Comparison

PEPID® vs boostEM

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

Head to head
About

PEPID®

Provides healthcare professionals with essential tools for patient care, including a vast drug database, medical calculators, and visual aids. Content is regularly updated and clinically independent, offering reliable information for various medical roles.

Highlights
  • Largest drug database
  • Medical calculators
  • High-res pill photos
  • Clinical illustrations
  • Regularly updated information
  • Independent clinical content
Features
Read full description

PEPID gives healthcare professionals all the tools they need to treat patients at the scene, en route and/or by the bedside. With just a few taps, access the largest drug database on the market, medical calculators, high-res pill photos, illustrations, and much more! -- Updated regularly, so you can be sure you have the most current information available -- Independent clinical content from 12 leading healthcare associations, including the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians and the Family Physicians Inquiries Network -- Suites available for physicians, nurses, students, residents, pharmacists, EMTs and paramedics, and more Have questions, issues or feedback? Contact us at support@pepid.com.

About

boostEM

A medical calculator for emergency physicians, offering over 60 clinical decision rules and rapid medication doses. Includes tools like a pupillometer and visual acuity chart, functioning offline without ads.

Highlights
  • 60+ clinical decision rule calculators
  • Rapid medication doses
  • Pupillometer
  • Estimated gestational age calculator
  • Visual acuity chart
  • Offline functionality
Read full description

boostEM is a medical calculator designed from the ground-up for emergency physicians. The app is designed to be the fastest tool in your pocket for clinical decision rules in the emergency room. • Score calculators for over 60 clinical decision rules • Rapid medication doses • Tools including pupillometer, estimated gestational age, visual acuity (Snellen chart), and optokinetic drum • No internet connection required • No ads Examples of clinical decision rules included: • Critical Care: CURB-65, PESI, PORT, Ranson's, Well's, ABG calculator • Cardiology: HEART, CHADS2Vasc, Brugada, Sgarbossa, TIMI • Trauma: Canadian rules, NEXUS, PECARN, Parkland, GCS • Pediatrics: bilirubin tool for neonatal jaundice, Centor, respiratory score • Neurology: NIH stroke scale, ABCD2, MMSE • Toxicology: osmolal gap, modified Rumack-Matthews If you like this app, please give it a good review and spread the word! Please email us with suggestions. Note: This application is designed for medical professionals only. It is not for use by the lay public or non-specialists. In addition, dosing of medications is designed as a guide and should be verified prior to administration. This medication guide is not designed for patients with organ failure, immunocompromised states, other significant comorbidities, or extremes of age. Information provided in this app does not supercede appropriate clinical judgement.

Screenshots

PEPID®3 screens
boostEM4 screens

Verdict

The call

PEPID® and boostEM both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of boostEM's written reviews are positive against 45% of PEPID®'s. boostEM also leads on iOS requirement (7.1 vs 15.6). PEPID®'s advantage is ratings volume (2.9K vs 9). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

PEPID® holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PEPID® has 2.9K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of PEPID®'s written reviews are positive against 100% of boostEM's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PEPID® ships an update every 5 weeks, boostEM every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PEPID® versus boostEM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPEPID®boostEM
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.9K ratings) — better4.6 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews45.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.9K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.67.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB20 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperPEPID, LLCDirkes Medical, PLLC

Customer experience

PEPID®

All ratings2,900 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive45.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative52.1%

boostEM

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PEPID®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on login or launch
  • Content fails to download
  • Incompatible with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved search functionality
  • More calculators and tools
  • Automatic content updates
  • Ability to use on multiple devices with single subscription

boostEM

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PEPID®

No in-app purchases

None

boostEM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PEPID® free?
PEPID® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is boostEM free?
boostEM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PEPID® or boostEM?
PEPID® is rated higher. PEPID® averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while boostEM averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.
Do PEPID® or boostEM have ads?
Neither PEPID® nor boostEM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PEPID® or boostEM?
PEPID® ships an update every 5 weeks, and boostEM every 3 weeks. Most recently, PEPID® was updated on November 1, 2026 and boostEM on November 1, 2026.

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