Guide to Diagnostic Tests vs Explain Medicine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Guide to Diagnostic Tests
Access evidence-based information on over 450 diagnostic tests, including lab work, imaging, and therapeutic monitoring. This resource helps healthcare professionals quickly find answers to common questions about test selection, interpretation, and patient preparation.
- 450+ diagnostic tests
- Evidence-based recommendations
- Algorithms, tables, and charts
- PubMed links
- Custom notes and highlighting
- Full-text search
- Favorites for bookmarking
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ABOUT GUIDE TO DIAGNOSTIC TESTS Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, provides immediate, evidence-based information on the selection and interpretation of commonly used laboratory and electrocardiographic tests, diagnostic imaging, and therapeutic monitoring. Including more than 450 updated diagnostic tests, this mobile resource is ideal for answering questions encountered daily by physicians, nurses, students, and other healthcare professionals, such as: • Which test is best to diagnose or follow a patient’s condition? • What is the correct interpretation of an abnormal diagnostic test? • How do I collect the appropriate specimen or prepare the patient for testing? • Where can I find more information on this test in the medical literature? FEATURES • 450+ updated laboratory and diagnostic tests • Evidence-based recommendations • New and updated coverage of emerging and re-emerging pathogens and infectious agents • Extensive use of algorithms, tables, and charts • PubMed links directly to journal citations and available articles • Highlight and make custom notes within any entry • Full Text Search – find topics across from any entry • ‘Favorites’ for bookmarking important entries Editors: Diana Nicoll, MD, PhD, MPA; Chuanyi Mark Lu, MD; Stephen J. McPhee, MD Publisher: McGraw Hill Powered by: Unbound Medicine
Explain Medicine
A quick medical reference for professionals and students, offering evidence-based explanations for over 700 diseases. Ideal for rapid information retrieval during rounds or exam preparation.
- Medical reference for professionals
- Explanations for over 700 diseases
- Evidence-based information
- Fast and easy to use
- Designed for students
- Quick answers for rounds
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Explain Medicine is a fast, easy-to-use medical reference designed for busy professionals and students. Get straight-to-the-point, evidence-based explanations on over 700 diseases without the fluff. Whether you need a quick answer on rounds or are cramming for an exam, we've got your back. IMPORTANT: Explain Medicine is a medical reference designed for use by medical professionals and students. It is not intended for use by patients or for self-diagnosis.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Explain Medicine at none against Guide to Diagnostic Tests's 1. Explain Medicine also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months). Guide to Diagnostic Tests's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Guide to Diagnostic Tests sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Explain Medicine asks for nothing beyond the download.
Guide to Diagnostic Tests holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 13 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Guide to Diagnostic Tests's written reviews are positive against 33% of Explain Medicine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Guide to Diagnostic Tests ships an update every 9 months, Explain Medicine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Guide to Diagnostic Tests | Explain Medicine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (35 ratings) — better | 4.2 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 89 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Unbound Medicine, Inc. | Medical Joyworks LLC |
Customer experience
Guide to Diagnostic Tests
Explain Medicine
In-app purchases
Guide to Diagnostic Tests
- Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests$54.99
Explain Medicine
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Guide to Diagnostic Tests free?
Is Explain Medicine free?
Which has better reviews, Guide to Diagnostic Tests or Explain Medicine?
Do Guide to Diagnostic Tests or Explain Medicine have ads?
Which is updated more often, Guide to Diagnostic Tests or Explain Medicine?
Other comparisons
