Comparison

Drugs.com Medication Guide vs Mosby's Drug Reference

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

Head to head
About

Drugs.com Medication Guide

Access comprehensive information on over 24,000 medications, including prescription drugs, OTCs, and natural products. Manage your medications, check for interactions, identify pills, and find the lowest prices. Stay informed with FDA alerts and detailed side effect information.

Highlights
  • Medication list with interaction tracking
  • Drug price comparison and pharmacy finder
  • Pill identification by imprint, color, and shape
  • Drug interaction checker
  • Side effects and dosage information
  • FDA alerts and recalls
Features
Read full description

Manage meds, identify pills, check interactions, compare prices and more. Discover detailed, peer-reviewed info on over 24,000 prescription drugs, OTC meds, and natural products all in one place. Key Features - My Med List. Create your health profile and track drug interactions, reminders and alerts, with offline access. - Price Guide. Find the lowest prices for medications and search pharmacies near you. - Pill Identifier. Identify pills by imprint, color and shape to confirm medications with confidence. - Interactions Checker. Check potential interactions between prescription medications, OTC drugs, and supplements. - Q & A. Find answers to thousands of medication-related questions, join support groups or ask a question. - Compare Tool - Compare any medication side-by-side. - Side Effects Checker - Access detailed side effect information for thousands of prescription and OTC medications, from common mild reactions to rare severe effects. - Dosage Information - Reliable dose guidance. - FDA Alerts - Stay up to date with product recalls, safety alerts, and FDA-related news. - Health Professionals - Tailored tools and information for medical professionals, including FDA monographs. Permissions We request limited permissions to improve your experience: - Network access: Required to connect to our database. - Media/Storage: For installation on your local device only, we never access your personal files. - Your location: Used when you choose to find nearby pharmacies when using the drug discount card. About Drugs.com With over 25 million U.S. monthly visitors, Drugs.com is a Webby-nominated health information platform offering peer-reviewed data on more than 24,000 medications. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, or healthcare professional, the app provides reliable tools to manage and understand medication use. Note: Drugs.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Do not rely on this app to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare professional. Support & Subscriptions Please visit: https://www.drugs.com/apps/support/ for support and feedback, if its subscription related, our team will prioritize your request.

About

Mosby's Drug Reference

This app provides healthcare professionals with comprehensive drug information, including actions, usage, dosage, interactions, and side effects. It emphasizes patient safety with Black Box Warnings, Safety Alerts, and information on life-threatening side effects. Features include custom notes, highlights, and quick search functionality.

Highlights
  • Over 5,000 drug listings
  • Black Box Warnings and Safety Alerts
  • Drug action, usage, dosage, interactions, side effects
  • Custom notes and highlights
  • Full text search
  • Appendix of recent FDA-approvals
Features
Read full description

14-Day Free Trial ** Trusted by Health Care Professionals for Over 30 Years ** ABOUT MOSBY’S DRUG REFERENCE Based on the latest edition, Mosby's Drug Reference provides health care professionals with the tools they need to eliminate errors and improve accuracy. Drug monographs feature concise, easy-to-understand information and make finding answers easy with sections on each drug's action, usage, dosage, interactions, side effects, and more. With an emphasis on patient safety, this best-selling app includes Black Box Warnings for dangerous adverse reactions, Safety Alerts for situations requiring special attention, and a focus on life-threatening side effects of 50 common drug classes. FEATURES • More than 5,000 generic and trade-name drugs are profiled • Appendix of recent FDA-approvals • Icons for High Alert and Rarely Used medications • Highlighted Black Box Warnings, safety alerts, and life-threatening side effects • Helpful IV therapy updates • Create custom notes and highlights within entries • 150+ abbreviations listed for practical understanding • Unlabeled uses and help with easily confused drug names • Full Text Search helps find medications quickly • “Favorites” for bookmarking important entries FREE 14-DAY TRIAL: WHAT TO EXPECT • First-time users can access Unbound's complete Mosby's Drug Reference mobile app free for 14 days • After 14 days, your iTunes account will be charged $45.99 for a one-year subscription unless you have turned off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the free trial ends. • To manage your subscriptions, open Apple's “Settings” app and tap on the “iTunes & App Store" entry. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen and login. Tap subscriptions, then tap the subscription you wish to manage. •NOTE: If you choose not to purchase a subscription, content will no longer be viewable after the free trial period. iTunes automatic renewal: Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours prior to the conclusion of your current period. Auto Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged the current renewal rate ($45.99) within 24 hours prior to the end of the subscription period. If you choose not to renew, you will be able to use the app, however will not receive updates. Authors: Linda Skidmore-Roth, RN, MSN, NP Publisher: Elsevier Powered by: Unbound Medicine Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

Screenshots

Drugs.com Medication Guide4 screens
Mosby's Drug Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drugs.com Medication Guide at 87% against Mosby's Drug Reference's 32%. Drugs.com Medication Guide also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 235). Mosby's Drug Reference's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Drugs.com Medication Guide sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Mosby's Drug Reference sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $45.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drugs.com Medication Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drugs.com Medication Guide has 16K ratings behind it against 235, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Drugs.com Medication Guide's written reviews are positive against 32% of Mosby's Drug Reference's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drugs.com Medication Guide ships an update every 5 weeks, Mosby's Drug Reference every 9 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Drugs.com Medication Guide versus Mosby's Drug Reference: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrugs.com Medication GuideMosby's Drug Reference
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (16K ratings) — better4.6 (235 ratings)
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews — better31.8% of reviews
Number of ratings16K — better235
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB9 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperDrugs.comUnbound Medicine, Inc.

Customer experience

Drugs.com Medication Guide

All ratings16,477 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews386 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral3.9%
Negative9.1%

Mosby's Drug Reference

All ratings235 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative59.1%

Bugs and requests

Drugs.com Medication Guide

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Registration process issues
  • Inconsistent search results

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to easily add/remove medications
  • More detailed medication profiles
  • Improved international drug coverage

Mosby's Drug Reference

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Drugs.com Medication Guide

One-time2
  • Remove ads for 3 months$1.99
  • Remove ads for 1 year$4.99
1 purchases

Mosby's Drug Reference

Subscriptions1
  • Mosby's Drug Reference14 Days trial$45.991 Year

Questions

Is Drugs.com Medication Guide free?
Drugs.com Medication Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mosby's Drug Reference free?
Mosby's Drug Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drugs.com Medication Guide or Mosby's Drug Reference?
Drugs.com Medication Guide is rated higher. Drugs.com Medication Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Mosby's Drug Reference averages 4.6 from 235 ratings.
Do Drugs.com Medication Guide or Mosby's Drug Reference have ads?
Drugs.com Medication Guide shows ads; Mosby's Drug Reference does not.
Which is updated more often, Drugs.com Medication Guide or Mosby's Drug Reference?
Drugs.com Medication Guide ships an update every 5 weeks, and Mosby's Drug Reference every 9 months. Most recently, Drugs.com Medication Guide was updated on September 24, 2026 and Mosby's Drug Reference on September 24, 2026.

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