Comparison

RNotes® vs NurseBrain® Synapse

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

Head to head
About

RNotes®

This clinical reference app provides nurses and students with quick access to essential medical information, including guidelines, procedures, and exam preparation tools. It features full-color images, charts, and customizable notes to enhance patient care and learning.

Highlights
  • Quick-reference clinical nursing information
  • Updated AHA guidelines
  • Full-color images and charts
  • NCLEX exam topic indicators
  • Step-by-step procedures and assessment guidance
  • Customizable notes and highlights
  • Nursing alerts for critical safety information
Features
Read full description

** The essential clinical companion for nurses and students ** ABOUT RNOTES® RNotes is a quick-reference application that puts the latest clinically-focused nursing information at your fingertips, helping you improve patient care. Find answers fast by browsing or searching, then review clinical findings, collaborative management, and quick-read information along with full-color images and charts. The latest edition also helps students prepare for the NCLEX examinations by noting topics that are covered on the exam. FEATURES • Answers to the questions faced in clinical rotations • Updated AHA guidelines • Full-color images and figures • NCLEX icons indicating topics found on licensure exam • Step-by-step procedures and enhanced physical assessment guidance • Details for interpreting ECG, lab values, priority interventions, and more • Convenient tables and charts for finding information quickly • Ability to make custom notes and highlights within entries • Nursing alerts highlighting critical safety information • “Favorites” for bookmarking important topics Author: Ehren Myers Publisher: F.A. Davis Powered by: Unbound Medicine Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

About

NurseBrain® Synapse

This app digitizes nursing report sheets, allowing nurses to manage their entire shift from a single, connected platform. It helps organize patient information, tasks, and notes, facilitating confident handoffs and efficient documentation.

Highlights
  • Customizable digital brain sheets
  • Real-time shift tracking
  • Organized patient handoff views
  • Voice and quick entry documentation
  • Generate progress notes and care plans
  • Cross-device compatibility (phone, watch)
Features
Read full description

Less rewriting. More time for your patients. Nurses already rely on a report sheet or brain sheet to stay organized. NurseBrain® Synapse takes that same workflow and turns it into something you can use throughout your shift, so the information you capture once keeps working for you at report, at the bedside, and at handoff. Instead of juggling paper, memory, and the EHR, everything stays connected in one place. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH NURSEBRAIN SYNAPSE Your brain sheet. Your workflow. Build a brain sheet around the details you actually track. Choose a template for your unit, customize the fields and layout, use it digitally during your shift, or export a clean PDF when you want paper. Stay organized throughout your shift Keep patients, tasks, notes, and handoffs together. See what needs attention now, what is done, and what is coming up next, without relying on memory. Give report without starting from scratch Each patient has a clear, organized view with SBAR, notes, and updates. Everything is already structured, so you are not scrambling when it is time to give report. Capture information as you go Use voice or quick entry to record updates during your shift. No need to remember everything later. Turn your shift into usable notes The information you already captured can be turned into progress notes and care plans, ready to copy into your charting. Share a handoff without retyping Hand off a patient to another NurseBrain Synapse user by QR code. Works the way nurses actually work You are constantly switching between patients, report sheets, and the EHR. NurseBrain Synapse is designed to fit into that reality. Use it at the workstation, on your phone during rounds, or on your watch for quick updates. Built for real nursing shifts Bedside nurses, travel nurses, charge and resource nurses, and nursing students. Secure and nurse-built NurseBrain Synapse is HIPAA-compliant and designed with patient privacy in mind. Built by nurses, based on real workflows, not theory. Free trial, then one subscription Free to download. The Brain Sheet Builder is free to use. Everything else is included in one subscription, and you can start with a free trial. Plans, prices, and trial details are shown in the app before you subscribe. Use fictional examples while you explore. Before adding real patient information, follow your organization's policies. Replace your report sheet and bring structure, clarity, and confidence back to your shift.

Screenshots

RNotes®4 screens
NurseBrain® Synapse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NurseBrain® Synapse at 85% against RNotes®'s 0%. NurseBrain® Synapse also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months). RNotes®'s advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. RNotes® sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and NurseBrain® Synapse sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RNotes® holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 31 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of RNotes®'s written reviews are positive against 85% of NurseBrain® Synapse's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RNotes® ships an update every 7 months, NurseBrain® Synapse weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
RNotes® versus NurseBrain® Synapse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRNotes®NurseBrain® Synapse
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (41 ratings) — better4.1 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews85.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41 — better31
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB146 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Nursebrain LLC

Customer experience

RNotes®

All ratings41 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral4.9%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

NurseBrain® Synapse

All ratings31 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral2.1%
Negative12.8%

Bugs and requests

RNotes®

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

NurseBrain® Synapse

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • App won't let users sign up and make an account
  • Cannot log in after signing up
  • App glitches and won't load
  • Cannot edit active patient list
  • Patient list duplicates entries
Show 2 more
  • Desktop version not functioning
  • Nursing AI feature returns errors

Requested features

4 requests
  • Include more specialties, specifically for outpatients
  • Add a 'Return' button for new lines in text fields
  • Ability to time medications
  • 24-hour clock option

In-app purchases

3 purchases

RNotes®

One-time3
  • RNotes® 4th Edition$29.99
  • RNotes® 5th Edition$29.99
  • RNotes$29.99
3 purchases

NurseBrain® Synapse

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Premium Access7 Days trial$29.991 Month
  • Quarterly Student Access$29.993 Months
  • Yearly Premium Access7 Days trial$149.991 Year

Questions

Is RNotes® free?
RNotes® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NurseBrain® Synapse free?
NurseBrain® Synapse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, RNotes® or NurseBrain® Synapse?
RNotes® is rated higher. RNotes® averages 4.5 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while NurseBrain® Synapse averages 4.1 from 31 ratings.
Do RNotes® or NurseBrain® Synapse have ads?
Neither RNotes® nor NurseBrain® Synapse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RNotes® or NurseBrain® Synapse?
RNotes® ships an update every 7 months, and NurseBrain® Synapse weekly. Most recently, RNotes® was updated on September 24, 2026 and NurseBrain® Synapse on September 29, 2026.

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