Comparison

Accurx vs The BMJ

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

Head to head
About

Accurx

This app helps healthcare professionals share hospital information efficiently. It offers features like a hospital directory, AI-powered transcription for patient interactions, secure patient messaging, and direct GP messaging to save time.

Highlights
  • Hospital directory
  • AI-powered transcription
  • Secure patient messaging
  • Direct GP messaging
  • On-the-go inbox access
Features
Read full description

Accurx Switch is now Accurx. The app used by over 120,000 healthcare professionals a month has been upgraded to include a bunch of new time-saving features to help give you time back every day. Features included in the app are: - Hospital directory: get quick contact details for everyone in your trust without needing to go to a switchboard - Accurx Scribe: save time by skipping the typing with this AI powered Scribe that transcribes to all of your patient interactions, instantly generates structured notes from the interaction and can generate your letters and other onward documents in seconds. All of this is saved, ready to review from your computer. - Message patients: message patients securely in the app - Message GP: Get faster responses from your patient’s GP with direct messaging that is quicker than call or email - Inbox: View your Accumail inbox on-the-go

About

The BMJ

Access a leading general medical journal for researchers, clinicians, and policymakers. Stay updated with practice-changing research, expert columns, and embedded video content. Enjoy offline access to downloaded issues and earn CME points.

Highlights
  • Read leading medical research
  • Apply practice-changing takeaways
  • Access trusted, data-supported news
  • Offline access to downloaded issues
  • Earn CME points
  • Read ahead of print
  • Embedded video content
Features
Read full description

Online, The BMJ is one of the world’s leading general medical journals for researchers, educators, clinicians and policy-makers. The BMJ is the house journal of British medicine, owned by Britain’s doctors. The BMJ app lets you - read what the world's leading doctors read - apply practice-changing takeaways - trust news supported by data - advance your career - read columnists who get what it means to do your job - search downloaded issues - read ahead of print The BMJ app brings you the latest weekly issue including: - Offline access: handy for planes, trains and automobiles, or wherever there’s no wi-fi - Selected news articles and columnists - Education articles, CME points - Research articles and reviews - Search through downloaded issues - Video content embedded - FREE TO BMA MEMBERS AND PERSONAL SUBSCRIBERS Use your BMA membership credentials, or personal subscriber details to log in Not a BMA member or personal subscriber? Then subscribe to The BMJ for £10.49 a month, where the first month is free. You’ll get instant access to every issue published since January 2017! Purchasing a subscription to The BMJ app at a cost of £10.49 a month will give you access to all the app editions of The BMJ. A monthly purchase will be applied to your iTunes account at the end of the first month trial. Subscriptions will automatically renew at a cost of £10.49 a month unless cancelled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime or turn off auto-renew with your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. For more information, see our terms and conditions https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj-website-terms-and-conditions-0 and privacy policy https://www.bmj.com/company/your-privacy/. If you experience any problems, please email customer support on support@bmj.com

Screenshots

Accurx4 screens
The BMJ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Accurx at 4.8 against The BMJ's 4.2. Accurx also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. The BMJ sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $11.49 per month. Accurx asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Accurx holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Accurx has 330 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Accurx's written reviews are positive against 57% of The BMJ's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Accurx ships an update every 9 days, The BMJ every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Accurx versus The BMJ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAccurxThe BMJ
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (330 ratings) — better4.2 (13 ratings)
Positive reviews53.5% of reviews57.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings330 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.014.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB241 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperAccurx LimitedBMJ Group

Customer experience

Accurx

All ratings330 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral0.9%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive53.5%
Neutral5.6%
Negative40.8%

The BMJ

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative34.9%

User reviews

Accurx

From 330 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Saves time bypassing switchboard
  • 👍 Useful for finding numbers
  • 👍 Good for agency/locum shifts
  • 👍 Helpful in busy shifts
  • 👍 Reliable software

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Constantly asking to confirm role/login
  • 🐛 Disruptive advertising unwanted features
  • 🐛 Shameful degradation in functionality
  • 🐛 No longer useful for hospital doctors
  • 🐛 Requires NHS email access

The BMJ

From 13 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to navigate
  • 👍 Easy access to BMJ
  • 👍 Reliable app
  • 👍 Indispensable source of information
  • 👍 Given up paper version

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Not unbiased on strikes
  • 🐛 Not as comprehensive as previously
  • 🐛 Only 1 BMJ per month
  • 🐛 Printed on cheap paper
  • 🐛 Awful navigation

Bugs and requests

Accurx

Reported bugs

31 issues
  • Constantly asking to confirm role/login
  • Secure code never arrives
  • Repeatedly logs you out
  • Keeps signing me out
  • Text code authentication not received
Show 26 more
  • Accurx keeps logging me out
  • Doesn't let me download hospital directory
  • Can't even get into the app
  • Multiple password resets & MS authentication issues
  • On a authentication loop
  • Continuously attempts to verify mobile number
  • Security causes delays
  • Not working suddenly
  • App not working on new iPhone
  • Can't sign in/register
  • Dialed number calls wrong number
  • No verification code sent to email
  • Keeps losing user ID
  • Email password prompt does not send
  • Refuses to allow new entry setup
  • Can't get access after changing phone
  • No support received
  • Update stopped phone calls from within app
  • Call out feature no longer works
  • Formatting in FAQs gone
  • More clicks to each section
  • Not available offline anymore
  • Keeps logging me out
  • Requires internet connection to log back in
  • Confirmation emails don’t send
  • Search by phone number broken

Requested features

6 requests
  • Split into two apps (directory vs. other features)
  • Create for all hospitals
  • Optimized for iPhone X
  • Fix search by phone number
  • Unify interchangeable titles (SPR & reg/registrar)
Show 1 more
  • Make searching easier

The BMJ

Reported bugs

38 issues
  • App won’t open on iPhone
  • App always asks to restore purchase
  • Account does not exist
  • Often doesn’t allow access to most recent edition
  • Poor updating of editions
Show 33 more
  • Does not come up quickly
  • Poor access
  • Often doesn’t work
  • Not up to date
  • Can’t link to previous articles
  • Links open in app instead of browser
  • Can’t get back to menu
  • No way back to contents page
  • Only way out is to force quit
  • Freezes after one article
  • No obvious back button
  • Can’t access app despite paying
  • Links open in app instead of browser
  • No browser functionality
  • Rotation bug
  • Requires quitting app every time
  • Not working with BMA sign in
  • New BMJs do not download
  • Journals not added promptly
  • Slow to update issues
  • Never seems to update well
  • Not working at all since updated
  • User unfriendly now
  • Unable to download new issue
  • Get into older ones
  • Downloading system hit and miss
  • Syncing issues
  • No longer receiving new issues
  • Screen goes white repeatedly
  • Loses place
  • Resets to top of article
  • Incompatible with Safari
  • No direct way of opening articles in any browser

Requested features

10 requests
  • Copy figures and tables to more apps directly
  • Copy figures and tables to more apps directly eg Twitter lectures etc
  • Would be nice to be able to export text/tables/flow charts with a click
  • Would like a bit less subscription payment
  • Please see title! (Dark mode)
Show 5 more
  • Please fix rotation bug
  • Could integrate with BMJ learning
  • Get with the times
  • If developers could fix this it would certainly be a 5 star app
  • If they add a direct share button I'll give it 5 ✳️✳️✳️✳️✳️

In-app purchases

None

Accurx

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

The BMJ

Subscriptions1
  • The BMJ (1 month)1 Month trial$11.491 Month

Questions

Is Accurx free?
Accurx is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The BMJ free?
The BMJ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Accurx or The BMJ?
Accurx is rated higher. Accurx averages 4.8 out of 5 from 330 ratings, while The BMJ averages 4.2 from 13 ratings.
Do Accurx or The BMJ have ads?
Neither Accurx nor The BMJ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Accurx or The BMJ?
Accurx ships an update every 9 days, and The BMJ every 6 months. Most recently, Accurx was updated on October 29, 2026 and The BMJ on October 29, 2026.

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