Comparison

QuickEM vs Surgical Recall

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

Head to head
About

QuickEM

This emergency medicine reference app provides clinicians with instant access to critical information, including differentials, treatments, and validated medical calculators. It's designed for rapid lookup of ED-specific care, organized by chief complaints and clinical categories, and works completely offline.

Highlights
  • 80+ chief complaint topics
  • 90+ medical calculators
  • Offline access
  • No login or ads
  • Adult and pediatric coverage
  • Evidence-based content
  • Customizable favorites
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The Essential Emergency Medicine Reference Trusted by Clinicians QuickEM is the comprehensive bedside companion designed by emergency physicians for emergency physicians. Whether you're a medical student on your first ED rotation or an attending managing a busy department, QuickEM delivers the critical information you need—instantly. Built for Real Emergency Medicine • Over 80 chief complaint topics with differentials, history, tests, and treatments focused on ED-specific care • Over 90 validated medical calculators / tools • No login required • Zero fluff—only ED-relevant information Organized by How You Think • Chief complaints structured by presentation • Calculators grouped by clinical category • Smart search finds tools • Customizable favorites list for your go-to references Trusted by Every Level • Medical Students: Essential differentials and workup basics • Residents: Quick access to decision rules and scoring systems • Attendings: Rapid reference for less common presentations and 2nd brain refreshers Key Features: • Complete offline access—works without internet • No ads, no subscriptions, no account required • Covers adult and pediatric emergency medicine • Includes trauma protocols and resuscitation guides • Evidence-based content with source citations • Professional medical illustrations and ECG examples Content Highlights: • Cardiovascular: HEART Score, CHADS2-VASc, Wells Criteria • Neurological: NIHSS, Canadian Head CT Rules, HINTS Exam • Trauma: NEXUS, Canadian C-Spine, PECARN • Pediatrics: PEDS Vitals, Croup Score, Bronchiolitis • Toxicology: Rumack-Matthew, CIWA-Ar, Anion Gap • And more! Developed by practicing emergency physicians who understand what you need at 3 AM with multiple critical patients. QuickEM is designed to be the fastest way to look up the info you need. This app is designed exclusively for medical professionals and students. Not intended for patient or public use.

About

Surgical Recall

This app offers a rapid-fire Q&A format for surgical rotations and shelf exam preparation. It provides accurate, high-yield questions and answers, updated with the latest advances, and includes features like mnemonics and 3D vignette chess for enhanced learning.

Highlights
  • Rapid-fire Q&A format
  • 3D Surgical Vignette Chess
  • Mnemonics and procedure tips
  • Chapter-end reviews
  • Pre/post tests
  • Two-column formatting
Features
Read full description

"Try before you buy" - Download the FREE App, which includes sample content. In-App purchase required to unlock all content. Surgical Recall, 10th Edition is the ultimate on-the-go resource for surgical rotations and shelf exam prep. This rapid-fire Q&A guide delivers fast, accurate answers to high-yield questions across general surgery and subspecialties. Updated with the latest advances, it features 3D Surgical Vignette Chess, mnemonics, procedure tips, and strategic two-column formatting. With chapter-end reviews and pre/post tests, it helps learners assess mastery and build confidence in clinical and OR settings. An ideal resource for learning on the go, Surgical Recall, 10th Edition, provides accurate, on-the-spot answers to the questions you’re most likely to encounter during rotations and on the shelf exam. Dr. Lorne H. Blackbourne and a team of student reviewers have updated this bestselling guide to include the latest advances in both general surgery and surgical subspecialities—all in a rapid-fire question-and-answer format that prepares you for success on exams and beyond. - Provides Rapid-Fire Reviews at the end of most chapters, while a pre- and post-book test evaluate your knowledge, determine your level of mastery, and identify areas for further focus - Contains Three-Dimensional Surgical Vignette Chess in a unique, three-column format for practice in handling patient scenarios and to assess knowledge for USMLE and shelf exams - Includes Surgical Overview and Background sections that offer practice advice and tricks of the trade - Features hundreds of mnemonics, acronyms, tips, prompts, and hints help you master and retain essential knowledge - Uses a strategic two-column format and concise procedure descriptions to prepare you for active participation in the operating suite Content licensed from printed edition ISBN 10: 1975212487 Content licensed from printed edition ISBN 13: 9781975212483 SUBSCRIPTION : Please purchase a yearly auto-renewing subscription to receive content access and continuous updates. Your subscription automatically renews every year, so you always have the latest content. Yearly auto-renewing payments- $47.99 Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Subscription may be managed by the user and auto-renewal can be disabled at any time by going to your device “Settings” and tapping “iTunes & App Store”. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. If you have any questions or comments, email us any time: support@skyscape.com or call 508-299-3000 Privacy Policy - https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/privacypolicy.aspx Terms and Conditions - https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/licenseagreement.aspx Author(s): Lorne H. Blackbourne Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Screenshots

QuickEM4 screens
Surgical Recall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: QuickEM at 91% against Surgical Recall's 0%. QuickEM also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). Surgical Recall's advantage is price (Free vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On ratings volume, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Surgical Recall is free to download; QuickEM costs $9.99 up front. QuickEM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Surgical Recall sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $35.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

QuickEM holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of QuickEM's written reviews are positive against 0% of Surgical Recall's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

QuickEM ships an update every 2 months, Surgical Recall every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
QuickEM versus Surgical Recall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQuickEMSurgical Recall
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (10 ratings) — better4.4 (13 ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1013 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#101 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB147 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperDirkes Medical, PLLCSkyscape Medpresso Inc

Customer experience

QuickEM

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative0.0%

Surgical Recall

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

QuickEM

One-time1
  • Premium Features$2.99
5 purchases

Surgical Recall

Subscriptions4
  • 25% off for Limited Period$35.491 Year
  • 20% Off for Limited Period$37.491 Year
  • 15% Off for Limited Period$39.951 Year
Show 1 more
  • Surgical Recall 1 Year Sub$47.991 Year
One-time1
  • Surgical Recall$46.99

Questions

Is QuickEM free?
QuickEM costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Surgical Recall free?
Surgical Recall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, QuickEM or Surgical Recall?
QuickEM is rated higher. QuickEM averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Surgical Recall averages 4.4 from 13 ratings.
Do QuickEM or Surgical Recall have ads?
Surgical Recall shows ads; QuickEM does not.
Which is updated more often, QuickEM or Surgical Recall?
QuickEM ships an update every 2 months, and Surgical Recall every 9 months. Most recently, QuickEM was updated on November 6, 2026 and Surgical Recall on November 4, 2026.

Other comparisons