# Heart Murmurs Pro vs Bates' Pocket Guide

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Heart Murmurs Pro at 72% against Bates' Pocket Guide's 41%. Heart Murmurs Pro also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 14 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Bates' Pocket Guide's advantage is ratings volume (302 vs 4) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Heart Murmurs Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Bates' Pocket Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Heart Murmurs Pro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bates' Pocket Guide has 302 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Heart Murmurs Pro's written reviews are positive against 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's.

Heart Murmurs Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, Bates' Pocket Guide every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Heart Murmurs Pro | Bates' Pocket Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heart-murmurs-pro/id451697322/reviews)** | [4.8 (302 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **302** |
| Positive reviews | **71.6% of reviews** | 40.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 14 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 17 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Hipposoft, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/314644548) | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) |

## What reviewers say

### Heart Murmurs Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heart-murmurs-pro/id451697322)

Master heart sounds with this comprehensive app. It offers 23 distinct heart sounds with detailed clinical information, including etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment. Interactive quizzes and a cardiac exam guide enhance learning for medical professionals and students.

**Highlights:** 23 heart sounds included, Detailed clinical information for each sound, Multiple choice and free answer quizzes, Quiz history tracking, Cardiac Exam Guide, In-app links to medical resources

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Library | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Excellent sound quality and clarity
- 📚 Comprehensive coverage of heart murmurs
- 📊 Visual representations of cardiac cycles
- 🎓 Effective educational tool for medical students
- 🧪 Helpful quiz feature for self-testing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes on iOS 12 and newer versions
- 🐛 App won't open on iPhone X and XS
- 🔊 Static noise playing continuously in background
- 📱 Poor compatibility with newer Apple devices
- ⚠️ Lack of developer support and communication

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately upon opening on iOS 12+
- App crashes on iPhone X and iPhone XS
- App won't load or open
- Continuous static noise in background
- App crashes after iOS updates

**Requested features**

- Text descriptions with medical keywords for exam preparation
- Ability to overlap and compare multiple murmurs directly
- Speed control to slow down or speed up sounds
- More realistic heart sound recordings
- Animated GIFs showing cardiac defects


### Bates' Pocket Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652)

This app provides essential information for obtaining health histories and conducting physical exams. It features step-by-step techniques, updated images, and differential diagnoses for quick and accurate interpretation of findings. Ideal for students and professionals needing a fast reference.

**Highlights:** Over 130 detailed topics, Step-by-step instructions, Updated photographs and illustrations, Two-column layout, New Algorithms for symptom approaches, Differential diagnoses, Highlighting and note-taking, Advanced search

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bates' Pocket Guide 9th ed. | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Reliable reference
- 🖼️ Helpful pictures for diagnosis
- 📚 Good for quick reference
- 💡 Easy to understand and logical format
- 🎯 Useful for clinicals and easy to maneuver

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overpriced app
- 🔄 Outdated software
- 🖱️ Not user-friendly navigation
- 💸 Repeated payments required
- ❌ Incorrect information/algorithms

**Reported bugs**

- Sectional information is wrong
- Topics do not correlate to information
- Asterisk information is incorrect
- App information needs updating and reviewing
- Software is glitchy

**Requested features**

- Update and review app information for accuracy
- Improve content layout and navigation
- Offer better preview options before purchase
- Provide discounts for existing textbook/resource owners
- Clarify product offerings to avoid buyer confusion


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Heart Murmurs Pro free?

Heart Murmurs Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?

Bates' Pocket Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Heart Murmurs Pro or Bates' Pocket Guide?

Heart Murmurs Pro is rated higher. Heart Murmurs Pro averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Bates' Pocket Guide averages 4.8 from 302 ratings.

### Do Heart Murmurs Pro or Bates' Pocket Guide have ads?

Neither Heart Murmurs Pro nor Bates' Pocket Guide shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Heart Murmurs Pro or Bates' Pocket Guide?

Heart Murmurs Pro ships an update every 3 weeks, and Bates' Pocket Guide every 14 months. Most recently, Heart Murmurs Pro was updated on October 26, 2026 and Bates' Pocket Guide on October 21, 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.*