# Osmosis vs ClinicalKey

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Osmosis at 47% against ClinicalKey's 9%. Osmosis also leads on chart position (#46 vs unranked). ClinicalKey's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Osmosis sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $16.99 per month. ClinicalKey asks for nothing beyond the download.

Osmosis ships an update monthly, ClinicalKey every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Osmosis | ClinicalKey |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/osmosis-med-school-study-app/id646540641/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.9K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **47.4% of reviews** | 8.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#46** | — |
| Size | 70 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | +12 |
| Developer | [Knowledge Diffusion](https://appshunter.io/developer/646540644) | [Elsevier Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/367031326) |

## What reviewers say

### Osmosis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/osmosis-med-school-study-app/id646540641)

**Currently charting:** #46 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

This app helps medical students learn complex concepts faster and retain more information. It offers animated videos, flashcards, notes, and board-style questions to prepare for exams and build clinical skills.

**Highlights:** Animated medical videos, Spaced repetition flashcards, Board-style practice questions, Downloadable notes and videos, Clinical decision-making trees, Cross-platform syncing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Osmosis Full Access Monthly | $16.99 | per month |
| Osmosis Suite Access Monthly | $49.00 | per month |
| Clinical Science 6 Month | $129.00 | per 6 months |
| Osmosis Suite Access 3 Month | $149.00 | per 3 months |
| Basic Sciences Access 6 Month | $179.00 | per 6 months |
| Osmosis Full Access 6 Month | $179.99 | per 6 months |
| Osmosis Full Access Yearly | $199.99 | per year |
| Basic Sciences Access Yearly | $199.99 | per year |
| Osmosis Suite Access 6 Month | $229.00 | per 6 months |
| Osmosis Suite Access Yearly | $249.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great study tool
- 💡 Helpful videos and flashcards
- 👍 Engaging and easy to understand content
- 🚀 Efficient for on-the-go learning
- 👍 Customizable study experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and glitches
- 🔋 Offline functionality issues
- 👎 Limited features compared to website
- 👎 Subscription confusion and billing issues
- 👎 Slow and unresponsive app performance

**Reported bugs**

- Verification email never sent
- Videos won't play or keep restarting
- Inability to access high-yield notes on app
- Flashcards and quizzes not working properly
- App getting stuck on loading/login screens

**Requested features**

- Add speech pathology to the platform
- Provide Arabic subtitles for videos
- Implement split-screen functionality
- Allow editing of flashcards on mobile
- Improve search and playlist features


### ClinicalKey

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clinicalkey/id1041998175)

This app provides medical professionals with instant access to a vast library of clinical knowledge, including synoptic content and in-depth reference materials. It helps users stay updated on medical advancements, confirm diagnoses, and advance their research skills, all while offering CME/MOC/CE credits.

**Highlights:** Access to 30+ medical specialties, Synoptic content for quick answers, Full-text reference books and journals, Mobile-optimized medical calculators, Earn CME/MOC/CE credits, Intuitive search functionality

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 High-quality, evidence-based clinical content
- 🎯 Intuitive interface and quick reference format
- 🔍 Similar functionality to website version
- 👍 Browse feature restoration appreciated by users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔓 Constant forced logout issues
- 🔐 Institutional login authentication failures
- ⏳ App freezes and perpetual loading screens
- 🚫 Missing textbook access in app vs website
- 📵 Frequent crashes and force closures

**Reported bugs**

- App stuck on loading screen after initial login
- Forced logout when closing or minimizing app
- Institutional login not working despite web access
- App crashes during search queries
- OpenAthens authentication failures

**Requested features**

- PDF download capability within the app
- Favorite/bookmark textbooks and articles
- Landscape mode support for iPad
- Find-on-page text search function
- Automatic session persistence and page memory


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Osmosis free?

Osmosis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ClinicalKey free?

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

### Do Osmosis or ClinicalKey have ads?

Neither Osmosis nor ClinicalKey shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Osmosis or ClinicalKey?

Osmosis ships an update monthly, and ClinicalKey every 5 weeks. Most recently, Osmosis was updated on November 10, 2026 and ClinicalKey on November 4, 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.*