Comparison

Pocket ICU vs PASS CCRN®!

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pocket ICU

This app offers concise critical care guidance written by attending physicians. It covers diagnosis, treatment, and management across various subspecialties, including detailed images and decision algorithms. Quickly find information, bookmark entries, and take notes for efficient ICU rounds and consultations.

Highlights
  • Concise guidance by attending physicians
  • Diagnosis, treatment, and management details
  • Subspecialty coverage
  • Detailed images and algorithms
  • Statistics and EBM overview
  • Pharmacological data and formulas
  • Full text search and bookmarking
Features
Read full description

New topics address bioweapons, disaster preparedness and critical care challenges of an air-transmissible, pandemic-causing pathogens like COVID-19. POCKET ICU FEATURES • Concise guidance written by attending physicians for everyone in critical care • Entries with diagnosis, treatment, and management details • Coverage of subspecialty areas including pediatric, neuro, cardiac, transplant, burn, and more • Detailed images, figures, and decision support algorithms • Overview of Statistics and Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) • Helpful appendices provide pharmacological data, respiratory formulas, and cardiopulmonary relationships • Advanced Full Text Search helps find topics quickly • “Favorites” for bookmarking important entries • Highlighting and note-taking MORE ABOUT POCKET ICU With content from the highly regarded Pocket Notebook series, Pocket ICU provides users with an essential tool for quickly locating information from every subspecialty area of critical care. Entries have been written by attending physicians and are presented in brief but broad format so anyone in an ICU setting can quickly find answers and save time. This powerful resource can be downloaded to your smartphone and tablet and is great for preparing for rounds or consulting expert recommendations while on the ICU floor. Editors: Gyorgy Frendl, MD, PhD; Avery Tung, MD Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Powered by: Unbound Medicine

About

PASS CCRN®!

Prepare for the CCRN® Adult certification exam with comprehensive review, interactive learning activities, and over 1,000 practice questions. This app offers simulated exams and content updates reflecting the latest research and guidelines for critical care nursing.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive content review
  • Over 1,000 interactive practice questions
  • Study Mode with feedback
  • Practice Exam Mode for simulation
  • Interactive learning activities
  • Updated content reflecting latest guidelines
Features
Read full description

"Try before you buy" - Download the FREE App, which includes sample content. In-App purchase required to unlock all content. Comprehensive content review to pass the latest CCRN®-Adult certification exam. Based on 6th print edition Prepare for success on the CCRN® (Adult) examination with a focused review, interactive learning activities, and practice exams! Pass CCRN® (Adult), 6th Edition provides online learning activities, multiple-choice questions, and simulated examinations to help you master each of the content areas covered on the most current CCRN® (Adult) exam. Content updates reflect the latest research evidence, treatment protocols, and national and international guidelines for critical care nursing. From exam-preparation expert Robin Donohoe Dennison, this edition makes studying easier with a more focused, quick-reference format, mobile learning activities, and more than 1,000 interactive questions in Study Mode and Practice Exam Mode. New to this edition NEW! Thoroughly updated content follows the latest CCRN® (Adult) exam blueprint, covering the content areas tested and matching the percentage of the examination devoted to each. NEW! Updates also reflect the latest research evidence and national and international guidelines and treatment protocols. NEW! Focus on need-to-know content helps you make the most of your study time. NEW! Interactive Learning Activities provide an engaging and stimulating way to review essential content, with question styles such as matching, fill-in-the blank, comparison, case studies, and more. NEW! References and Recommended Readings NEW! Improved design improves the book’s legibility and reduces eyestrain. Key Features More than 1,000 interactive practice questions can be answered in Study Mode, with feedback and page references, or in Practice Exam Mode for realistic simulated CCRN® (Adult) exam practice. Virtually unlimited number of practice exams in Practice Exam Mode provides unrivalled realistic practice for the CCRN® (Adult) exam. Simplified outline format makes it easier to read, understand, and remember the information you must know to pass the CCRN® (Adult) exam. Abundant tables, illustrations, concept maps, and algorithms help to clarify content and highlight key concepts. Content licensed from printed ISBN 10: 032376150X Content licensed from printed ISBN 13: 9780323761505 SUBSCRIPTION : Please choose an auto renewable subscription plan to receive content access & continuous updates. Your subscription automatically renews as per your plan, so you always have the latest content. Yearly auto-renewing payment - $59.99 Three months auto-renewing payment - $39.99 Monthly auto-renewing payment - $29.99 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. Subscription may be managed by the user and auto-renewal can be disabled at any time by going to your device “Settings” and tapping “iTunes & App Store”. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, 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 and Conditions - https://www.skyscape.com/terms-of-service/licenseagreement.aspx Editor(s): Robin Donohoe Dennison, DNP, CNE, NEA-BC, NPD-BC Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences Company

Screenshots

Pocket ICU4 screens
PASS CCRN®!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pocket ICU at 64% against PASS CCRN®!'s 20%. Pocket ICU also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.9) and ads (none vs shown). PASS CCRN®!'s advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pocket ICU sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and PASS CCRN®! sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket ICU holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 317 and 83 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Pocket ICU's written reviews are positive against 20% of PASS CCRN®!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket ICU ships an update every 9 months, PASS CCRN®! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pocket ICU versus PASS CCRN®!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket ICUPASS CCRN®!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (317 ratings) — better3.9 (83 ratings)
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings317 — better83
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB148 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Skyscape Medpresso Inc

Customer experience

Pocket ICU

All ratings317 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative35.7%

PASS CCRN®!

All ratings75 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral4.0%
Negative29.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

Bugs and requests

Pocket ICU

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • No information loads after purchase
  • Issues with download/access

PASS CCRN®!

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pocket ICU

One-time2
  • Pocket ICU2 variants$69.99
  • Pocket ICU 2023$69.99
6 purchases

PASS CCRN®!

Subscriptions6
  • PASS CCRN®! 1M Sub$29.991 Month
  • PASS CCRN®! 3M Sub$39.993 Months
  • 25% Off-Limited Period Offer$44.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • 20% Off-Limited Period Offer$47.991 Year
  • 15% Off-Limited Period Offer$50.991 Year
  • PASS CCRN®! 1Y Sub.$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Pocket ICU free?
Pocket ICU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PASS CCRN®! free?
PASS CCRN®! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket ICU or PASS CCRN®!?
Pocket ICU is rated higher. Pocket ICU averages 4.6 out of 5 from 317 ratings, while PASS CCRN®! averages 3.9 from 83 ratings.
Do Pocket ICU or PASS CCRN®! have ads?
PASS CCRN®! shows ads; Pocket ICU does not.
Which is updated more often, Pocket ICU or PASS CCRN®!?
Pocket ICU ships an update every 9 months, and PASS CCRN®! every 5 months. Most recently, Pocket ICU was updated on October 24, 2026 and PASS CCRN®! on October 25, 2026.

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