# Mosby's Drug Reference vs Drug Explorer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drug Explorer at none against Mosby's Drug Reference's 1. Drug Explorer also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (13.6 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Drug Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, Drug Explorer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mosby's Drug Reference | Drug Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (235 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mosbys-drug-reference/id959042883/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **235** | — |
| Positive reviews | 31.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) | [Gerd Bodlaj](https://appshunter.io/developer/1493805055) |

## 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


### Drug Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drug-explorer/id1493805056)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mosby's Drug Reference free?

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

### Is Drug Explorer free?

Drug Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Mosby's Drug Reference or Drug Explorer have ads?

Neither Mosby's Drug Reference nor Drug Explorer shows ads.

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

Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, and Drug Explorer every 9 days. Most recently, Mosby's Drug Reference was updated on October 24, 2026 and Drug Explorer on October 16, 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.*