Comparison

STI Tx Guide vs APEA

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

Head to head
About

STI Tx Guide

Provides healthcare professionals with up-to-date, evidence-based recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. Features include clinical care guidance, sexual history resources, and patient materials for effective patient management.

Highlights
  • STI prevention recommendations
  • Diagnosis guidance
  • Treatment protocols
  • Clinical care assistance
  • Sexual history resources
  • Patient management tools
Features
Read full description

The new app offers quick and easy access to streamlined STI prevention, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations. The user-friendly interface includes more clinical care guidance, sexual history resources, patient materials, and other features to assist with patient management. The STI Treatment (Tx) Guidelines mobile app serves as a quick reference guide for doctors and related parties on the identification of and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The full STI Treatment Guidelines (cdc.gov) can be accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/default.htm. The guidelines provide current evidence-based prevention, diagnostic and treatment recommendations that replace the 2015 guidance. The recommendations are intended to be a source for clinical guidance. Healthcare providers should always assess patients based on their clinical circumstances and local burden. DISCLAIMER THE MATERIALS EMBODIED IN THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) OR THE UNITED STATES (U.S.) GOVERNMENT BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFIT, LOSE OF USE, SAVINGS OR REVENUE, OR THE CLAIMS OF THIRD PARTIES, WHETHER OR NOT CDC OR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSS, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE POSSESSION, USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

About

APEA

Access free media content, video and audio courses, and continuing education lectures. Features a mobile reference for primary care with concise diagnosis and treatment information for over 370 conditions.

Highlights
  • Free media content and guidance
  • Video and audio CE courses
  • Downloadable CE certificates
  • Mobile primary care reference
  • Diagnosis and treatment information
  • View recent activity
  • Direct contact with APEA
Features
Read full description

New! The new APEA app, launched in 2020, delivers fast, reliable access to your APEA resources. Highlights of the new APEA app include: • Access free media content to receive prescribing pearls and other valuable guidance for study and practice. • Watch video courses and CE lectures in the CE Center. Access the Course Manual, complete the evaluation, and download your contact hour certificate—all within the app! • Download and listen to audio courses and CE lectures. Access the Course Manual, complete the evaluation and download your contact hour certificate—all within the app! • Access your CareOnPoint account wherever you have an internet connection. CareOnPoint is a mobile reference for primary care that provides concise diagnosis and treatment information on more than 370 diagnoses. It features anatomical illustrations, prescribing charts and other images to enhance patient care decisions—all accessible within the app! • View your recent activity from the main menu. • Contact APEA directly from within the app. Since 1997, Advanced Practice Education Associates (APEA) has been preparing NP students for success on their certification exams and meeting their continuing education needs throughout their careers. APEA review courses are known for their clarity and effective teaching methods. Students absorb and learn the material because the instructors present the information in ways that build knowledge and retention. Here are just a few comments from our thousands of satisfied customers: • “The knowledge that I gained was invaluable and I felt like it pulled together 2 years of classes that were patchwork. I took boards and much of the material Dr. Hollier reviewed was on the exam. I highly recommend this review course and plan to attend more courses for contact hours.” • “I found the APEA live review course extremely helpful. Everything I have learned the past two years came full circle. I never once lost focus as Dr. Hollier kept things lively.” • “The factor that sets APEA leaps and bounds above the other is their delivery. … the speakers are energetic and really drive home the concepts necessary to be successful to pass board exams. I felt the presenters were genuinely vested in my success. I did not feel the same with other review programs that are available for purchase, and that I had purchased. I encourage other students to utilize APEA to prepare for their future as an advanced practice provider.” In addition to presenting live and on demand review courses and clinical updates, APEA develops clinical resources, question banks and test banks and publishes evidence-based reference books and mobile reference tools used in practice every day.

Screenshots

STI Tx Guide4 screens
APEA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: STI Tx Guide at 3.5 against APEA's 2.3. STI Tx Guide also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (36% vs 20%). APEA's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. APEA sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. STI Tx Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

STI Tx Guide holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 51 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of STI Tx Guide's written reviews are positive against 20% of APEA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

STI Tx Guide ships an update every 2 months, APEA every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 8, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
STI Tx Guide versus APEA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSTI Tx GuideAPEA
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (36 ratings) — better2.3 (51 ratings)
Positive reviews35.7% of reviews — better19.7% of reviews
Number of ratings3651 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.013 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB11 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperCenters For Disease Control and PreventionAdvanced Practice Education Associates, LLC.

Customer experience

STI Tx Guide

All ratings36 ratings
Positive63.9%
Neutral2.8%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative57.1%

APEA

All ratings51 ratings
Positive29.4%
Neutral3.9%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive19.7%
Neutral8.2%
Negative72.1%

Bugs and requests

STI Tx Guide

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

APEA

Reported bugs

66 issues
  • App never works
  • Videos freeze
  • Videos don't register as watched
  • Pausing lectures resets them
  • Fast forward/rewind only in 10-second intervals
Show 61 more
  • Women's health loaded in men's health
  • Lectures reset to 0 when paused
  • Black screen with timer running
  • Questions are glitchy and freeze
  • Need to log out and back in frequently
  • App opens website in external browser
  • Videos never load
  • App kicks users out
  • Constantly reloading screens
  • Switching back and forth from devices
  • Three bars on top right do not work
  • App OpenSSL and shows recent activity
  • App just flat out doesn't work
  • Blank page when opening app
  • Menu button does nothing
  • Deleting and re-downloading app doesn't fix issues
  • Audio won't play with a locked screen
  • "X" button to exit recording not tappable in portrait mode
  • App doesn't allow rewinding
  • Forces watching videos in order
  • Lectures automatically stop
  • Lecture times are inaccurate
  • App registers completed activities incorrectly
  • Only one login at a time
  • App stopped working, cannot access files or question bank
  • App freezes around 30th question
  • Quizzes freeze
  • Cannot choose certain types of quizzes
  • Cannot log in
  • Wheel of death appears when moving to next question
  • Qbanks freeze
  • App crashes
  • Terrible update
  • Takes forever to load
  • Cannot do more than five questions at a time
  • Audio course loads slowly
  • App doesn't load, says "downloading content"
  • Kicks out when reviewing for certificate
  • Shows unviewed segments despite completion
  • App doesn't log on
  • Continually kicks out when trying to log in
  • Cannot order reviews due to app issues
  • Lectures failed to load
  • Unable to rewind without restarting lecture
  • Constantly having to re-sign in
  • Cannot resume saved exams from the app
  • Cannot stay logged into the app
  • Need to log back in to pick another test
  • App doesn't work with latest Apple update
  • Cannot even login
  • App says sync in progress, try again later
  • App is down often
  • App automatically closes when clicking CE Center
  • Login failed, incorrect format
  • Cannot log in to practice on the go
  • Invalid login message
  • Has to log in every time after recent update
  • Syncing Qbank takes a long time
  • Delay in rationale for an answer
  • App never leaves the sign-in screen
  • App says it's downloading content but never leaves sign-in screen

Requested features

12 requests
  • Allow resuming saved exams from the app
  • Allow staying logged into the app
  • Add more question sets
  • Improve UI formatting for iPhones
  • Fix UI elements that are not tappable
Show 7 more
  • Allow users to choose which videos to watch
  • Provide a script for lectures for better quality control
  • Fix horizontal video playback issues
  • Fix the "quit" button functionality
  • Allow users to select quiz settings once
  • Allow multiple logins on different devices simultaneously
  • Fix the issue where users have to log in every time

In-app purchases

None

STI Tx Guide

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

APEA

One-time3
  • MyQBank 20 Questions$0.99
  • Clinical Brief$7.99
  • CareOnPoint$14.99

Questions

Is STI Tx Guide free?
STI Tx Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is APEA free?
APEA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, STI Tx Guide or APEA?
STI Tx Guide is rated higher. STI Tx Guide averages 3.5 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while APEA averages 2.3 from 51 ratings.
Do STI Tx Guide or APEA have ads?
Neither STI Tx Guide nor APEA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, STI Tx Guide or APEA?
STI Tx Guide ships an update every 2 months, and APEA every 3 weeks. Most recently, STI Tx Guide was updated on October 8, 2026 and APEA on October 8, 2026.

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