# Read by QxMD vs IDSA Practice Guidelines

Read by QxMD and IDSA Practice Guidelines both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 89% of Read by QxMD's written reviews are positive against 0% of IDSA Practice Guidelines's. Read by QxMD also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (6K vs 559). IDSA Practice Guidelines's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Read by QxMD against 4.8 for IDSA Practice Guidelines. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read by QxMD has 6K ratings behind it against 559, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Read by QxMD's written reviews are positive against 0% of IDSA Practice Guidelines's.

Read by QxMD ships an update monthly, IDSA Practice Guidelines every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Read by QxMD | IDSA Practice Guidelines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-by-qxmd/id574041839/reviews) | **[4.8 (559 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idsa-practice-guidelines/id1478886375/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6K** | 559 |
| Positive reviews | **89.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 205 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [WebMD](https://appshunter.io/developer/295076332) | [Infectious Diseases Society of America](https://appshunter.io/developer/1477996603) |

## What reviewers say

### Read by QxMD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-by-qxmd/id574041839)

Access and organize the latest medical research and topic reviews in a personalized digital journal. Stay updated with new scientific findings and easily retrieve full-text PDFs from PubMed and other sources.

**Highlights:** Personalized digital medical journal, Access latest medical research, Read topic reviews, Search PubMed, Full-text PDF access, Organize article collection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient access to latest research
- 👍 Customizable journal and keyword tracking
- 🔒 Institutional access integration
- 💡 Convenient PDF downloads
- 👍 Helpful for staying up-to-date

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Institutional access issues
- 💻 Lack of desktop/web version
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
- 📤 Difficulty sharing articles

**Reported bugs**

- Login and authentication problems
- Inconsistent app performance after updates
- Inability to access full-text articles
- Syncing issues between devices
- Unreliable article refresh functionality

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to annotate and highlight PDFs
- Improved article organization and collections
- Integration with reference managers (e.g. Zotero, Mendeley)
- Enhanced search and filtering capabilities


### IDSA Practice Guidelines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idsa-practice-guidelines/id1478886375)

Access and stay updated with the latest clinical guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. This app offers interactive tools, search functionality, and the ability to bookmark key information and take notes for healthcare professionals.

**Highlights:** Access clinical guidelines, Interactive tools, Search guidelines, Bookmark pages, Take notes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Read by QxMD free?

Read by QxMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is IDSA Practice Guidelines free?

IDSA Practice Guidelines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Read by QxMD or IDSA Practice Guidelines?

IDSA Practice Guidelines is rated higher. Read by QxMD averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6K ratings, while IDSA Practice Guidelines averages 4.8 from 559 ratings.

### Do Read by QxMD or IDSA Practice Guidelines have ads?

Read by QxMD shows ads; IDSA Practice Guidelines does not.

### Which is updated more often, Read by QxMD or IDSA Practice Guidelines?

Read by QxMD ships an update monthly, and IDSA Practice Guidelines every 7 months. Most recently, Read by QxMD was updated on October 14, 2026 and IDSA Practice Guidelines on October 16, 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.*