Accurx vs The BMJ
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Hospital directory
- AI-powered transcription
- Secure patient messaging
- Direct GP messaging
- On-the-go inbox access
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Accurx ships an update every 9 days, The BMJ every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Accurx | The BMJ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (330 ratings) — better | 4.2 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 53.5% of reviews | 57.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 330 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 112 MB | 241 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Accurx Limited | BMJ Group |
Customer experience
Accurx
The BMJ
User reviews
Accurx
From 330 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Accurx
No in-app purchases
The BMJ
- The BMJ (1 month)1 Month trial$11.491 Month








