Mosby's Drug Reference vs DrDrugs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
DrDrugs
This medical reference app provides comprehensive drug information, including over 1,400 monographs and 700 dosing calculators. It focuses on safe practice and patient care, offering audio pronunciations and updated content for various patient populations and high-alert medications.
- 1,400+ drug monographs
- 700+ built-in dosing calculators
- Audio pronunciations for 1200+ drugs
- NDC codes for 1300+ monographs
- BEERS, REMS, and NDC indices
- Pediatric, geriatric, and OB dosing
- High Alert Medication identification
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"Try before you buy" – Download the FREE app, which includes sample content. An in-App purchase is required to unlock all content. Davis’s Drug Guide for Physicians, 20th Edition is a trusted drug reference designed for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. It delivers essential information needed to prescribe and manage medications safely across the lifespan. The guide features well-organized monographs for hundreds of generic drugs and thousands of trade names, emphasizing clinical prescribing, monitoring, administration, and patient management. This comprehensive resource enhances patient safety with high-alert medication markers, life-threatening side effects highlighted in red bold text, REMS icons for high-risk drugs, and detailed guidance on drug interactions. It also includes special considerations for pediatric, geriatric, pregnancy, lactation, and reproductive-age patients. The 20th Edition provides comprehensive prescribing information physicians need to deliver optimal patient care. DrDrugs includes 700+ built-in drug dosing calculation tools, enabling users to review a drug, calculate dosage, and administer medication seamlessly within a single workflow. Comprehensive coverage on 1,400+ drug monographs including more than: - 5,000 trade & generic drugs as well as expanded coverage of herbal products - 150 drug classifications, both therapeutic and pharmacologic (if available) - 500 commonly used combination drugs, including the dosage amount of the active generic ingredient - Most complete life-span drug dosing considerations for adult, pediatric, & geriatric patients Coverage on vulnerable populations including: - New indications & dosing recommendations for top 100 pediatric drugs - Pediatric, geriatric & OB medication administration considerations - A complete immunization schedule - Special techniques for administering medications to children - Oral rehydration solutions - Drugs and breast feeding - List of drugs associated with increased number of falls in the elderly More High Alert Coverage and Patient Safety Information than any other drug guide including: - Special highlights to identify High Alert Medications with high risks for patient injury & information throughout the monograph that explain what the physician can do to ensure patient safety - “Do not confuse with" & "Do not crush, break, or chew" caution statements highlighted to support safe practice - Information on how to prevent administration errors, detect dosing & dispensing errors & detect or prevent adverse drug reactions (ADR)s. - Explanations on how to administer medication safely by all routes–including signs and symptoms for toxicity & overdose, safe handling tips & how to educate patients for safe medication use in the home Plus integrated dosing calculators-700+ built in weight-based drug dosing calculation tools, simply review a drug, calculate the dose & administer all in a single step, without needing to switch to a separate drug dosing program. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Purchase a yearly auto-renewing subscription for full content access and updates. • Yearly auto-renewing subscription: $38.99 Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon purchase confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Users can manage subscriptions and disable auto-renewal anytime through device Settings > iTunes & App Store. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited upon subscription purchase where applicable. If you have any questions or comments, email us any time: customersupport@skyscape.com or call 508-299-3000 Privacy Policy- https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/privacypolicy.aspx Terms & Conditions- https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/licenseagreement.aspx Author(s): Cynthia A. Sanoski Publisher: F. A. Davis Company
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Mosby's Drug Reference at none against DrDrugs's shown. Mosby's Drug Reference also leads on ratings volume (235 vs 33). DrDrugs's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 32%) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 9 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Mosby's Drug Reference sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $45.99 per year and DrDrugs sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Mosby's Drug Reference against 4.5 for DrDrugs. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mosby's Drug Reference has 235 ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 32% of Mosby's Drug Reference's written reviews are positive against 60% of DrDrugs's.
Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, DrDrugs every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mosby's Drug Reference | DrDrugs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (235 ratings) — better | 4.5 (33 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.8% of reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 235 — better | 33 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Unbound Medicine, Inc. | Skyscape Medpresso Inc |
Customer experience
Mosby's Drug Reference
DrDrugs
In-app purchases
Mosby's Drug Reference
- Mosby's Drug Reference14 Days trial$45.991 Year
DrDrugs
- Drug Guide-Physicians 1/M Sub$3.991 Month
- 25% off Limited Period Offer$29.491 Year
- 20% off Limited Period Offer$31.491 Year
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- 15% off Limited Period offer$33.491 Year
- Drug Guide-Physicians 1/Y Sub$38.991 Year
- Drug Guide for Physicians,17Ed$49.99
Questions
Is Mosby's Drug Reference free?
Is DrDrugs free?
Which has better reviews, Mosby's Drug Reference or DrDrugs?
Do Mosby's Drug Reference or DrDrugs have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mosby's Drug Reference or DrDrugs?
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