# Bates' Pocket Guide vs Clinical Sense

Bates' Pocket Guide and Clinical Sense both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 93% of Clinical Sense's written reviews are positive against 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's. Clinical Sense also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 11 months). Bates' Pocket Guide's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bates' Pocket Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Clinical Sense asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bates' Pocket Guide against 4.8 for Clinical Sense. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 304 and 260 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Bates' Pocket Guide's written reviews are positive against 93% of Clinical Sense's.

Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 11 months, Clinical Sense monthly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bates' Pocket Guide | Clinical Sense |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (304 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652/reviews)** | [4.8 (260 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clinical-sense/id856082326/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **304** | 260 |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | **92.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 10 MB | 489 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | +17 |
| Developer | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) | [Medical Joyworks LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/803816939) |

## What reviewers say

### Bates' Pocket Guide

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

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 |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Reliable reference
- 🖼️ Helpful pictures for diagnosis
- 📚 Good for quick reference
- 💡 Easy to understand and logical format
- 🎯 Useful for clinicals and easy to maneuver

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overpriced app
- 🔄 Outdated software
- 🖱️ Not user-friendly navigation
- 💸 Repeated payments required
- ❌ Incorrect information/algorithms

**Reported bugs**

- Sectional information is wrong
- Topics do not correlate to information
- Asterisk information is incorrect
- App information needs updating and reviewing
- Software is glitchy

**Requested features**

- 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


### Clinical Sense

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clinical-sense/id856082326)

Enhance your diagnostic and patient management skills through realistic clinical scenarios.  This app offers engaging, real-world cases across various medical specialties, designed for healthcare professionals and students to practice and learn.

**Highlights:** Realistic clinical scenarios, Patient management over time, Real-time critical decision-making, Wide range of medical specialties, Concise diagnostic reasoning discussions, Weekly new scenario releases

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent app
- 👍 Amazing app
- 👍 Wonderful way for teaching
- 👍 Great cases
- 👍 Engaging and informative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 So hard
- 🐛 Crashes right away
- 🐛 Crashes repeatedly
- 🤔 Incomplete history
- 🤔 Too long

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on iPad
- Crashes on iPhone 7
- Crashes after a few pages into a scenario

**Requested features**

- More pain scenarios
- More psychiatrist medicine
- Imaging results
- More questions about differential diagnosis and history/physical exam
- Unlock all learning topics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?

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

### Is Clinical Sense free?

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

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

Bates' Pocket Guide is rated higher. Bates' Pocket Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 304 ratings, while Clinical Sense averages 4.8 from 260 ratings.

### Do Bates' Pocket Guide or Clinical Sense have ads?

Clinical Sense shows ads; Bates' Pocket Guide does not.

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

Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 11 months, and Clinical Sense monthly. Most recently, Bates' Pocket Guide was updated on November 6, 2026 and Clinical Sense on November 6, 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.*