NICU Fluids vs Simple Ballard Score
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NICU Fluids
This medical calculator helps healthcare professionals quickly and accurately compute IV fluid rates, glucose infusion rates, and electrolyte levels for neonates. It's designed for nurses, students, and physicians caring for critically ill infants.
- GIR calculator (single or multiple drips)
- Electrolyte calculator (single or multiple drips)
- FENa calculator
- Accurate calculations for neonates
- Developed by a neonatal-perinatal fellow
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NICU Fluids is a fast, clean set of calculators for clinicians managing intravenous fluids in neonates and children. Three tools, one tap apart. Electrolytes Enter the patient's weight, then add each drip with its dextrose, rate, NaCl, NaAcetate, and K. Results update as you type: GIR in mg/kg/min, total fluids in mL/kg/day, and sodium, chloride, acetate, and potassium in mEq/kg/day. Turn on calcium and magnesium for two more columns with gluconate and sulfate equivalents. Presets follow whichever field you're in, so NS, ½NS, ¼NS, and the acetate strengths are one tap away. Start with a single drip and add up to six. GIR A dedicated glucose infusion rate screen for when that's all you need. Up to eight drips, dextrose presets, and a solver that takes a target GIR and concentration and gives you the mL/hr, with the option to account for drips already running. FENa Enter serum and urine sodium and creatinine to get fractional excretion of sodium, with a plain-language interpretation. Switch between neonate and child/adult thresholds, since term neonates run higher at baseline, and see a reminder about diuretics and preterm variability. Also included -Results rounded to two decimal places, shown in blue so nothing reads as an abnormal flag -Light and dark themes, eight accent colors, fourteen font choices, and adjustable text size -No account, no ads, no data collection. Everything stays on your device. Formulas GIR (mg/kg/min) = Σ (% dextrose × mL/hr) ÷ (6 × weight in kg) Total fluids (mL/kg/day) = Σ mL/hr × 24 ÷ weight in kg Electrolyte (mEq/kg/day) = mEq/L × mL/hr × 24 ÷ 1000 ÷ weight in kg FENa (%) = (UNa × PCr) ÷ (PNa × UCr) × 100 NICU Fluids is a calculation aid for licensed healthcare professionals and does not replace clinical judgment, institutional protocols, or verification of orders.
Simple Ballard Score
Quickly estimate a newborn's gestational age with this straightforward tool. Designed for trained medical professionals, it offers an easy and accurate assessment without unnecessary features.
- Estimate gestational age
- Easy to use
- Accurate assessment
- Designed for medical personnel
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Use Simple Ballard Score to quickly and easily estimate the gestational age of any newborn baby. Without menus to navigate, options to choose, or features you don't need, Simple Ballard Score provides the easiest way to accurately assess newborn gestational ages. Disclaimer: This app is intended only for trained medical personnel practiced in Ballard scoring newborn infants. If attempting to use this app without proper training, please consult with a properly educated medical provider.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NICU Fluids at 4.3 against Simple Ballard Score's 1.0. NICU Fluids also leads on ratings volume (7 vs 1). Simple Ballard Score's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 158 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NICU Fluids holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NICU Fluids has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
NICU Fluids ships an update every 158 months, Simple Ballard Score every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NICU Fluids | Simple Ballard Score |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (7 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 158 months | Every 6 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Atlas Software Solutions LLC | David Patton |
Customer experience
NICU Fluids
Simple Ballard Score
In-app purchases
NICU Fluids
No in-app purchases
Simple Ballard Score
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NICU Fluids free?
Is Simple Ballard Score free?
Which has better reviews, NICU Fluids or Simple Ballard Score?
Do NICU Fluids or Simple Ballard Score have ads?
Which is updated more often, NICU Fluids or Simple Ballard Score?
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