The Difficult Airway App vs VertiGuide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Difficult Airway App
This medical app assists clinicians in managing emergency airways by providing rapid drug selection and dosing for RSI. It offers decision-making support with algorithms and mnemonics for difficult airways, along with educational resources.
- Adult and pediatric drug dosing for RSI
- Obesity and hemodynamic adjustments
- Broselow-Luten color system integration
- Difficult airway algorithms and predictors
- Step-by-step RSI guidance
- Customizable drug formulary
- Airway anatomy illustrations
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The Difficult Airway App (v.3.3) The Difficult Airway App™ is an essential tool for clinicians who manage emergency airways in any setting: the ED, ICU, in-patient unit or the many EMS practice environments. THE RIGHT DRUGS, THE RIGHT DOSES, THE RIGHT WAY! This app rapidly and easily selects the right drugs for RSI, automatically adjusting for obesity and hemodynamics. Pediatric dosing and equipment selection is a snap using the Broselow-Luten color system or the child's estimated weight. Stay out of trouble! The Difficult Airway App™ guides the user quickly and easily through important algorithms, predictors of the difficult airway, and the step-by-step approach to RSI taught in The Difficult Airway Course: Emergency™. The Difficult Airway App™ features: EASY, YET SOPHISTICATED ADULT AND PEDIATRIC DRUG DOSING • For adult dosing, a few simple clicks bring you to recommended doses that incorporate patient weight, body habitus and hemodynamics. • The pediatric drug dosing function incorporates the color-coded system created by James Broselow, MD and Robert C. Luten, MD for rapid, safe management of pediatric airway cases. • The option to customize your formulary means that only the drugs you use will appear in the recommendations. DECISION-MAKING SUPPORT • Straight-forward algorithms allow you to quickly determine the best approach to your patient’s airway. • Easy mnemonics walk you through predictors of a difficult airway, including difficult laryngoscopy (LEMON), difficult BMV (ROMAN), difficult extraglottic device use (RODS) and difficult cricothyrotomy (SMART). • Pearls of wisdom, based on evidence and expert opinion, are offered throughout. RAPID SEQUENCE INTUBATION • The 7 – Ps of RSI: a step-by-step guide for adult and pediatric patients. • Adult and pediatric RSI drug dosing. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES • Richly detailed illustrations of the airway anatomy. • Links to information about The Difficult Airway Courses™. Created by Ron M. Walls, MD, Michael F. Murphy, MD and Robert C. Luten, MD. With significant updates by Calvin A. Brown III, MD.
VertiGuide
This medical app offers clinicians comprehensive, offline resources for diagnosing dizziness and vertigo. It features instructional videos, animations, flowcharts, and highlights relevant guidelines to aid decision-making. Designed for educational purposes, it provides easy access to clinical sources and is completely ad-free.
- Step-by-step diagnosis algorithms
- Instructional videos and animations
- Flowcharts for decision-making
- Highlights GRACE-3 guidelines
- Offline functionality
- Easy access to clinical sources
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VertiGuide is the app for all a clinician's dizzy needs. Learn the diagnosis algorithms with instructional videos, animations, and flowcharts, all in one offline app. • VertiGuide provides step-by-step educational guides to optimize diagnoses of dizziness and vertigo. • Flow diagrams are joined with instructional animations and videos to help aid your decision-making. • Relevant GRACE-3 guidelines are highlighted. • Clinical sources are easily accessed. • The app's full functionality is available offline to help facilitate easy access anywhere. • VertiGuide is completely ad-free and is offered as an educational tool for clinicians everywhere. This app is intended to be used solely for educational purposes by clinicians and should not be used for medical advice. Any maneuvers demonstrated should not be attempted except by a trained professional. If you or a loved one are suffering from dizziness or any other health concern, please contact your physician.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: VertiGuide at Free against The Difficult Airway App's $4.99. VertiGuide also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 10 months). The Difficult Airway App's advantage is ratings volume (22 vs 1) and chart position (#109 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
VertiGuide is free to download; The Difficult Airway App costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
VertiGuide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Difficult Airway App has 22 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
The Difficult Airway App ships an update every 10 months, VertiGuide monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Difficult Airway App | VertiGuide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (22 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #109 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 13.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 292 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Airway Management Education Center | Rodney oMRON |
Customer experience
The Difficult Airway App
VertiGuide
In-app purchases
The Difficult Airway App
No in-app purchases
VertiGuide
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Difficult Airway App free?
Is VertiGuide free?
Which has better reviews, The Difficult Airway App or VertiGuide?
Do The Difficult Airway App or VertiGuide have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Difficult Airway App or VertiGuide?
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