Comparison

ESC Pocket Guidelines vs CSWG App

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ESC Pocket Guidelines

Access a comprehensive library of the latest cardiovascular disease guidelines and consensus statements from the European Society of Cardiology. Features include interactive algorithms, full-text search, bookmarking, note-taking, and content sharing capabilities for quick reference and study.

Highlights
  • Latest ESC Guidelines (2023-2025)
  • Interactive algorithms
  • Full-text search
  • Bookmarking and notes
  • Content sharing
  • Printable pages
Features
Read full description

The ESC Pocket Guidelines app now contains the following ESC Pocket Guidelines: ESC Guidelines and documents published in 2025 Cardiovascular disease and pregnancy (Guidelines) Mental health and cardiovascular disease (Consensus Statement) Myocarditis and pericarditis (Guidelines) Valvular heart disease (Joint Guidelines with EACTS) Focused update of the 2019 dyslipidaemias guidelines ESC Guidelines published in 2024 Elevated blood pressure and hypertension Atrial fibrillation Chronic coronary syndromes Peripheral arterial and aortic diseases ESC Guidelines and documents published in 2023 Acute coronary syndromes Cardiomyopathies Cardiovascular disease in diabetes Endocarditis Focused update of the 2021 heart failure guidelines The ESC Pocket Guidelines app also contains interactive tools in the form of algorithms. Additional features: Perform „full text", „index" or „filtered" searches through the entire downloaded content of the app, bookmarks and the notes. Bookmark specific sections or create a personal note and access bookmarks and notes from the „Library“ section. Share links to specific areas of the app via communication channels, e.g. AirDrop, Mail, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and many others. Print pages. Please follow the link below to register for a new MyESC account: https://escol.escardio.org/MyESC/login.aspx

About

CSWG App

This medical app provides three distinct calculators for clinical decision-making in cardiogenic shock. It helps assess shock stage, mortality risk, invasive hemodynamic parameters, and shock phenotypes for optimized patient care.

Highlights
  • Shock Stage Calculator
  • Invasive Hemodynamics Calculator
  • Congestion Profile Tracking
  • Shock Phenotype Calculator
  • Mortality Rate Predictions
  • Hemodynamic Parameter Calculations
Features
Read full description

The CSWG App is a comprehensive tool with three distinct parts and provides valuable calculators to assist clinical decision-making. Part 1: Cardiogenic Shock Working Group Shock Stage Calculator The first page of the app features the Cardiogenic Shock Working Group Shock Stage Calculator. This calculator utilizes the CSWG-SCAI shock stage classification system to determine the severity of cardiogenic shock. It provides an accurate assessment of the shock stage, along with the predicted mortality rate for each stage. Additionally, the calculator presents separate mortality predictions for myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock (MI-CS) and heart failure-related cardiogenic shock (HF-CS). Furthermore, it offers a predicted probability of stage escalation. Part 2: Invasive Hemodynamics Calculator The second page of the app houses the Invasive Hemodynamics Calculator. This powerful tool enables healthcare professionals to calculate various important parameters related to hemodynamics. With this calculator, users can determine parameters such as cardiac output using the Fick method, cardiac index, cardiac power output, cardiac power index, pulse pressure, aortic pulsatility index, systemic vascular resistance, mean pulmonary artery pressure, right atrial pressure/pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, pulmonary artery pulsatility index, right ventricular stroke work index, transpulmonary gradient, and diastolic pulmonary gradient. Additionally, the calculator generates a graph that plots left heart filling pressure (PCWP) and right heart filling pressure (CVP or RAP) to aid in the classification of parameters into categories such as "LV congestion," "RV congestion," "Hypovolemic," and "BiV Congestion." Part 3:Congestion Profile Tracking Plot left heart filling pressure (PCWP) and right heart filling pressure (CVP or RAP) to aid in the classification of parameters into categories such as "LV congestion," "RV congestion," "Hypovolemic," and "BiV Congestion." Plot points longitudinally to see trends over time. Part 4: CSWG-SCAI Shock Phenotype Calculator The final part of the app is the CSWG-SCAI Shock Phenotype Calculator. This calculator is designed to determine the shock phenotype based on specific characteristics and clinical indicators. It classifies the shock phenotype into three categories: phenotype I (non-congested), phenotype II (cardio-renal), and phenotype III (cardiometabolic). Additionally, the calculator provides a predicted in-hospital mortality rate for each phenotype, aiding clinicians in risk stratification and treatment planning. The CSWG App for iOS consolidates essential calculators and predictive capabilities in a user-friendly interface, offering a valuable resource for healthcare professionals involved in the management of cardiogenic shock. By facilitating accurate assessments, providing hemodynamic insights, and assisting in the determination of shock phenotypes, this app aims to optimize patient care and outcomes in the challenging context of cardiogenic shock. Please note that this app only presents data published in the literature and should not be a substitute for clinical decision making. The treating clinician/team should use their judgement and experience in clinical decision making.

Screenshots

ESC Pocket Guidelines4 screens
CSWG App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CSWG App at every 5 days against ESC Pocket Guidelines's every 4 months. CSWG App also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). ESC Pocket Guidelines's advantage is ratings volume (841 vs 12) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CSWG App holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESC Pocket Guidelines has 841 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ESC Pocket Guidelines ships an update every 4 months, CSWG App every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and August 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ESC Pocket Guidelines versus CSWG App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterESC Pocket GuidelinesCSWG App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (841 ratings)5.0 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings841 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB2 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperESC - European Society of CardiologyNavin Kapur

Customer experience

ESC Pocket Guidelines

All ratings841 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive50.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative47.5%

CSWG App

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

ESC Pocket Guidelines

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes on iPad and iPhone devices
  • Login authentication failures
  • White blank page display
  • App crashes when opening pathways
  • Guidelines not appearing in downloaded folder
Show 3 more
  • App incompatible with older iOS versions
  • Slow and sluggish performance
  • Full screen not supported on iPad Mini 6

Requested features

5 requests
  • Update to support iPad Mini 6 resolution
  • Include 2023 ESC Congress updates
  • Remove or make sign-in optional
  • Improve font size and design for better readability
  • Add new guidelines (e.g., 2013 stable angina guidelines)

CSWG App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ESC Pocket Guidelines

No in-app purchases

None

CSWG App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ESC Pocket Guidelines free?
ESC Pocket Guidelines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CSWG App free?
CSWG App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ESC Pocket Guidelines or CSWG App?
CSWG App is rated higher. ESC Pocket Guidelines averages 4.8 out of 5 from 841 ratings, while CSWG App averages 5.0 from 12 ratings.
Do ESC Pocket Guidelines or CSWG App have ads?
Neither ESC Pocket Guidelines nor CSWG App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ESC Pocket Guidelines or CSWG App?
ESC Pocket Guidelines ships an update every 4 months, and CSWG App every 5 days. Most recently, ESC Pocket Guidelines was updated on September 21, 2026 and CSWG App on August 7, 2026.

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