# eMPendium vs MSD Manual Professional

The clearest difference is rating: MSD Manual Professional at 4.9 against eMPendium's 3.4. MSD Manual Professional also leads on ratings volume (174 vs 5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

MSD Manual Professional holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MSD Manual Professional has 174 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of eMPendium's written reviews are positive against 87% of MSD Manual Professional's.

eMPendium ships an update every 3 months, MSD Manual Professional every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | eMPendium | MSD Manual Professional |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empendium/id440460559/reviews) | **[4.9 (174 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msd-manual-professional/id1123678257/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **174** |
| Positive reviews | 82.4% of reviews | **87.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 17 MB | 193 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [MEDYCYNA PRAKTYCZNA SP Z O O](https://appshunter.io/developer/1797658051) | [Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/718617686) |

## What reviewers say

### eMPendium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empendium/id440460559)

This modular medical application provides access to a comprehensive Polish drug reference, a digital handbook of internal diseases, and classifications for medical procedures and diseases. It also includes expert commentary, medical calculators, news, and clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals.

**Highlights:** Comprehensive Polish Drug Reference, Digital Handbook of Internal Diseases, ICD-10 and ICD-9 Classifications, Expert Medical Commentary, Medical Calculators, Medical News and Guidelines

**In-app purchases:** none


### MSD Manual Professional

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msd-manual-professional/id1123678257)

Access comprehensive medical information for healthcare professionals and students. This app provides detailed explanations of thousands of conditions, diagnostic options, and treatment strategies, updated regularly by medical experts. It includes photos, illustrations, and instructional videos for procedures and examinations.

**Highlights:** Thousands of medical topics, Photos and illustrations, Instructional videos, Quizzes for knowledge check, Medical news and commentary, Editorials by experts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Comprehensive medical reference with extensive coverage
- 🆓 Completely free access to professional medical knowledge
- 📱 Offline functionality for use without internet
- 🎯 Concise and well-organized content for quick reference
- ⚡ Fast and efficient search capabilities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Images and figures not displaying properly
- 🐛 App crashes or closes unexpectedly
- 🐛 Dark mode rendering issues with black screens
- 🐛 Navigation problems when returning from tables/links
- 🐛 Slow performance on some devices

**Reported bugs**

- Images and figures not showing in app
- App crashes on launch or during use
- Dark mode causes black screen display
- Navigation back button returns to search results instead of article
- Download interruption prevents app functionality

**Requested features**

- Russian language support (most requested)
- Italian language version
- French language translation
- Spanish language option
- German language support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is eMPendium free?

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

### Is MSD Manual Professional free?

MSD Manual Professional is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, eMPendium or MSD Manual Professional?

MSD Manual Professional is rated higher. eMPendium averages 3.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while MSD Manual Professional averages 4.9 from 174 ratings.

### Do eMPendium or MSD Manual Professional have ads?

Neither eMPendium nor MSD Manual Professional shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, eMPendium or MSD Manual Professional?

eMPendium ships an update every 3 months, and MSD Manual Professional every 4 months. Most recently, eMPendium was updated on October 24, 2026 and MSD Manual Professional on October 24, 2026.

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