Comparison

NICU Fluids vs Simple Ballard Score

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • GIR calculator (single or multiple drips)
  • Electrolyte calculator (single or multiple drips)
  • FENa calculator
  • Accurate calculations for neonates
  • Developed by a neonatal-perinatal fellow
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Estimate gestational age
  • Easy to use
  • Accurate assessment
  • Designed for medical personnel
Features
Read full description

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

NICU Fluids3 screens
Simple Ballard Score3 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NICU Fluids versus Simple Ballard Score: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNICU FluidsSimple Ballard Score
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (7 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 158 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB6 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAtlas Software Solutions LLCDavid Patton

Customer experience

NICU Fluids

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Simple Ballard Score

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

NICU Fluids

No in-app purchases

None

Simple Ballard Score

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NICU Fluids free?
NICU Fluids is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Ballard Score free?
Simple Ballard Score is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NICU Fluids or Simple Ballard Score?
NICU Fluids is rated higher. NICU Fluids averages 4.3 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Simple Ballard Score averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NICU Fluids or Simple Ballard Score have ads?
Neither NICU Fluids nor Simple Ballard Score shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NICU Fluids or Simple Ballard Score?
NICU Fluids ships an update every 158 months, and Simple Ballard Score every 6 months. Most recently, NICU Fluids was updated on October 23, 2026 and Simple Ballard Score on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons