# Critical Med vs NRMCA Protocols

The clearest difference is price: NRMCA Protocols at Free against Critical Med's $29.99. NRMCA Protocols also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Critical Med's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 1). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

NRMCA Protocols is free to download; Critical Med costs $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

NRMCA Protocols holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Critical Med has 1.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Critical Med ships an update fortnightly, NRMCA Protocols every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Critical Med | NRMCA Protocols |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $29.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/critical-med-icu-and-acls-prep/id504065732/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrmca-protocols/id560844401/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 80.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 705 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +17 | 17+ |
| Developer | [The Barringer Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/504065735) | [Acid Remap LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/323130617) |

## What reviewers say

### Critical Med

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/critical-med-icu-and-acls-prep/id504065732)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Paid · Medical, #134 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

This comprehensive critical care reference app provides nurses, paramedics, physicians, and other healthcare professionals with detailed medical guidelines and high-definition multimedia resources. It covers a wide range of topics, including ultrasound, emergency medicine, and advanced life support, serving as a go-to tool for complex medical queries.

**Highlights:** High-definition multimedia resources, Detailed medical guidelines, Ultrasound and diagrams, Interactive EKGs, Medical Spanish with audio, ABG analyzer

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great resource
- 👍 Excellent reference tool
- 👍 Fantastic app for critical care
- 👍 Comprehensive and easy to use
- 👍 Valuable tool for emergency and ICU

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes after recent update
- 🐛 Drip function calculator not working
- 🐛 App no longer opens
- 🐛 Certain pages have poor contrast
- 🐛 Not optimized for iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Drip rate and other tools have stopped working
- RSI rapid sequence intubation section missing
- Medication math error in the app
- Typing error in Epinephrine description

**Requested features**

- Add venous blood gas calculator
- Allow customization of medication doses
- Include 4-2-1 pediatric maintenance fluid
- Add blood dosages for pediatrics
- Incorporate order of general mass transfusion


### NRMCA Protocols

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrmca-protocols/id560844401)

Access Northwest Regional Medical Control Authority protocols quickly and offline. Search titles and text, save favorites, and customize hospital contacts and notes. Stay updated with the latest protocols.

**Highlights:** Offline protocol access, Indexed lookup, Search titles and text, Favorites tab, Customizable hospital info, Customizable notes

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Critical Med free?

Critical Med costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is NRMCA Protocols free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Critical Med or NRMCA Protocols?

NRMCA Protocols is rated higher. Critical Med averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while NRMCA Protocols averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Critical Med or NRMCA Protocols have ads?

Neither Critical Med nor NRMCA Protocols shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Critical Med or NRMCA Protocols?

Critical Med ships an update fortnightly, and NRMCA Protocols every 5 months. Most recently, Critical Med was updated on November 10, 2026 and NRMCA Protocols on November 3, 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.*