# Bates' Pocket Guide vs APEA

The clearest difference is rating: Bates' Pocket Guide at 4.8 against APEA's 2.3. Bates' Pocket Guide also leads on review sentiment (41% vs 20%) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). APEA's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 14 months) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bates' Pocket Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and APEA sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bates' Pocket Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bates' Pocket Guide has 300 ratings behind it against 51, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's written reviews are positive against 20% of APEA's.

Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 14 months, APEA every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bates' Pocket Guide | APEA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (300 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652/reviews)** | [2.3 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apea/id1110550236/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **300** | 51 |
| Positive reviews | **40.9% of reviews** | 19.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#198** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) | [Advanced Practice Education Associates, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1110550235) |

## What reviewers say

### Bates' Pocket Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652)

**Currently charting:** #198 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

This app provides essential information for obtaining health histories and conducting physical exams. It features step-by-step techniques, updated images, and differential diagnoses for quick and accurate interpretation of findings. Ideal for students and professionals needing a fast reference.

**Highlights:** Over 130 detailed topics, Step-by-step instructions, Updated photographs and illustrations, Two-column layout, New Algorithms for symptom approaches, Differential diagnoses, Highlighting and note-taking, Advanced search

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bates' Pocket Guide 9th ed. | $69.99 | one-time |


### APEA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apea/id1110550236)

Access free media content, video and audio courses, and continuing education lectures. Features a mobile reference for primary care with concise diagnosis and treatment information for over 370 conditions.

**Highlights:** Free media content and guidance, Video and audio CE courses, Downloadable CE certificates, Mobile primary care reference, Diagnosis and treatment information, View recent activity, Direct contact with APEA

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MyQBank 20 Questions | $0.99 | one-time |
| Clinical Brief | $7.99 | one-time |
| CareOnPoint | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great content and material
- 👍 Useful for continuing education
- 👍 Helpful for NP students
- 👍 Good for on-the-go studying
- 👍 Access to audio lectures

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App frequently doesn't work
- 🐛 Videos freeze or don't load
- 🐛 Content not registering as watched
- 🐛 Rewind/fast forward limited
- 🐛 Pausing resets lectures

**Reported bugs**

- App never works
- Videos freeze
- Videos don't register as watched
- Pausing lectures resets them
- Fast forward/rewind only in 10-second intervals

**Requested features**

- Allow resuming saved exams from the app
- Allow staying logged into the app
- Add more question sets
- Improve UI formatting for iPhones
- Fix UI elements that are not tappable


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?

Bates' Pocket Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is APEA free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bates' Pocket Guide or APEA?

Bates' Pocket Guide is rated higher. Bates' Pocket Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 300 ratings, while APEA averages 2.3 from 51 ratings.

### Do Bates' Pocket Guide or APEA have ads?

Neither Bates' Pocket Guide nor APEA shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bates' Pocket Guide or APEA?

Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 14 months, and APEA every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bates' Pocket Guide was updated on September 23, 2026 and APEA on September 17, 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.*