Bates' Pocket Guide vs FP Notebook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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*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
FP Notebook
A comprehensive medical reference for primary care and emergency clinicians, offering rapid access to over 6100 interlinked topic pages. Content is updated monthly through literature reviews and conferences, providing up-to-date information for medical professionals.
- Rapid access medical reference
- Over 6100 interlinked topic pages
- Content updated monthly
- 31 specialty books
- 700+ chapters
- Point-of-care tool
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Family Practice Notebook is a rapid access, point-of-care medical reference for primary care and emergency clinicians. Started in 1995, this collection now contains over 6100 interlinked topic pages divided into a tree of 31 specialty books and over 700 chapters. FP Notebook’s content is updated monthly with systematic literature reviews and conferences. Please purchase an auto-renewing subscription to receive the latest content. The text content for this mobile application is identical to its online counterparts: fpnotebook.com and fpnotebook.com/mobile. Although access to this application is not restricted, the information found here is intended for use by medical providers. Non-clinical users may find the material challenging to understand, and should address specific medical concerns with their medical providers. Try before you buy with a 14-day FREE trial. After that it's only $24.99/year for access, including continuous content updates. Privacy Policy/Terms & Conditions - http://www.fpnotebook.com/disclaimer.htm
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Bates' Pocket Guide at free with in-app purchases against FP Notebook's subscription. FP Notebook's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 14 months) and review sentiment (61% vs 41%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Bates' Pocket Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and FP Notebook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bates' Pocket Guide against 4.9 for FP Notebook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FP Notebook has 3.3K ratings behind it against 301, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's written reviews are positive against 61% of FP Notebook's.
Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 14 months, FP Notebook every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bates' Pocket Guide | FP Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (301 ratings) | 4.9 (3.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | 61.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 301 | 3.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #195 | #58 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 141 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Unbound Medicine, Inc. | Atmosphere Apps, Inc. |
Customer experience
Bates' Pocket Guide
FP Notebook
User reviews
Bates' Pocket Guide
From 301 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Reliable reference
- 🖼️ Helpful pictures for diagnosis
- 📚 Good for quick reference
- 💡 Easy to understand and logical format
- 🎯 Useful for clinicals and easy to maneuver
Room to improve
- 💰 Overpriced app
- 🔄 Outdated software
- 🖱️ Not user-friendly navigation
- 💸 Repeated payments required
- ❌ Incorrect information/algorithms
FP Notebook
From 3.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Excellent, comprehensive medical reference
- ⚡️ Efficient, concise, and easy to use
- 🧠 Invaluable for medical students, residents, and practitioners
- 🤝 Highly recommended by users
- 🕰️ Frequently used and relied upon for years
Room to improve
- 💰 Subscription model frustrates some users who previously had free access
- 🐞 Occasional app freezing or crashing issues reported
- 🔍 Built-in search function could be improved
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
FP Notebook
Reported bugs
2 issues- App freezing or crashing on certain devices
- Subscription issues or unexpected charges
Requested features
2 requests- Ability to earn continuing education credits through the app
- Improved search functionality
In-app purchases
Bates' Pocket Guide
- Bates' Pocket Guide 9th ed.$69.99
FP Notebook
- Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$19.991 Year
- Annual Sub14 Days trial$24.991 Year
Questions
Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?
Is FP Notebook free?
Which has better reviews, Bates' Pocket Guide or FP Notebook?
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