CSTSetup vs Tray Pilot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CSTSetup
This clinical companion provides surgical technologists, students, and nurses with detailed surgical setups, an instrument library, a medical dictionary, and exam preparation tools. It helps users prepare for cases, study instruments, understand medical terms, and log clinical experience.
- 280+ surgical setups by specialty
- 3,100+ surgical instruments with photos
- Built-in medical dictionary with 3,700+ terms
- Certification exam practice (CST, TS-C, CRCST, etc.)
- Customizable surgical setup builder
- Clinical case logging for surgical programs
- 3D instrument models (Pro feature)
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Know the case before you scrub in. CSTSetup is the clinical companion built for surgical technologists, students, OR nurses and educators: your setups, your instrument library, a built-in medical dictionary, your exam prep and your case log, all in one place. SURGICAL SETUPS 280+ setups across General, Cardiac, ENT, Neuro, OB/GYN, Ophthalmology, Orthopedic, Plastics, Urology and Vascular. Each one shows the tray grouped by what every instrument does, the room (equipment, prep and drape, suture and medicines), a 30-second summary and the case step by step, with the circulator's side for Pro. General Surgery is free; Pro unlocks every specialty. THE FULL INSTRUMENT LIBRARY 3,100+ surgical instruments with real photographs, every name techs use and handling notes, sorted by class, standard tray and maker. Study them as flashcards. Pro members can turn, zoom and open real 3D models of hundreds of them. A BUILT-IN MEDICAL DICTIONARY 3,700+ terms explained in plain words. Tap an underlined word in any setup, instrument or exam question to see what it means, how it's said and the word parts that build it. STUDY FOR YOUR CERTIFICATION EXAM Practice for the CST (NBSTSA), TS-C (NCCT), CRCST (HSPA), CSPDT (CBSPD) and CSFA (NBSTSA) exams: practice by area with the why behind every answer, timed exams matched to the real pass mark, and a daily five questions to keep your streak going. Your progress shows your practice score, your weakest area, your streak and your whole year of study. BUILD YOUR OWN SETUPS Save your surgeon's way as a setup of your own, right on your phone. No account needed to start; sign in and it syncs to the web. BUILT FOR SURGICAL TECH PROGRAMS Log every case for your program: choose AST, NCCT or CC4SA, check off what you did in the room, and get an instant First Scrub, Second Scrub or Observation answer before it goes to your instructor. Clock your clinical hours from the clinical site. CAN'T FIND A SETUP? Ask for it right in the app, and we'll notify you when it's built. ONE SUBSCRIPTION CSTSetup Pro unlocks every specialty, the full library, 3D models and every certification exam in this app, in Instruments, in every CSTSetup exam app and on cstsetup.com. Download CSTSetup and put the whole back table in your pocket.
Tray Pilot
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TrayPilot is the modern solution for hospital Sterile Processing Departments (SPD) to track surgical instrument trays from vendor drop-off through sterilization and into the operating room. Designed for SPD technicians, OR nurses, surgical vendors, and supervisors, TrayPilot replaces paper logs and spreadsheets with a streamlined digital workflow that keeps everyone on the same page. KEY FEATURES: Dashboard — See today's cases, pending approvals, and vendor drop-offs at a glance. Quick-action buttons get you where you need to go instantly. Case Management — Create and manage surgical cases with full tray lists, surgeon preference cards, and real-time status tracking. Edit case dates, flag issues, request approvals, and mark trays as ready. Tray Tracking Pipeline — Follow every tray through the complete sterilization workflow: Vendor Drop Off, Decontamination, Wrapped, and Sterilized. Color-coded status badges make it easy to see where everything stands. QR Code Scanning — Generate and print QR tags for every tray showing case details, doctor, date, company, and tray name. Scan trays at each processing step for instant check-in. Surgeon Preference Cards — Store and auto-populate instrument preferences by doctor and procedure, ensuring the right trays are pulled every time. SPD Overview — A dedicated backend hub for supervisors with employee tracking per sterilization step and QR check-in scanning. Approvals Workflow — Review, approve, or reject case setups and tray requests with a complete audit trail. Shelf Stock Management — Track backup inventory and ensure critical instruments are always available. Push Notifications — Stay informed with real-time alerts for case updates, approval requests, and status changes. Vendor-Specific Access — Vendor representatives see only their own company's trays and cases, maintaining data separation and security. Built for HIPAA-aware environments with secure data handling, encryption, and role-based access control. TrayPilot is the surgical tray management platform hospitals have been waiting for.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tray Pilot at none against CSTSetup's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. CSTSetup sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Tray Pilot asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | CSTSetup | Tray Pilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (12 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CSTSetup | Matt Rodriguez |
In-app purchases
CSTSetup
- CSTSetup Monthly Pro$12.991 Month
- CSTSetup Yearly Pro$155.991 Year
Tray Pilot
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CSTSetup free?
Is Tray Pilot free?
Do CSTSetup or Tray Pilot have ads?
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