# Bates' Pocket Guide vs PEPID®

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PEPID® at none against Bates' Pocket Guide's 1. PEPID® also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 14 months) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 301). Bates' Pocket Guide's advantage is chart position (#191 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bates' Pocket Guide against 4.7 for PEPID®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PEPID® has 2.9K 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 45% of PEPID®'s.

Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 14 months, PEPID® every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bates' Pocket Guide | PEPID® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (301 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bates-pocket-guide/id650795652/reviews)** | [4.7 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pepid/id955554418/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 301 | **2.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | **45.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#191** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) | [PEPID, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/306091996) |

## What reviewers say

### Bates' Pocket Guide

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

**Currently charting:** #191 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 |

**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


### PEPID®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pepid/id955554418)

Provides healthcare professionals with essential tools for patient care, including a vast drug database, medical calculators, and visual aids. Content is regularly updated and clinically independent, offering reliable information for various medical roles.

**Highlights:** Largest drug database, Medical calculators, High-res pill photos, Clinical illustrations, Regularly updated information, Independent clinical content

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Quick information
- 🔒 Trustworthy content
- 👍 Useful for daily work
- 👍 Comprehensive database
- 👍 User-friendly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes/won't open
- 🐛 Outdated/missing content
- 🐛 Poor optimization for newer devices
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 👎 Difficult to navigate

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on login or launch
- Content fails to download
- Incompatible with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Improved search functionality
- More calculators and tools
- Automatic content updates
- Ability to use on multiple devices with single subscription


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bates' Pocket Guide free?

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

### Is PEPID® free?

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

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

Bates' Pocket Guide is rated higher. Bates' Pocket Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 301 ratings, while PEPID® averages 4.7 from 2.9K ratings.

### Do Bates' Pocket Guide or PEPID® have ads?

Neither Bates' Pocket Guide nor PEPID® shows ads.

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

Bates' Pocket Guide ships an update every 14 months, and PEPID® every 5 weeks. Most recently, Bates' Pocket Guide was updated on October 11, 2026 and PEPID® on October 10, 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.*