Comparison

Bates' Pocket Guide vs ViewMedica

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

Head to head
About

Bates' Pocket Guide

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
Read full description

*Featuring the latest content from the latest edition* ABOUT THE BATES' GUIDE: The Bates’ Pocket Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking contains the critical information needed to obtain a meaningful health history, conduct a thorough physical exam, and interpret the findings quickly and accurately. Locate answers fast and review step-by-step techniques and possible findings using the distinctive two-column format with updated images. Bates’ Pocket Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking is the ideal quick-reference resource for today’s medical, PA, pharmacy, and nursing students. FEATURES: • Over 130 detailed topics with step-by-step instructions • Updated photographs, illustrations, and references reinforce key content based on the latest evidence-based information • Two-column layout optimized for smartphones and tablets • New Algorithms provide helpful starting approaches for patients with common presenting symptoms. • Differential diagnoses for common, normal, and abnormal findings • Highlight and take notes within any entry • Advanced Search helps find topics quickly • “Favorites” for bookmarking important entries Authors: Lynn S. Bickley MD, FACP, Peter G. Szilagyi MD, MPH, Richard M. Hoffman MD, MPH, FACP, Rainier P. Soriano MD Publisher: Wolters Kluwer | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Powered by: Unbound Medicine Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

About

ViewMedica

Access a library of award-winning patient education videos to explain complex medical information. Healthcare professionals can use these visual aids to enhance patient understanding of conditions and procedures. The app allows for annotation and saving of video frames.

Highlights
  • Access patient education videos
  • Print related brochures
  • Draw on video frames
  • Save annotated images
  • Favorite frequently used videos
Features
Read full description

The ViewMedica On-Demand app gives subscribers of ViewMedica On-Demand videos a convenient way to use our award-winning patient education content. Our industry-leading, highly-visual videos help physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals explain complex medical information in a patient-friendly way. PATIENT EDUCATION VIDEOS • Hospitals and Practices that subscribe to ViewMedica On-Demand for their patient education videos can view all of their content in this app. • Print the patient education brochures that relate to your licensed videos. • Use Markup Mode to draw on any frame of your videos. Then save those images to your screenshots library. • Add your most-used videos or presentations to your Favorites menu for easy access. ABOUT SWARM INTERACTIVE AND VIEWMEDICA The maker of ViewMedica, Swarm Interactive, Inc., has been producing award-winning medical animations since 1998. Visit the ViewMedica website to learn more about the ViewMedica patient education system, and see how ViewMedica can enhance your patient education efforts. A ViewMedica video subscription gives you access to thousands of patient education videos. These industry-leading, highly-visual videos have been used by physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals for more than 20 years. Videos cover all the major medical specialties describing the conditions and procedures that you care most about.

Screenshots

Bates' Pocket Guide4 screens
ViewMedica3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ViewMedica at none against Bates' Pocket Guide's 1. ViewMedica also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 7 months vs every 14 months). Bates' Pocket Guide's advantage is ratings volume (302 vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Bates' Pocket Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ViewMedica asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ViewMedica holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bates' Pocket Guide has 302 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 14 months, ViewMedica every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bates' Pocket Guide versus ViewMedica: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBates' Pocket GuideViewMedica
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (302 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings302 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 7 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB32 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Swarm Interactive, Inc.

Customer experience

Bates' Pocket Guide

All ratings301 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive40.9%
Neutral13.6%
Negative45.5%

ViewMedica

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Bates' Pocket Guide

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Sectional information is wrong
  • Topics do not correlate to information
  • Asterisk information is incorrect
  • App information needs updating and reviewing
  • Software is glitchy
Show 4 more
  • Hard to navigate between topics
  • Algorithm images are mismatched with titles
  • Doesn't take Bates account
  • Didn't work (iOS 7)

Requested features

5 requests
  • Update and review app information for accuracy
  • Improve content layout and navigation
  • Offer better preview options before purchase
  • Provide discounts for existing textbook/resource owners
  • Clarify product offerings to avoid buyer confusion

ViewMedica

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bates' Pocket Guide

One-time1
  • Bates' Pocket Guide 9th ed.$69.99
None

ViewMedica

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?
Bates' Pocket Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ViewMedica free?
ViewMedica is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bates' Pocket Guide or ViewMedica?
ViewMedica is rated higher. Bates' Pocket Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 302 ratings, while ViewMedica averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Bates' Pocket Guide or ViewMedica have ads?
Neither Bates' Pocket Guide nor ViewMedica shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bates' Pocket Guide or ViewMedica?
Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 14 months, and ViewMedica every 7 months. Most recently, Bates' Pocket Guide was updated on October 21, 2026 and ViewMedica on September 24, 2026.

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