# STAT!Ref vs BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep at 85% against STAT!Ref's 36%. BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (10K vs 5). STAT!Ref's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 25). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep sells 25 one-off in-app purchases. STAT!Ref asks for nothing beyond the download.

BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep has 10K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of STAT!Ref's written reviews are positive against 85% of BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep's.

STAT!Ref ships an update every 3 months, BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | STAT!Ref | BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/statref/id474559171/reviews) | **[4.9 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardvitals-medical-exam-prep/id1484690932/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **10K** |
| Positive reviews | 36.4% of reviews | **85.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 8 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Teton Data Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/474559174) | [Board Vitals, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1484690931) |

## What reviewers say

### STAT!Ref

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/statref/id474559171)

Access a vast library of evidence-based medical resources on your mobile device. Search across hundreds of titles, bookmark key information, and define medical terms instantly. Features text-to-speech and news alerts for the latest healthcare updates.

**Highlights:** Cross-searchable medical resources, Bookmark specific paragraphs, Instant medical term definitions, Text-to-Speech functionality, Evidence Alerts and news feeds, Customizable content access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardvitals-medical-exam-prep/id1484690932)

Prepare for medical board exams with realistic practice questions and detailed explanations. Access high-yield content written by physicians, study offline, and utilize various quiz modes to simulate exam conditions. Track your progress with in-depth analytics.

**Highlights:** Board-style practice questions, Detailed explanations and rationales, Offline access to quizzes, Highlighting and strikeout tools, Multiple question formats, Study, Untimed Test, and Timed Test modes, NCLEX CAT testing mode, Answer response time analytics

**In-app purchases (25)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner | $159.99 | one-time |
| AANP Family Nurse Practitioner | $159.99 | one-time |
| Psychiatric-Mental Health CME | $159.99 | one-time |
| AANP Family Nurse Practitioner | $229.99 | one-time |
| Cardiology CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Cardiology MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Child Psychiatry CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Internal Medicine MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Psychiatry MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Radiology Certifying Exam CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Sleep Medicine CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Sleep Medicine MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Radiology MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Sports Medicine CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Surgery CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Surgery MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Urology CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Hospital Medicine MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Child Psychiatry MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Child Neurology CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Otolaryngology CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Family Medicine MOC CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Pain Medicine CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Internal Medicine CME | $299.99 | one-time |
| Neurology CME | $299.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
- 👍 Excellent question quality and rationales
- 🚀 Versatile features (timed/tutor mode, topic selection, etc.)
- 👍 Helpful for exam preparation
- 🚀 Syncs well across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional app freezes and sync issues
- 👎 Some questions not well-suited for specific exams
- 👎 Landscape mode missing on iPad
- 🐛 Bugs with quiz settings and progress tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Quiz resets to beginning, losing progress
- Unanswered questions setting not working as expected
- Inconsistent question counts between app and website

**Requested features**

- Increase font size for explanations
- Add more pediatric-focused questions
- Improve in-app CME claim process
- Implement landscape mode for iPad


## Frequently asked questions

### Is STAT!Ref free?

STAT!Ref is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep free?

BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, STAT!Ref or BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep?

BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep is rated higher. STAT!Ref averages 2.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep averages 4.9 from 10K ratings.

### Do STAT!Ref or BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep have ads?

Neither STAT!Ref nor BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, STAT!Ref or BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep?

STAT!Ref ships an update every 3 months, and BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep every 3 weeks. Most recently, STAT!Ref was updated on October 16, 2026 and BoardVitals Medical Exam Prep on October 27, 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.*