ACLS Fast vs MedCalX
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ACLS Fast
This app provides rapid guidance for ACLS 2020 guidelines, helping users quickly determine appropriate therapies through a question-based system. It includes information on rhythms, arrhythmias, acute coronary and stroke syndromes, and features a two-minute timer for code management.
- Question-based therapy guidance
- Rhythms and arrhythmias management
- Acute coronary and stroke syndrome protocols
- Two-minute code timer with alarm
- Interactive multiple-choice exams
- Rapid diagnosis and treatment support
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This is the fastest utility for managing and preparing for the ACLS 2020 guidelines. Unlike other apps that present algorithm sheets, this smart utility guides you to the pertinent therapy by asking one to two questions. ACLS Fast gives you all the rhythms and arrhythmias along with the specific treatments. You also have acute coronary and stroke syndrome management. In addition, there is a two minute timer to assist you with time management during a code. Now you don't have to second guess when two minutes pass and it is time to recheck vitals and shock. Every two minutes a loud alarm activates. The timer is resettable. Need to start inotropes, but you can't remember the right ones? This app has it and it is fast! Finally, you can take an interactive exam. There are many multiple-choice questions from which you can choose. Use this to test your knowledge or sharpen your ability to take care of patients. You can use the app in the field and hospital for rapid diagnosis and treatment. You can also use it as a quick, comprehensive study tool. Either way, nothing is this fast or simple. Also, check out PALS Fast for pediatrics.
MedCalX
This medical calculator app provides healthcare professionals with a comprehensive tool for complex medical formulas, scores, and classifications. It offers an extensive library of over 300 medical calculations, patient management features, and sharing capabilities.
- Extensive medical formula library (300+)
- Patient management and data saving
- Customizable workflows
- Multiple result sharing options
- Detailed information and references
- US and SI unit support
- iCloud synchronization for favorites
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MedCalX is a tool that enables medical professionals to easily use complicated medical formulas, scores and classifications. 25 years of experience developing this tool for mobile platforms makes MedCalX the leading medical calculator, with an unparalleled user interface and powerful features. MedCalX is free to download and use, but you have access only to a subset of formulas. In-app purchase lets you unlock the whole range of formulas that MedCalX has to offer; more than 300 in total! Main features: • A very large selection (more than 300) of relevant formulas, scores, scales and classifications. • Workflows: create your own series of formulas, text, links and images • Many different ways to share results (and data): copy to clipboard, email report, print via AirPrint, save to patient database... • Exclusive patient management feature for saving and accessing results, as well as images and notes. Results can be exported to the desktop as CSV files and shared between your and your colleaugues iOS devices. • Detailed information and bibliographic references for each formula. • Support for US and SI units, with easy switching from the keypad. • Search for entries by name, keywords and categories. • Takes advantage of iOS 9 – you can now use Spotlight to search for formulas • Customizable list of favorite equations, synchronized via iCloud. • Ability to add notes to individual formulas. • Full support for external (hardware) keyboards Formulas, scores and classifications include, amongst others: • Anesthesiology (ASA, Bromage, Charlson, Cormack, Dermatome, Goldman) • Cardiology (CC/AHA ASCVD, CHADS, EuroSCORE, GRACE, HAS-BLED, Killip, PROCAM, QT-c, TIMI) • Electrolytes (Corrected Ca, Corrected Na, FENa, Osmolal gap) • Evidence-Based Medicine (NNT, Odds, Sample size, Two-way table) • ICU (ABCD2+3, APACHE, CAM-ICU, GCS, Parkland, SAPS, many PE-criteria and trauma scores) • Neurology (AMTS, Aphasia, Canadian rules, NIHSS, WFNS) • Obstetrics (APGAR, Bishop, Malinas, Pregnancy Wheel) • Pediatrics (Age, Target Height, Centor and McIsaac, PRAM, WETFAG) • Respiratory (BODE, Epworth, GOLD, SMART-COP, Spirometry, Thoracoscore) • Renal (Cockcroft, MDRD and more Creatinine/GFR calculators, KDIGO and RIFLE) • ABG analyzer worth $5 in other apps • Complete infusion management tool, great for ICU nurses • Complicated scores (CAM-ICU, CDAI, APACHE, POSSUM, SAPS, Euroscore) If you like MedCalX, we’d appreciate it if you took the time to give us a nice review.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MedCalX at Free against ACLS Fast's $3.99. MedCalX also leads on rating (3.8 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (31 vs 4). ACLS Fast's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (76% vs 46%). On update cadence, ads and device support 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
MedCalX is free to download; ACLS Fast costs $3.99 up front. MedCalX sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. ACLS Fast asks for nothing beyond the download.
MedCalX holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MedCalX has 31 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of ACLS Fast's written reviews are positive against 46% of MedCalX's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
ACLS Fast ships an update every 3 months, MedCalX every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | ACLS Fast | MedCalX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.8 (4 ratings) | 3.8 (31 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.8% of reviews — better | 45.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 31 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Crystal Clear Solutions | Ossus GmbH |
Customer experience
ACLS Fast
MedCalX
Bugs and requests
ACLS Fast
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
MedCalX
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes on startup
- App crashes when taking patient photos
- App fails to open or becomes unresponsive
- Unable to restore previous purchases
- Doximity unlock feature not working
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- Spotlight search functionality broken
- NIH scale interface poorly designed
- Parameter value limits prevent calculations for severe patients
- Data migration issues between app versions
- Preferences not carried over during upgrades
Requested features
17 requests- SCORE2 and other modern cardiovascular risk scores
- TRiP(cast) score
- Valve disease calculations
- Pediatric medication dosing calculators
- Electrolyte and fluid replacement calculations
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- ICU-specific calculations and AHI calculation
- GUPTA, AWOL, and CAM traditional scores
- Dermatology scales and classifications
- RESP and PRESET scores
- Psychological assessment scores (depression, alcoholism ratings)
- Gail model and cancer risk calculations
- Pediatric weight percentiles by age
- Custom formula creation
- Unit conversion tool
- Personal formula addition feature
- Forrester classification
- MMSE and other copyrighted scales
In-app purchases
ACLS Fast
No in-app purchases
MedCalX
- MedCalc 3 UpgradeFree
- Doximity RegistrationFree
- MedCalX Unlock$4.99









