# eMPendium vs ESC Pocket Guidelines

The clearest difference is rating: ESC Pocket Guidelines at 4.8 against eMPendium's 3.4. ESC Pocket Guidelines also leads on ratings volume (841 vs 5). eMPendium's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

ESC Pocket Guidelines holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESC Pocket Guidelines has 841 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of eMPendium's written reviews are positive against 50% of ESC Pocket Guidelines's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

eMPendium ships an update every 3 months, ESC Pocket Guidelines every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | eMPendium | ESC Pocket Guidelines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empendium/id440460559/reviews) | **[4.8 (841 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esc-pocket-guidelines/id683079599/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **841** |
| Positive reviews | **60.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 17 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [MEDYCYNA PRAKTYCZNA SP Z O O](https://appshunter.io/developer/1797658051) | [ESC - European Society of Cardiology](https://appshunter.io/developer/440684535) |

## 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


### ESC Pocket Guidelines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esc-pocket-guidelines/id683079599)

Access a comprehensive library of the latest cardiovascular disease guidelines and consensus statements from the European Society of Cardiology. Features include interactive algorithms, full-text search, bookmarking, note-taking, and content sharing capabilities for quick reference and study.

**Highlights:** Latest ESC Guidelines (2023-2025), Interactive algorithms, Full-text search, Bookmarking and notes, Content sharing, Printable pages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Practical and handy for clinical use
- 📚 Valuable medical information and guidelines
- ⭐ Excellent content quality
- 🎯 Easy to use interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and stability issues
- 🔐 Sign-in system problematic and unnecessary
- 📖 Small font size and poor design readability
- ❌ Missing content topics after updates
- ⚪ Blank white page display issues

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iPad and iPhone devices
- Login authentication failures
- White blank page display
- App crashes when opening pathways
- Guidelines not appearing in downloaded folder

**Requested features**

- Update to support iPad Mini 6 resolution
- Include 2023 ESC Congress updates
- Remove or make sign-in optional
- Improve font size and design for better readability
- Add new guidelines (e.g., 2013 stable angina guidelines)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is eMPendium free?

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

### Is ESC Pocket Guidelines free?

ESC Pocket Guidelines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, eMPendium or ESC Pocket Guidelines?

ESC Pocket Guidelines is rated higher. eMPendium averages 3.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while ESC Pocket Guidelines averages 4.8 from 841 ratings.

### Do eMPendium or ESC Pocket Guidelines have ads?

Neither eMPendium nor ESC Pocket Guidelines shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, eMPendium or ESC Pocket Guidelines?

eMPendium ships an update every 3 months, and ESC Pocket Guidelines every 4 months. Most recently, eMPendium was updated on September 27, 2026 and ESC Pocket Guidelines on October 12, 2026.

---

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