# Mosby's Drug Reference vs Mosby's Pocket Dictionary

The clearest difference is ads: Mosby's Drug Reference at none against Mosby's Pocket Dictionary's shown. Mosby's Drug Reference also leads on ratings volume (234 vs 4). Mosby's Pocket Dictionary's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mosby's Drug Reference sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $45.99 per year and Mosby's Pocket Dictionary sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. 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 Mosby's Pocket Dictionary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mosby's Drug Reference has 234 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, Mosby's Pocket Dictionary every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mosby's Drug Reference | Mosby's Pocket Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (234 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mosbys-drug-reference/id959042883/reviews)** | [4.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mosbys-pocket-dictionary/id1316418001/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **234** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 31.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 7 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) | [Skyscape Medpresso Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/818609416) |

## What reviewers say

### Mosby's Drug Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mosbys-drug-reference/id959042883)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mosby's Drug Reference | $45.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great reference for nursing students
- 👍 Reliable resource for medication information
- 👍 Invaluable for looking up drugs quickly
- 👍 Helpful for answering patient questions
- 👍 Easy and best to use mobile drug reference

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Routinely does not have drugs
- 😞 Not for Canadian market
- 😞 Not categorized and searchable
- 😞 Cannot customize info display
- 😞 Most patients' meds weren't there

**Reported bugs**

- Every time I search norco or hydrocodone hydrochlorothiazide comes up

**Requested features**

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


### Mosby's Pocket Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mosbys-pocket-dictionary/id1316418001)

This medical dictionary app provides over 33,000 definitions for diseases, procedures, and drugs, with a strong focus on nursing and health science terminology. It offers pronunciations, etymologies, and quick access through alphabetized thumb tabs. An in-app purchase unlocks all content.

**Highlights:** Over 33,000 medical definitions, Focus on nursing and health science, Pronunciations and etymologies, Intuitive A-to-Z organization, Alphabetized thumb tabs, Spanish/English appendix, Updated terminology

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25% Off for Limited Period | $29.99 | per year |
| 20% Off for Limited Period | $31.99 | per year |
| 15% off for Limited Period | $33.99 | per year |
| Mosby's Pkt Dictionary 1Y Sub | $39.99 | per year |
| Mosby's Pocket Dictionary | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mosby's Drug Reference free?

Mosby's Drug Reference is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mosby's Pocket Dictionary free?

Mosby's Pocket Dictionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Mosby's Drug Reference or Mosby's Pocket Dictionary?

Mosby's Drug Reference is rated higher. Mosby's Drug Reference averages 4.6 out of 5 from 234 ratings, while Mosby's Pocket Dictionary averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.

### Do Mosby's Drug Reference or Mosby's Pocket Dictionary have ads?

Mosby's Pocket Dictionary shows ads; Mosby's Drug Reference does not.

### Which is updated more often, Mosby's Drug Reference or Mosby's Pocket Dictionary?

Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, and Mosby's Pocket Dictionary every 7 months. Most recently, Mosby's Drug Reference was updated on October 21, 2026 and Mosby's Pocket Dictionary on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*