Comparison

Harriet Lane Handbook vs PREP Self

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Harriet Lane Handbook

This comprehensive pediatric resource offers an updated drug formulary, disease information, and management guidelines. It includes integrated calculators, visual exploration of medical literature, and the ability to bookmark favorite entries for quick access.

Highlights
  • Updated pediatric drug formulary
  • Hundreds of pediatric conditions
  • Integrated dosage calculators
  • Prime PubMed search
  • Management recommendations & immunization schedules
  • Highlighting and note-taking
  • Visual exploration of medical literature
Features
Read full description

** Your Go-To Pediatric Resource with Updated Drug Formulary ** **Exclusive Unbound Medicine bonus features include Prime PubMed and integrated calculators** HARRIET LANE HANDBOOK Written by pediatric residents from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Harriet Lane Handbook is the authoritative resource for interns, residents, and practitioners. Download this resource to review disease information or search figures, algorithms, tables, and charts. Check medication details in the new, fully-updated drug formulary which provides the standard in pediatric care. Quickly confirm diagnoses across a wide range of pediatric conditions and consult the most recent management recommendations, immunization schedules, procedures, and therapeutic guidelines specific to children. FEATURES • Updated details on hundreds of pediatric conditions in concise outline format. • Integrated dosage calculators • Renowned pediatric drug formulary with dosing, side effects, interactions, special considerations, and more • Hard to find images, charts, algorithms, and tables • Management recommendations, immunization schedules, and therapeutic guidelines • Coverage of dermatology treatments, eczema complications, and lead poisoning • Advanced search helps you find information quickly • Ability to highlight and make notes within any topic • Reference links to the medical literature through Prime PubMed • “Favorites” for bookmarking important entries Prime PubMed Search Quickly search journal articles from the full PubMed database on your smartphone and tablet. Results contain abstracts, citations, and links to available full text articles that can be read on device and shared with classmates and colleagues. Additionally, Prime contains Grapherence™, an exclusive way to visually explore interrelationships and relevance in the medical literature. Prime PubMed Journals Select and follow your favorite journals. Receive instant alerts when new articles publish. Editors: Camille C. Anderson, MD, Sunaina Kapoor, MD, MPH and Tiffany E Mark, MD Formulary updated by updated by Carlton K. K. Lee, PharmD, MPH Publisher: Elsevier Powered by: Unbound Medicine UPGRADE OPTION Add Davis’s Drug Guide to your Harriet Lane Handbook app. After purchase, you can easily add a 1-year subscription of the best-selling drug database trusted by thousands of healthcare professionals. Davis’s Drug Guide delivers frequently updated information on over 5,000 trade name and generic drugs. Each monograph, with its focus on safety, includes details on pharmacokinetics, dosing, side effects, interactions, assessment, and more. Your Davis’s Drug Guide subscription automatically renews annually unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours prior to the conclusion of your current period. If you choose not to renew, you will continue to have access to the content, but will no longer receive updates. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged the current renewal rate ($39.99) within 24 hours prior to the end of the subscription period. This will ensure you receive all updates for the following year. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

About

PREP Self

Access trusted pediatric learning content through a new mobile app. Build a personalized question bank by selecting blocks from various content areas to fit your learning style and schedule. Earn CME credits and MOC points with each block.

Highlights
  • Trusted PREP content
  • Customizable question bank
  • Case-based questions
  • Earn CME credits
  • Earn MOC points
  • Modern user interface
Read full description

Trusted PREP® Content, New Mobile App! For nearly 45 years, the PREP Self-Assessment Program has been a trusted source for pediatric learning and professional growth. Now, we're reimagining the experience. Meet PREP Blocks: A new, customizable way to access the same trusted PREP questions you know and value, designed to fit your learning style, pace, and schedule. • Enjoy a modern, user-friendly interface with a long-awaited mobile app and new desktop experience • Build a Question Bank by selecting blocks from content areas that match your goals • 20 case-based questions per block • Earn up to 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 4 MOC Part 2 Points with each block

Screenshots

Harriet Lane Handbook4 screens
PREP Self4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Harriet Lane Handbook at 4.8 against PREP Self's 3.7. Harriet Lane Handbook also leads on ratings volume (601 vs 9). PREP Self's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (daily vs every 7 months). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Harriet Lane Handbook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per year. PREP Self asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Harriet Lane Handbook holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Harriet Lane Handbook has 601 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Harriet Lane Handbook's written reviews are positive against 67% of PREP Self's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Harriet Lane Handbook ships an update every 7 months, PREP Self daily. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Harriet Lane Handbook versus PREP Self: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHarriet Lane HandbookPREP Self
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (601 ratings) — better3.7 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings601 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB44 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.American Academy of Pediatrics

Customer experience

Harriet Lane Handbook

All ratings601 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral0.8%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative38.1%

PREP Self

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Harriet Lane Handbook

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App won't open after iOS 11 update
  • Content inaccessible without wifi
  • Resolution fuzzy and ugly
  • Content orientation bizarre
  • Cannot open content
Show 6 more
  • Poorly formatted on iPhone
  • Tables and figures difficult to read
  • Search functionality awful
  • Doesn't fit entire screen on iPhone 5
  • Some diseases missing
  • Some fluxograms difficult to read

Requested features

4 requests
  • Sliders for ped dose calc
  • More search power for simpler terms
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

PREP Self

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Harriet Lane Handbook

Subscriptions1
  • Davis's Drug Guide$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Harriet Lane 23rd edition$59.99
None

PREP Self

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Harriet Lane Handbook free?
Harriet Lane Handbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PREP Self free?
PREP Self is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Harriet Lane Handbook or PREP Self?
Harriet Lane Handbook is rated higher. Harriet Lane Handbook averages 4.8 out of 5 from 601 ratings, while PREP Self averages 3.7 from 9 ratings.
Do Harriet Lane Handbook or PREP Self have ads?
Neither Harriet Lane Handbook nor PREP Self shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Harriet Lane Handbook or PREP Self?
Harriet Lane Handbook ships an update every 7 months, and PREP Self daily. Most recently, Harriet Lane Handbook was updated on October 23, 2026 and PREP Self on October 24, 2026.

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