Board Buddy USMLE vs MedSteps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Board Buddy USMLE
This app transforms studying for the USMLE Step 1 into an engaging experience with interactive games. It offers free games for high-yield topics and a premium subscription for over 20 medical games, practice questions, and 3D anatomy.
- Interactive study games
- Active recall learning
- High-yield topic focus
- 3,000+ practice questions
- 3D anatomy modules
- AI-powered explanations
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Pass USMLE Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 with active recall, AI tutoring, and interactive medical games. Stop passively reading explanations. Board Buddy helps you retain high-yield concepts through spaced repetition, board-style questions, anatomy, ECGs, pathology images, and AI-powered tutoring. Terms of Use (EULA): https://ivymed.net/terms Privacy Policy: https://ivymed.net/privacy
MedSteps
This app is a revolutionary learning platform for medical students and professionals. It uses AI-powered questions, interactive activities, and gamified experiences to help users master complex medical concepts. Study anytime, anywhere with offline access and detailed expert explanations.
- AI-powered questions
- Interactive learning activities
- Gamified study experience
- Extensive question banks (ENURM, MIR, ENARM)
- Global medical exams preparation
- Offline study mode
- Detailed expert explanations
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USMLE success. Designed for medical students, residents, and healthcare professionals worldwide, MedSteps helps you master complex medical concepts through AI-powered questions, interactive activities, and fully gamified learning experiences. 4,500 high-yield questions focused on USMLE preparation Additional question banks from ENURM, MIR, and ENARM for broader clinical exposure 4 difficulty levels: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert AI-driven content tailored to your pace and learning style Coverage of global medical exams: USMLE, COMLEX, PLAB, AMC, and more Gamified experience with XP, streaks, achievements, and leaderboards Offline learning: study anytime, anywhere Detailed explanations: learn from every mistake with expert-level insights Progress tracking: monitor performance across all specialties Smart review system: focus on weak areas with AI-powered recommendations Earn experience points for correct answers, maintain study streaks, unlock achievements, and climb the leaderboard. Studying for the USMLE has never been this engaging. Privacy Policy: https://medsteps.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: MedSteps at every 3 days against Board Buddy USMLE's every 2 weeks. MedSteps also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Board Buddy USMLE sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month and MedSteps sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
MedSteps holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Board Buddy USMLE's written reviews are positive against 100% of MedSteps's.
Board Buddy USMLE ships an update every 2 weeks, MedSteps every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Board Buddy USMLE | MedSteps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (22 ratings) | 5.0 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 25 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 146 MB | 113 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Blake Young | Jhon Reynoso |
Customer experience
Board Buddy USMLE
MedSteps
In-app purchases
Board Buddy USMLE
- Monthly7 Days trial$29.991 Month
- Monthly Plan (Promo)$29.991 Month
- 6-Month7 Days trial$149.996 Months
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- Yearly7 Days trial$199.991 Year
MedSteps
- MedSteps Pro - Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
- MedSteps Pro - Trimestral$24.993 Months
- 6 Meses$44.996 Months
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- MedSteps Pro - Annual14 Days trial$79.991 Year
