# VentRef vs Respiratory Tactician

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VentRef at none against Respiratory Tactician's 2. VentRef also leads on ratings volume (44 vs 9). Respiratory Tactician's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Respiratory Tactician sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. VentRef asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for VentRef against 5.0 for Respiratory Tactician. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 9 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

VentRef ships an update every 3 weeks, Respiratory Tactician every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | VentRef | Respiratory Tactician |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ventref/id6756503414/reviews) | [5.0 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/respiratory-tactician/id6762234266/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **44** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 27 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Rishi Kumar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434016052) | [JESUS CALATA VARGAS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893482375) |

## What reviewers say

### VentRef

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ventref/id6756503414)

A clinical reference tool for healthcare professionals managing mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy. It provides information grounded in respiratory physiology and evidence-based critical care.

**Highlights:** Mechanical ventilation reference, Oxygen therapy reference, Respiratory physiology, Evidence-based critical care, Clinical decision support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Respiratory Tactician

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/respiratory-tactician/id6762234266)

A rapid, offline reference tool for respiratory therapists and critical care clinicians. It offers numerous calculators, a guide to ventilator modes, and an AI-powered blood gas interpreter to aid in patient assessment and management.

**Highlights:** Extensive medical calculators, Ventilator modes reference, AI-powered ABG interpreter, Offline functionality, Favorites and history tracking, Unit conversion

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Operator Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Operator Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VentRef free?

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

### Is Respiratory Tactician free?

Respiratory Tactician is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, VentRef or Respiratory Tactician?

VentRef and Respiratory Tactician are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 44 and 9 ratings respectively.

### Do VentRef or Respiratory Tactician have ads?

Neither VentRef nor Respiratory Tactician shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, VentRef or Respiratory Tactician?

VentRef ships an update every 3 weeks, and Respiratory Tactician every 2 weeks. Most recently, VentRef was updated on October 10, 2026 and Respiratory Tactician on October 24, 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.*