# Mosby's Drug Reference vs PTCB

The clearest difference is update cadence: PTCB at every 2 weeks against Mosby's Drug Reference's every 9 months. PTCB also leads on review sentiment (45% vs 32%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Mosby's Drug Reference's advantage is chart position (#182 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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 PTCB sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 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 4.7 for PTCB. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 235 and 557 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 32% of Mosby's Drug Reference's written reviews are positive against 45% of PTCB's.

Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, PTCB every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mosby's Drug Reference | PTCB |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (235 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mosbys-drug-reference/id959042883/reviews) | **[4.7 (557 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ptcb/id1558309982/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 235 | **557** |
| Positive reviews | 31.8% of reviews | **45.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#182** | — |
| Size | 9 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Unbound Medicine, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/300420400) | [MastrAPI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618627725) |

## What reviewers say

### Mosby's Drug Reference

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

**Currently charting:** #182 Top Grossing · Medical (US App Store)

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 |


### PTCB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ptcb/id1558309982)

Prepare for your Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam with a personalized study plan. Practice with over 500 questions covering key knowledge domains and track your progress with detailed statistics. Boost your confidence to pass the exam on your first attempt.

**Highlights:** Personalized study plan, 500+ practice questions, Track strengths and weaknesses, Detailed test statistics, Compare scores to community average, Covers key pharmacy knowledge domains

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PTCB Pharmacy Technician | $24.99 | per month |
| Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Detailed explanations for answers
- 👍 Helps users learn material
- 👍 Organizes study material
- 👍 Engaging and motivating study tool
- 👍 Good for test preparation

**What reviewers complain about**

-  repetitive questions
-  repetitive questions
-  repetitive questions
-  repetitive questions
-  poorly formatted math explanations

**Reported bugs**

- App does not update questions
- App does not work after purchase
- Charged for free trial

**Requested features**

- Update app questions regularly
- Improve formatting of math explanations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mosby's Drug Reference free?

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

### Is PTCB free?

PTCB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

PTCB is rated higher. Mosby's Drug Reference averages 4.6 out of 5 from 235 ratings, while PTCB averages 4.7 from 557 ratings.

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

Neither Mosby's Drug Reference nor PTCB shows ads.

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

Mosby's Drug Reference ships an update every 9 months, and PTCB every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mosby's Drug Reference was updated on October 15, 2026 and PTCB on October 12, 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.*