural illustrations
- Vignettes for code descriptions
- Favorites list for frequent codes
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CPT® QuickRef from the American Medical Association The CPT QuickRef app puts all the coding and billing tools that you need in the palm of your hand. Developed by the American Medical Association (AMA), this on-the-go reference guide quickly helps you determine the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes to use for accurate billing. (This app provides suggested codes. Final code selection remains the responsibility of the individual user.) CPT QuickRef is the only official mobile app from the AMA – the source of the CPT codeset, and experts to provide authoritative information about CPT codes and proper use. E/M codes are the most frequently used codes and arguably the most difficult to assign. The E/M Wizard (included in the free trial and with any single or multiyear Coding & Billing Pack purchase) will help physicians and qualified health care professionals select the right code according to AMA and CMS coding guidelines The app includes a 14-day trial of full access, after which in-app purchase or activation is required. Choose a single year Coding and Billing Pack, • The latest information — Receive automatic when new relative value units (RVUs) and proprietary laboratory analysis (PLA) codes are released or when technical corrections are made to 2026 CPT codes • Favorites — Select the codes you use most and save them to your favorites list • Facility and non-facility RVUs — Use federal data on facility and non-facility work and practice expense values • GPCIs — Set your region’s geographic practice cost index to calculate accurate Medicare payment for each procedure • Global days — Reference the number of global days CMS assigns to a given procedure • Color illustrations — Better understand complex procedures with 200+ procedural illustrations • Clear references to CPT® Assistant articles — View article titles and tap for direct access with the CPT Assistant Archive add-on • Over 4,400 Vignettes – understand exactly what procedures each code represents with typical patient and service descriptions
FP Notebook
A comprehensive medical reference for primary care and emergency clinicians, offering rapid access to over 6100 interlinked topic pages. Content is updated monthly through literature reviews and conferences, providing up-to-date information for medical professionals.
- Rapid access medical reference
- Over 6100 interlinked topic pages
- Content updated monthly
- 31 specialty books
- 700+ chapters
- Point-of-care tool
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Family Practice Notebook is a rapid access, point-of-care medical reference for primary care and emergency clinicians. Started in 1995, this collection now contains over 6100 interlinked topic pages divided into a tree of 31 specialty books and over 700 chapters. FP Notebook’s content is updated monthly with systematic literature reviews and conferences. Please purchase an auto-renewing subscription to receive the latest content. The text content for this mobile application is identical to its online counterparts: fpnotebook.com and fpnotebook.com/mobile. Although access to this application is not restricted, the information found here is intended for use by medical providers. Non-clinical users may find the material challenging to understand, and should address specific medical concerns with their medical providers. Try before you buy with a 14-day FREE trial. After that it's only $24.99/year for access, including continuous content updates. Privacy Policy/Terms & Conditions - http://www.fpnotebook.com/disclaimer.htm
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: FP Notebook at 61% against CPT QuickRef's 11%. FP Notebook also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 365). CPT QuickRef's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (12 vs 14.3). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. CPT QuickRef sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and FP Notebook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
FP Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FP Notebook has 3.3K ratings behind it against 365, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of CPT QuickRef's written reviews are positive against 61% of FP Notebook's.
CPT QuickRef ships an update every 6 weeks, FP Notebook every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CPT QuickRef | FP Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (365 ratings) | 4.8 (3.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 10.8% of reviews | 61.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 365 | 3.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #187 | #52 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12 — better | 14.3 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 134 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | American Medical Association | Atmosphere Apps, Inc. |
Customer experience
CPT QuickRef
FP Notebook
User reviews
CPT QuickRef
From 365 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly navigation and interface
- 📚 Comprehensive CPT code reference at fingertips
- 💼 Useful for medical professionals and coders
- 🔄 Annual updates available at reasonable cost
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive pricing model with hidden costs
- 🚫 Misleading free app listing with paywall
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🔒 Access locked after purchase without recourse
- 📵 Non-responsive customer support
FP Notebook
From 3.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Excellent, comprehensive medical reference
- ⚡️ Efficient, concise, and easy to use
- 🧠 Invaluable for medical students, residents, and practitioners
- 🤝 Highly recommended by users
- 🕰️ Frequently used and relied upon for years
Room to improve
- 💰 Subscription model frustrates some users who previously had free access
- 🐞 Occasional app freezing or crashing issues reported
- 🔍 Built-in search function could be improved
Bugs and requests
CPT QuickRef
Reported bugs
13 issues- App crashes when accessing modifiers or premium content
- App freezes and becomes unresponsive
- App refuses to open after updates
- Search function returns no results for valid codes
- Search only works with exact verbatim matches
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- QR code scanning crashes the app
- Restore purchase button non-functional
- Account registration issues and login failures
- Favorites disappear after updates
- Premium content remains locked despite payment
- App incompatible with iOS updates
- Pending charges and billing issues not resolved
- Content not updating despite claims of installation
Requested features
8 requests- Search feature that finds partial matches and synonyms
- Ability to save and access favorites across sessions
- Include figures and images from CPT manual
- Advanced search with multiple filter options
- Offline access to downloaded content
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- Better code description formatting and readability
- Service level calculator for E/M codes
- Support for all medical specialties, not just E/M
FP Notebook
Reported bugs
2 issues- App freezing or crashing on certain devices
- Subscription issues or unexpected charges
Requested features
2 requests- Ability to earn continuing education credits through the app
- Improved search functionality
In-app purchases
CPT QuickRef
- CPT E/M All Content 2017Free
- CPT E/M All Content 2019Free
- CPT E/M Premium Pack$9.99
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- Coding and Billing Pack 2017$59.99
- Single Year 2019$59.99
- Single Year 2020$59.99
- Single Year 2021$59.99
- Single Year 2022$59.99
- Single Year 2023$59.99
- Single Year 2024$59.99
- Single Year 2026$59.99
- Single Year 2025$59.99
FP Notebook
- Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$19.991 Year
- Annual Sub14 Days trial$24.991 Year
Questions
Is CPT QuickRef free?
Is FP Notebook free?
Which has better reviews, CPT QuickRef or FP Notebook?
Do CPT QuickRef or FP Notebook have ads?
Which is updated more often, CPT QuickRef or FP Notebook?
Which is more popular, CPT QuickRef or FP Notebook?
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