# Photon Mobile vs Surgical Notes

Photon Mobile and Surgical Notes both sit at 3.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Photon Mobile's written reviews are positive against 43% of Surgical Notes's. Surgical Notes's advantage is ratings volume (37 vs 8). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 — 3.8 for Photon Mobile against 3.7 for Surgical Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 37 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Photon Mobile's written reviews are positive against 43% of Surgical Notes's.

Photon Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Surgical Notes every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Photon Mobile | Surgical Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.8 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-mobile/id627123380/reviews)** | [3.7 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surgical-notes/id666491850/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **37** |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 29 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Photon Medical Communications, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/627123383) | [Surgical Notes, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/666491853) |

## What reviewers say

### Photon Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-mobile/id627123380)

This app connects healthcare practices with on-call specialists for real-time communication. It facilitates secure sharing of medical information, including images and test results, to improve patient care and outcomes.

**Highlights:** Real-time on-call specialist connection, Proprietary messaging platform, Secure medical information sharing, Patient care improvement, Access to ER notes and test results

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Surgical Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surgical-notes/id666491850)

This app streamlines surgical documentation for healthcare professionals. It allows for wireless digital dictation, real-time report management, and effortless coding, enhancing productivity and patient care. Seamlessly integrates with existing workflows for efficient RCM solutions.

**Highlights:** Wireless digital dictation, Real-time report management, Effortless coding, Streamlined transcription turnaround, User-centered design, Push notification reminders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Photon Mobile free?

Photon Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Surgical Notes free?

Surgical Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Photon Mobile or Surgical Notes?

Photon Mobile is rated higher. Photon Mobile averages 3.8 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Surgical Notes averages 3.7 from 37 ratings.

### Do Photon Mobile or Surgical Notes have ads?

Neither Photon Mobile nor Surgical Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Photon Mobile or Surgical Notes?

Photon Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Surgical Notes every 5 weeks. Most recently, Photon Mobile was updated on October 7, 2026 and Surgical Notes on October 3, 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.*