USMLE Step 1 Mastery vs Plumb's | Standards
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
USMLE Step 1 Mastery
Prepare for the USMLE Step 1 exam with over 1,800 practice questions, including vignette-style and basic science items. Access extensive audio/video content, mnemonics, definitions, and drug flashcards. Track your performance with in-depth statistics to ensure you achieve your desired results.
- 1,800+ practice questions
- Vignette-style questions
- Basic science questions
- Audio/video content
- Mnemonics and definitions
- Drug flashcards
- Performance statistics
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Got questions? USMLE Step 1 Mastery offers over 1,800 items. Use this best-selling study solution while on breaks at the hospital or between classes. Pass USMLE Step 1 guaranteed, or your money back! Subscribe today and get access to: • 750+ vignette-style practice questions with explanations • 28+ hours of audio/video content, including heart/lung sounds and high-yield lectures. • 1,100+ basic science questions with explanations • 250+ mnemonics • 500+ definitions • 60+ generic drug flashcards • In-depth statistics regarding performance Let USMLE Step 1 Mastery help you achieve the results you have been working towards! Get access to all questions when you subscribe. This app offers two auto-renewing subscription options to help you pass your exam. • 1 Month: one auto-renewing payment of $14.99 • 12 Months: one auto-renewing payment of $59.99 -Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase -Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period -Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal -Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase -Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Our Customer Success Team is available from 9am to 5pm, Monday - Friday (except on major holidays). Call us at 319-246-5271 and email us at support@hltcorp.com with any questions. Privacy Policy - http://builtbyhlt.com/privacy Terms of Conditions - http://builtbyhlt.com/EULA
Plumb's | Standards
This app provides trusted veterinary clinical decision support, integrating comprehensive drug information and treatment guidance. It offers tools for diagnosis, treatment, and client education, designed for veterinary professionals.
- Veterinary drug and dosing information
- Drug interaction checker
- Conversion calculator
- Diagnosis and treatment monographs
- Management algorithms
- Differential diagnosis lists
- Client education handouts
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Welcome to Standards of Care, the veterinary clinical decision support tool from the team behind Plumb’s and Clinician’s Brief, with Plumb’s built in. Subscribed to Plumb’s? If you’re subscribed to the veterinary drug reference, Plumb’s, you can access all your prescribing information and tools in this app. Included in Plumb’s: - Comprehensive, continually updated veterinary drug and dosing information - Veterinary drug interaction checker with animal-specific guidance - A conversion calculator for quick math in the app - Notes feature for saving favorite notes and protocols - Convenient favorites feature for making your own quick reference list Visit plumbs.com to learn more. Subscribed to Standards™? If you’re subscribed to Standards of Care™, you can access all your Standards features (including Plumb’s) in this app. Included in Standards: - All the features of Plumb’s (see above) - Practical, peer-reviewed diagnosis and treatment monographs - An extensive library of diagnosis and management algorithms for step-by-step support - Peer-reviewed differential diagnosis lists - Shareable clinical handouts to support client education Visit standards.vet to learn more. DISCLAIMER Standards of Care and Plumb’s are online clinical resources to be used only for information purposes at the discretion of trained veterinary medical and pharmaceutical professionals to support diagnosis and treatment of small animal veterinary conditions. Learn more at standards.vet or plumbs.com. APP SUPPORT If you have feature requests or suggestions or simply need help, please visit help.plumbs.com and click on the chat icon to submit a request. Our responsive support team will be in touch with you. Privacy policy: https://plumbs.com/privacy-policy Terms of use: https://plumbs.com/terms-use Terms & conditions: https://plumbs.com/terms-conditions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Plumb's | Standards at none against USMLE Step 1 Mastery's 3. Plumb's | Standards also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (3.4K vs 216). USMLE Step 1 Mastery's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 56%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads 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. USMLE Step 1 Mastery sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Plumb's | Standards asks for nothing beyond the download.
Plumb's | Standards holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plumb's | Standards has 3.4K ratings behind it against 216, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of USMLE Step 1 Mastery's written reviews are positive against 56% of Plumb's | Standards's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
USMLE Step 1 Mastery ships an update every 2 weeks, Plumb's | Standards every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | USMLE Step 1 Mastery | Plumb's | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (216 ratings) | 4.9 (3.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better | 55.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 216 | 3.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 166 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Higher Learning Technologies | Brief Media |
Customer experience
USMLE Step 1 Mastery
Plumb's | Standards
User reviews
USMLE Step 1 Mastery
From 216 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great explanations for answers
- 👍 Convenient for on-the-go studying
- 👍 Good breadth of material covered
- 👍 Detailed feedback on questions
- 👍 Useful mnemonics provided
Room to improve
- 👎 Charged for unwanted renewals
- 👎 Unable to unlock purchased app
- 👎 App crashes and freezes
- 👎 Questions can be too easy/basic
- 👎 False sense of mastery from questions
Plumb's | Standards
From 3.4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Super helpful
- 👍 Excellent resource
- 👍 Very helpful and easy to use
- 👍 Worth the price
- 👍 Amazing app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Signing in issues
- 🐛 Impossible to get an answer from Support
- 💰 Disappointed - Careful before purchasing!
- 🐛 No calculator
- 🐛 Imposible to renew
Bugs and requests
USMLE Step 1 Mastery
Reported bugs
2 issues- App freezes and crashes during account creation
- App crashes while trying to create an account
Requested features
4 requests- Add more Q-bank questions
- Include a way to make notes
- Corrections on writing and punctuation
- Updates available?
Plumb's | Standards
Reported bugs
4 issues- Signing in issues
- Crashing
- Login/password reset problems
- Compatibility issues on iPad
Requested features
2 requests- Add calculator function
- Improve renewal/subscription management
In-app purchases
USMLE Step 1 Mastery
- USMLE Step 1 - 1 Month3 Days trial$11.991 Month
- USMLE Step 1 - 3 Months3 Days trial$24.993 Months
- USMLE Step 1 - 12 Months3 Days trial$35.991 Year
Plumb's | Standards
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is USMLE Step 1 Mastery free?
Is Plumb's | Standards free?
Which has better reviews, USMLE Step 1 Mastery or Plumb's | Standards?
Do USMLE Step 1 Mastery or Plumb's | Standards have ads?
Which is updated more often, USMLE Step 1 Mastery or Plumb's | Standards?
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