Comparison

Read by QxMD vs iMedics

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

Head to head
About

Read by QxMD

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
Read full description

'Read by QxMD' provides a single place to keep up with new medical & scientific research, read outstanding topic reviews and search PubMed. This iPhone & iPad app provides a simple interface that drives discovery and seamless access to the medical literature by reformatting it into a personalized digital journal. Praise for Read: 5 stars: "Stellar. The future of medical literature review... This could be the best application to stay up-to-date in medicine since, well, UpToDate." - User Review 4¾ stars: "The Flipboard for medical journals has arrived" and among "...the most innovative medical apps" - iMedicalApps.com On Apple's 'What's Hot' list in >60 countries, as well as Medical Essentials & Apps for Healthcare Professionals. Featured in Apple iBook: "iOS in Healthcare: Revolutionizing Healthcare Productivity"   Features: - Get full text PDFs with one tap - Keep up with the latest new research that will impact your practice - Browse through 1000s of outstanding topic reviews - Search millions of articles from PubMed and our database of outstanding topic reviews - Read your favorite journals or browse article collections. - Access full text through your university/institutional subscription or via open access publishers - Share articles with colleagues over email, Twitter and Facebook - Organize and review your personal collection of articles Why did we build 'Read by QxMD'? Health care professionals need to stay up to date on the latest medical research and topic reviews to provide optimal care. Unfortunately, the process of content discovery is broken with research artificially compartmentalized by publishers and hidden behind countless institutional pay walls. At QxMD, we believe that knowledge translation– the process by which new knowledge is incorporated into clinical practice – is an important and unsolved challenge for our health care system. We hope that ‘Read by QxMD’ will be a part of the solution. Seamless 1-tap access available at thousands of institutions. Sources: From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Founded by medical professionals, QxMD is dedicated to creating high quality point-of-care tools for practicing health care professionals.

About

iMedics

Access comprehensive information on various medical disciplines, including Ayurveda, herbal, homeopathic, and allopathic medicines. Explore detailed descriptions of drugs, medical tests, and medical terminology with text-to-speech functionality.

Highlights
  • Ayurveda medicine information
  • Herbal and Homeopathic medicine details
  • Allopathic drug uses and side effects
  • Medical and lab test descriptions
  • Medical and pharmacy term definitions
  • Text-to-speech for descriptions
Features
Read full description

iMedics is a medical handbook in your pocket. Look up a medicine, a herb or supplement, a lab test or a medical word, and read about it in plain, clear language. WHAT'S INSIDE • Medicines: what each one is for, what to know before you take it, how to take it, and its side effects • Herbs and supplements: what they are, what studies have found, and whether they are safe • Clinical lab tests: what each test is, why you might need it, and what the results mean • Medical terms: thousands of words explained simply • Alternative medicine: Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, homeopathy and more FIND IT FAST • Search by name, brand name or another name • Browse each section A to Z, or by category • Recent entries on the Search screen MADE FOR READING • Clear headings, boxed warnings and easy-to-read type • Listen: have any entry read aloud • Save the entries you need and find them in one tap • Share an entry as text • Light and dark mode MADE FOR EVERY SCREEN • iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo: on a large screen the list and the entry sit side by side No account and no sign-in. iMedics is supported by ads. Each entry names its source. iMedics draws on public-domain reference material, including U.S. National Library of Medicine and FDA drug labeling. iMedics is made by Omelette Inc. and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Not medical advice. For education only. Always ask your doctor or pharmacist about your own health. Privacy policy: https://www.omeletteinc.com/privacy

Screenshots

Read by QxMD4 screens
iMedics4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: iMedics at free against Read by QxMD's free with in-app purchases. iMedics also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 89%). Read by QxMD's advantage is ratings volume (6K vs 4) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

iMedics holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read by QxMD has 6K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Read by QxMD's written reviews are positive against 100% of iMedics's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Read by QxMD ships an update monthly, iMedics every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Read by QxMD versus iMedics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRead by QxMDiMedics
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6K — better4
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size205 MB5 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperWebMDOmelette Inc

Customer experience

Read by QxMD

All ratings6,040 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews889 reviews
Positive89.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative8.0%

iMedics

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Read by QxMD

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Offline access to saved articles

iMedics

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Read by QxMD

No in-app purchases

None

iMedics

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Read by QxMD free?
Read by QxMD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iMedics free?
iMedics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Read by QxMD or iMedics?
iMedics is rated higher. Read by QxMD averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6K ratings, while iMedics averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Read by QxMD or iMedics have ads?
Both Read by QxMD and iMedics show ads.
Which is updated more often, Read by QxMD or iMedics?
Read by QxMD ships an update monthly, and iMedics every 3 months. Most recently, Read by QxMD was updated on October 24, 2026 and iMedics on October 24, 2026.

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