Board Buddy USMLE vs Step2Drill
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
Step2Drill
This app helps medical students prepare for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam with structured clinical cases and AI-driven differential diagnosis breakdowns. It focuses on common exam traps to enhance diagnostic reasoning skills. A premium subscription offers unlimited cases, AI breakdowns, and spaced repetition.
- Structured clinical cases
- AI-assisted differential diagnosis
- NBME exam trap explanations
- Spaced repetition training
- Unlimited case access (premium)
- No login required for initial content
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Step2Drill is a clinical reasoning training app designed for medical students preparing for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. The app provides structured clinical cases, AI-assisted differential diagnosis breakdowns, and explanations designed to highlight common NBME exam traps and improve diagnostic reasoning. Premium subscription unlocks: • Unlimited clinical reasoning cases • AI-powered differential breakdowns • Spaced repetition training for retention The subscription paywall is implemented through RevenueCat using Apple in-app subscriptions. No login is required to access the initial content. The paywall appears when users attempt to access premium training modules. The content is educational only and does not provide medical advice or clinical decision-making guidance for real patients. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://grove-gerbera-d12.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-for-Step2Drill-3017a3b367fd80b38ba3c2a49b9264eb
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Board Buddy USMLE at 4.8 against Step2Drill's 3.9. Step2Drill's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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 Step2Drill sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Board Buddy USMLE holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 13 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Board Buddy USMLE's written reviews are positive against 86% of Step2Drill's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Board Buddy USMLE ships an update every 3 weeks, Step2Drill every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Board Buddy USMLE | Step2Drill |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (22 ratings) — better | 3.9 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 123 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Blake Young | Nabeel Shukri |
Customer experience
Board Buddy USMLE
Step2Drill
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
Step2Drill
- Step2Drill Premium$9.991 Month
- Step2Drill Premium$39.996 Months
