# AAO eBooks vs SMART Educator

The clearest difference is rating: SMART Educator at 5.0 against AAO eBooks's 3.8. SMART Educator also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). AAO eBooks's advantage is review sentiment (18% vs 0%) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SMART Educator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AAO eBooks has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 18% of AAO eBooks's written reviews are positive against 0% of SMART Educator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

AAO eBooks ships an update every 3 months, SMART Educator every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AAO eBooks | SMART Educator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aao-ebooks/id665817219/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-educator-iol-guide/id1610293644/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **18.2% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 78 MB | 155 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [American Academy of Ophthalmology, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/665817223) | [Alcon Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/634650451) |

## What reviewers say

### AAO eBooks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aao-ebooks/id665817219)

Access essential ophthalmology textbooks on your mobile device. Search, browse, and download purchased eBooks for offline use. Enhance learning with notes, highlights, and CME credit opportunities.

**Highlights:** Access purchased eBooks, Offline reading capability, Search and browse content, Highlighting and note-taking, Bookmark functionality, Earn CME credits

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SMART Educator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-educator-iol-guide/id1610293644)

This educational tool helps eye care professionals explain advanced intraocular lens options to patients. It uses visual aids to illustrate potential outcomes of different lens choices and provides general information on cataract surgery, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

**Highlights:** Patient education on IOLs, Visual comparison of visual outcomes, Information on cataract surgery, Explanation of astigmatism and presbyopia, Illustrations of real-world scenarios

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AAO eBooks free?

AAO eBooks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SMART Educator free?

SMART Educator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AAO eBooks or SMART Educator?

SMART Educator is rated higher. AAO eBooks averages 3.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while SMART Educator averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do AAO eBooks or SMART Educator have ads?

Neither AAO eBooks nor SMART Educator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AAO eBooks or SMART Educator?

AAO eBooks ships an update every 3 months, and SMART Educator every 2 months. Most recently, AAO eBooks was updated on November 6, 2026 and SMART Educator on November 3, 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.*