# Nurse's Pocket Guide vs Nursing Diagnosis Reference

The clearest difference is ads: Nurse's Pocket Guide at none against Nursing Diagnosis Reference's shown. Nurse's Pocket Guide also leads on chart position (#181 vs unranked) and ratings volume (179 vs 28). Nursing Diagnosis Reference's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nurse's Pocket Guide sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Nursing Diagnosis Reference sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $30.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Nurse's Pocket Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nurse's Pocket Guide has 179 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Nurse's Pocket Guide ships an update every 9 months, Nursing Diagnosis Reference every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nurse's Pocket Guide | Nursing Diagnosis Reference |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (179 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nurses-pocket-guide-diagnosis/id669466772/reviews)** | [4.4 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nursing-diagnosis-reference/id1228541624/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **179** | 28 |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 7 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#181** | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 149 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) | [Skyscape Medpresso Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/818609416) |

## What reviewers say

### Nurse's Pocket Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nurses-pocket-guide-diagnosis/id669466772)

**Currently charting:** #181 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

This app assists nurses in creating accurate nursing diagnoses and care plans. It provides detailed information for over 400 medical conditions, including definitions, interventions, and documentation guidelines. Users can also search by patient symptom to find related diagnoses.

**Highlights:** 400+ medical conditions with nursing diagnoses, NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model updates, NANDA-I and ICNP diagnoses, Prioritized actions/interventions with rationales, Care plan guides, NIC and NOC labels, Full text search

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nurse's Pocket Guide | $49.99 | one-time |
| Nurse's Pocket Guide | $59.99 | one-time |


### Nursing Diagnosis Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nursing-diagnosis-reference/id1228541624)

This medical reference app provides evidence-based nursing diagnoses, interventions, and rationales for various clinical scenarios. It's designed for students and practicing nurses to streamline care planning and improve patient outcomes with up-to-date NANDA-I classifications.

**Highlights:** Evidence-based diagnoses, Interventions and rationales, Updated NANDA-I classifications, Quick reference format, Alphabetized monographs, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses criteria

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SparksTaylor's Nursing 3M sub | $30.99 | per 3 months |
| SparksTaylor's Nursing 6M sub | $40.99 | per 6 months |
| SparksTaylor's Nursing 1/Y sub | $59.99 | per year |
| Nursing Diagnosis Reference | $79.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nurse's Pocket Guide free?

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

### Is Nursing Diagnosis Reference free?

Nursing Diagnosis Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Nurse's Pocket Guide or Nursing Diagnosis Reference?

Nurse's Pocket Guide is rated higher. Nurse's Pocket Guide averages 4.5 out of 5 from 179 ratings, while Nursing Diagnosis Reference averages 4.4 from 28 ratings.

### Do Nurse's Pocket Guide or Nursing Diagnosis Reference have ads?

Nursing Diagnosis Reference shows ads; Nurse's Pocket Guide does not.

### Which is updated more often, Nurse's Pocket Guide or Nursing Diagnosis Reference?

Nurse's Pocket Guide ships an update every 9 months, and Nursing Diagnosis Reference every 7 months. Most recently, Nurse's Pocket Guide was updated on November 6, 2026 and Nursing Diagnosis Reference on November 2, 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.*