# ESC Pocket Guidelines vs Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ESC Pocket Guidelines at none against Sanford Guide Antimicrobial's 3. Sanford Guide Antimicrobial's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 53%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sanford Guide Antimicrobial sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. ESC Pocket Guidelines asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for ESC Pocket Guidelines against 4.8 for Sanford Guide Antimicrobial. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 841 and 1.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of ESC Pocket Guidelines's written reviews are positive against 85% of Sanford Guide Antimicrobial's.

ESC Pocket Guidelines ships an update every 4 months, Sanford Guide Antimicrobial every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ESC Pocket Guidelines | Sanford Guide Antimicrobial |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (841 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esc-pocket-guidelines/id683079599/reviews)** | [4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sanford-guide-antimicrobial/id863196620/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 841 | **1.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 52.9% of reviews | **84.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | **#6** |
| Size | 44 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | +17 | 17+ |
| Developer | [ESC - European Society of Cardiology](https://appshunter.io/developer/440684535) | [Antimicrobial Therapy, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/443442554) |

## What reviewers say

### ESC Pocket Guidelines

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esc-pocket-guidelines/id683079599)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Practical and handy for clinical use
- 📚 Valuable medical information and guidelines
- ⭐ Excellent content quality
- 🎯 Easy to use interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and stability issues
- 🔐 Sign-in system problematic and unnecessary
- 📖 Small font size and poor design readability
- ❌ Missing content topics after updates
- ⚪ Blank white page display issues

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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)


### Sanford Guide Antimicrobial

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sanford-guide-antimicrobial/id863196620)

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

Provides clinicians with concise, evidence-based treatment guidance for infectious diseases. Features interactive tools like spectra charts, drug interaction checkers, and dosing calculators to support rapid decision-making in fast-paced medical settings.

**Highlights:** Clinically actionable answers, Institutionally diverse editorial team, Constant updates, Interactive antibacterial spectra chart, Drug-drug interaction checker, Trustworthy dosing calculators

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| U.S. Vaccine Guidelines | $4.99 | per year |
| Sanford Guide | $39.99 | per year |
| Sanford Guide All Access | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Quick access to information
- 💡 Helpful charts and tables
- 🔍 Comprehensive coverage of infections and treatments
- 📚 Up-to-date content and frequent updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezing
- ⏱️ Slow search function
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Login issues and subscription verification problems

**Reported bugs**

- App freezing or closing unexpectedly
- Login and subscription verification problems
- Corrupted passwords and inability to reset

**Requested features**

- Side-by-side antibiotic susceptibility comparison
- Offline access to content
- Improved navigation and UI


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ESC Pocket Guidelines free?

ESC Pocket Guidelines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sanford Guide Antimicrobial free?

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ESC Pocket Guidelines or Sanford Guide Antimicrobial?

ESC Pocket Guidelines is rated higher. ESC Pocket Guidelines averages 4.8 out of 5 from 841 ratings, while Sanford Guide Antimicrobial averages 4.8 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do ESC Pocket Guidelines or Sanford Guide Antimicrobial have ads?

Neither ESC Pocket Guidelines nor Sanford Guide Antimicrobial shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ESC Pocket Guidelines or Sanford Guide Antimicrobial?

ESC Pocket Guidelines ships an update every 4 months, and Sanford Guide Antimicrobial every 3 weeks. Most recently, ESC Pocket Guidelines was updated on October 23, 2026 and Sanford Guide Antimicrobial on October 23, 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.*