Comparison

Mosby's Drug Reference vs Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference

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

Head to head
About

Mosby's Drug Reference

This app provides healthcare professionals with comprehensive drug information, including actions, usage, dosage, interactions, and side effects. It emphasizes patient safety with Black Box Warnings, Safety Alerts, and information on life-threatening side effects. Features include custom notes, highlights, and quick search functionality.

Highlights
  • Over 5,000 drug listings
  • Black Box Warnings and Safety Alerts
  • Drug action, usage, dosage, interactions, side effects
  • Custom notes and highlights
  • Full text search
  • Appendix of recent FDA-approvals
Features
Read full description

14-Day Free Trial ** Trusted by Health Care Professionals for Over 30 Years ** ABOUT MOSBY’S DRUG REFERENCE Based on the latest edition, Mosby's Drug Reference provides health care professionals with the tools they need to eliminate errors and improve accuracy. Drug monographs feature concise, easy-to-understand information and make finding answers easy with sections on each drug's action, usage, dosage, interactions, side effects, and more. With an emphasis on patient safety, this best-selling app includes Black Box Warnings for dangerous adverse reactions, Safety Alerts for situations requiring special attention, and a focus on life-threatening side effects of 50 common drug classes. FEATURES • More than 5,000 generic and trade-name drugs are profiled • Appendix of recent FDA-approvals • Icons for High Alert and Rarely Used medications • Highlighted Black Box Warnings, safety alerts, and life-threatening side effects • Helpful IV therapy updates • Create custom notes and highlights within entries • 150+ abbreviations listed for practical understanding • Unlabeled uses and help with easily confused drug names • Full Text Search helps find medications quickly • “Favorites” for bookmarking important entries FREE 14-DAY TRIAL: WHAT TO EXPECT • First-time users can access Unbound's complete Mosby's Drug Reference mobile app free for 14 days • After 14 days, your iTunes account will be charged $45.99 for a one-year subscription unless you have turned off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the free trial ends. • To manage your subscriptions, open Apple's “Settings” app and tap on the “iTunes & App Store" entry. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen and login. Tap subscriptions, then tap the subscription you wish to manage. •NOTE: If you choose not to purchase a subscription, content will no longer be viewable after the free trial period. iTunes automatic renewal: Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours prior to the conclusion of your current period. Auto Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged the current renewal rate ($45.99) within 24 hours prior to the end of the subscription period. If you choose not to renew, you will be able to use the app, however will not receive updates. Authors: Linda Skidmore-Roth, RN, MSN, NP Publisher: Elsevier Powered by: Unbound Medicine Unbound Privacy Policy: www.unboundmedicine.com/privacy Unbound Terms of Use: https://www.unboundmedicine.com/end_user_license_agreement

About

Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference

Access comprehensive drug information for nurses, including over 5,000 trade and generic names, FDA-approved drugs, and Black Box Warnings. Features safety alerts, IV administration details, and nursing process frameworks to ensure accurate and safe medication administration.

Highlights
  • 5,000+ drug profiles
  • Black Box Warnings
  • Safety Alert feature
  • IV drug administration details
  • 26 built-in calculators
  • Organized by body system side effects
Features
Read full description

Try Before You Buy – Download the FREE App, which includes sample content. An in-app purchase is required to unlock all content. Based on the 40th print edition, Mosby’s 2027 Nursing Drug Reference gives nurses fast access to essential drug information for safe and accurate medication administration. Trusted by nurses for over 35 years, this comprehensive drug handbook profiles more than 5,000 generic and trade name drugs, including more than 22 new entries for recently FDA-approved medications. The reference emphasizes patient safety with Black Box Warnings, High Alerts for higher-risk drugs, side effects organized by body system and identified as common or life-threatening, and clear coverage of IV drug administration. Complete pharmacokinetic information, alphabetical organization, and both trade and generic indexing make it easy to locate drug information quickly at the point of care. New and updated content provides current guidance on interactions, precautions, alerts, and patient teaching instructions, helping nurses administer medications safely, accurately, and professionally. Selected for 2026 Doody’s Core Titles in Pharmacology Choose the drug handbook trusted by nurses for more than 35 years. From nursing pharmacology expert Linda Skidmore-Roth, Mosby’s 2027 Nursing Drug Reference provides the vital information nurses need on the medications they administer most frequently, with a strong focus on medication safety and clinical practice. New to This Edition * NEW! More than 22 monographs on newly released, FDA-approved drugs provide up-to-date information on the latest drug therapies. * UPDATED! Completely reviewed and revised drug monographs include new interactions, precautions, alerts, patient teaching instructions, and other essential information to help prevent medication errors. Key Features * Information on more than 5,000 generic and trade name drugs covers almost every medication you are likely to encounter in clinical practice. * Black Box Warning feature alerts you to FDA warnings about potentially life-threatening reactions. * Safety Alert icons highlight critical interactions and side effects that require attention. * IV drug administration information is clearly highlighted for easy access to dosage and IV administration instructions. * Side effects are organized by body system and identified as common or life-threatening, helping you recognize signs to monitor during patient assessments. * Nursing Process steps organize nursing care information, helping you apply the nursing process to clinical experiences. * Logical alphabetical organization by generic name, with both trade and generic names in the index, provides quick access to specific drug information. * Complete pharmacokinetic information is summarized in tables and includes drug mechanism, absorption, action, duration, and excretion. Content Information
Content licensed from the printed edition:
ISBN-13: 9780443385476
ISBN-10: 0443385475 Subscription
 Please purchase a yearly auto-renewing subscription to receive content access and available updates. Yearly auto-renewing payment: $44.99 Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage your subscription and disable auto-renewal through your device’s Settings > iTunes & App Store. Any unused portion of a free trial period, where applicable, will be forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Privacy Policy: https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/privacypolicy.aspx
Terms & Conditions: https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/licenseagreement.aspx
Privacy: https://www.skyscape.com/index/privacy.aspx Author: Linda Skidmore-Roth, RN, MSN, NP
 Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences Company

Screenshots

Mosby's Drug Reference4 screens
Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Mosby's Drug Reference at none against Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference's shown. Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference's advantage is review sentiment (54% vs 32%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Mosby's Drug Reference sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $45.99 per year and Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Mosby's Drug Reference against 4.4 for Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 235 and 165 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 32% of Mosby's Drug Reference's written reviews are positive against 54% of Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mosby's Drug Reference versus Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMosby's Drug ReferenceMosby’s Nursing Drug Reference
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (235 ratings) — better4.4 (165 ratings)
Positive reviews31.8% of reviews53.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings235 — better165
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB46 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Skyscape Medpresso Inc

Customer experience

Mosby's Drug Reference

All ratings235 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative59.1%

Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference

All ratings164 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral3.7%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%

Bugs and requests

Mosby's Drug Reference

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Every time I search norco or hydrocodone hydrochlorothiazide comes up

Requested features

3 requests
  • Version for people in the dental field
  • Create an app version for dental drug reference
  • Separate favorites list for users and spouses

Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mosby's Drug Reference

Subscriptions1
  • Mosby's Drug Reference14 Days trial$45.991 Year
6 purchases

Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference

Subscriptions6
  • Mosby Nursing Drug Ref 6/M Sub$29.996 Months
  • 25% Off-Mosby Nursing Drug$33.901 Year
  • Mosby Nursing Drug 1YofferSub$35.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • 20% Off-Mosby Nursing Drug$35.991 Year
  • 15% Off-Mosby Nursing Drug$38.491 Year
  • Mosby Nursing Drug Ref 1Y Sub.$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Mosby's Drug Reference free?
Mosby's Drug Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference free?
Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mosby's Drug Reference or Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference?
Mosby's Drug Reference is rated higher. Mosby's Drug Reference averages 4.6 out of 5 from 235 ratings, while Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference averages 4.4 from 165 ratings.
Do Mosby's Drug Reference or Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference have ads?
Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference shows ads; Mosby's Drug Reference does not.
Which is updated more often, Mosby's Drug Reference or Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference?
Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, and Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference every 3 months. Most recently, Mosby's Drug Reference was updated on October 24, 2026 and Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference on October 24, 2026.

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