Comparison

Prime vs boostEM

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

Head to head
About

Prime

Access up-to-date journal citations and abstracts from the complete PubMed database. Perform powerful searches, link to full-text articles, and utilize exclusive tools for visual exploration of research relationships and personalized discovery.

Highlights
  • PubMed database access
  • Keyword, author, journal search
  • Link to full-text articles
  • Bookmark and tag articles
  • Share articles via multiple platforms
  • Grapherence visual search
  • Personalized article feed
Features
Read full description

The free Prime app connects you to the most up-to-date journal citations and abstracts from the complete PubMed database. In addition to the ability to perform powerful searches and link to the publisher’s full text articles, Prime also provides a number of exclusive tools not available anywhere else creating a one-of-a-kind user experience. PRIME FEATURES - Search: Perform evidence-based searches by keyword, author, or journal then link to full text articles. - Organize: Bookmark and Tag important articles and searches to quickly return to them later - Share: Share articles directly from the app via Email, Twitter, Facebook, SMS, Dropbox, and more EXCLUSIVE TOOLS - Grapherence®: Unbound’s unique search option allows you to visually explore the influence and interrelationships among journal articles - For You: Discover new articles in a feed designed specifically for you based on how you use the app - Browse: Select specific journals you want to follow and receive alerts when new articles are published WHAT IS GRAPHERENCE? Grapherence® is Unbound’s interactive search that graphically represents the influence and interrelationships among journal articles. Tap the Grapherence button within a citation and instantly see how that article is related to others. Using this exclusive feature the researcher quickly uncovers difficult to find entries, determines overall significance, identifies clusters of thought, and locates seminal articles. ABOUT UNBOUND MEDICINE With 50+ premium apps available, Unbound Medicine combines powerful software with best-selling content to deliver clinical answers wherever you need them. Top-selling apps include Johns Hopkins Antibiotic (ABX) Guide, Davis’s Drug Guide, 5-Minute Clinical Consult, Harriet Lane Handbook, The Washington Manual, Nursing Central™, and Diagnosaurus DDx.

About

boostEM

A medical calculator for emergency physicians, offering over 60 clinical decision rules and rapid medication doses. Includes tools like a pupillometer and visual acuity chart, functioning offline without ads.

Highlights
  • 60+ clinical decision rule calculators
  • Rapid medication doses
  • Pupillometer
  • Estimated gestational age calculator
  • Visual acuity chart
  • Offline functionality
Read full description

boostEM is a medical calculator designed from the ground-up for emergency physicians. The app is designed to be the fastest tool in your pocket for clinical decision rules in the emergency room. • Score calculators for over 60 clinical decision rules • Rapid medication doses • Tools including pupillometer, estimated gestational age, visual acuity (Snellen chart), and optokinetic drum • No internet connection required • No ads Examples of clinical decision rules included: • Critical Care: CURB-65, PESI, PORT, Ranson's, Well's, ABG calculator • Cardiology: HEART, CHADS2Vasc, Brugada, Sgarbossa, TIMI • Trauma: Canadian rules, NEXUS, PECARN, Parkland, GCS • Pediatrics: bilirubin tool for neonatal jaundice, Centor, respiratory score • Neurology: NIH stroke scale, ABCD2, MMSE • Toxicology: osmolal gap, modified Rumack-Matthews If you like this app, please give it a good review and spread the word! Please email us with suggestions. Note: This application is designed for medical professionals only. It is not for use by the lay public or non-specialists. In addition, dosing of medications is designed as a guide and should be verified prior to administration. This medication guide is not designed for patients with organ failure, immunocompromised states, other significant comorbidities, or extremes of age. Information provided in this app does not supercede appropriate clinical judgement.

Screenshots

Prime4 screens
boostEM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: boostEM at every 3 weeks against Prime's every 4 months. boostEM also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (100% vs 84%). Prime's advantage is ratings volume (694 vs 9) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Prime holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Prime has 694 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Prime's written reviews are positive against 100% of boostEM's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Prime ships an update every 4 months, boostEM every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Prime versus boostEM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrimeboostEM
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (694 ratings) — better4.6 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews83.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings694 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.07.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB20 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Dirkes Medical, PLLC

Customer experience

Prime

All ratings693 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews160 reviews
Positive83.8%
Neutral5.0%
Negative11.3%

boostEM

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Prime

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Abstracts cut off and unable to scroll
  • Crashes on certain devices (iPad 3, iOS 8.4)
  • Duplicate papers appearing in reading lists

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to open PDFs in external apps
  • Option to delete irrelevant items from saved lists
  • Faster article loading times
  • Integration with Dropbox or other cloud storage
  • Advanced search functionality (e.g., author + abstract)

boostEM

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Prime

No in-app purchases

None

boostEM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Prime free?
Prime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is boostEM free?
boostEM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Prime or boostEM?
Prime is rated higher. Prime averages 4.8 out of 5 from 694 ratings, while boostEM averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.
Do Prime or boostEM have ads?
Neither Prime nor boostEM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Prime or boostEM?
Prime ships an update every 4 months, and boostEM every 3 weeks. Most recently, Prime was updated on November 6, 2026 and boostEM on November 1, 2026.

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