# About Herbs vs PainPaw

The clearest difference is update cadence: PainPaw at every 6 months against About Herbs's every 14 months. About Herbs's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

About Herbs ships an update every 14 months, PainPaw every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | About Herbs | PainPaw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (83 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/about-herbs/id554267162/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **83** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | **Every 6 months** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 59 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center](https://appshunter.io/developer/554267165) | [Monara Angelim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1827807601) |

## What reviewers say

### About Herbs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/about-herbs/id554267162)

Access objective, scientifically referenced information on herbs, botanicals, and supplements. Explore purported benefits, side effects, and drug interactions. Save favorites for offline use and discuss with your physician for safe integration into your health plan.

**Highlights:** 290+ entries on herbs, botanicals, supplements, Purported benefits, side effects, drug interactions, Scientifically referenced information, Formatted for professionals and consumers, Search by herb or supplement, Save favorites for offline access, Weekly updates

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Extensive information on herbs
- 🧑‍⚕️ Useful for healthcare professionals
- 💡 Comprehensive and detailed content
- ✅ Evidence-based information
- 🆓 Free to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Search function not working
- 🐛 Alphabetical index not jumping
- 🐛 App crashes on startup
- 🐛 App not opening on iPad
- 🐛 Bookmarking crashes app

**Reported bugs**

- Search tab not functioning
- Selecting letters on right sidebar does not jump
- Search doesn't work
- When clicking alphabetized index letters, no results are returned
- App not functioning, gives an error

**Requested features**

- Continue updating the program
- Update the app
- Bring back offline mode
- Fix for landscape mode
- Search by symptoms


### PainPaw

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painpaw/id6759921186)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is About Herbs free?

About Herbs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PainPaw free?

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

### Do About Herbs or PainPaw have ads?

Neither About Herbs nor PainPaw shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, About Herbs or PainPaw?

About Herbs ships an update every 14 months, and PainPaw every 6 months. Most recently, About Herbs was updated on November 2, 2026 and PainPaw on October 31, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*