Comparison

Pocket ICU vs PASS PCCN®!

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 PCCN®!

Prepare for the Progressive Care Nursing Certification exam with comprehensive review materials. This app offers a narrative review, over 900 practice questions, and interactive learning activities to help you master the PCCN exam content.

Highlights
  • Comprehensive PCCN exam review
  • Over 900 practice questions
  • Study and Exam Modes
  • Interactive Learning Activities
  • Case studies for critical thinking
  • Appendices with essential references
Read full description

"Try before you buy" - Download the FREE App, which includes sample content. In-App purchase required to unlock all content. From the author of the bestselling Pass CCRN! and Pass CEN!, Pass PCCN! applies Dennison's time-tested approach to the Progressive Care Nursing Certification exam and follows the latest PCCN exam test plan, with one or more chapters for each section of the exam. This all-new review book features a thorough review in a narrative format for each chapter and covers all the content you need, including the disorders unique to the PCCN, to master the PCCN exam. Learning Activities are interspersed throughout the book, as well as more than 900 review questions. New to This Edition - Content follows the latest PCCN test plan to ensure you have the most current information for exam preparation. - 900 multiple-choice review questions, available in Study Mode or Exam Mode, lets you self-test on the go. - UNIQUE! Learning Activities provide fun and stimulating ways to learn critical concepts, such as crossword puzzles, matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions. - Case studies, consisting of patient scenarios and associated learning activities, stimulate critical thinking and promote the application of knowledge. - Appendices include common abbreviations and acronyms, laboratory values, formulas, hemodynamic monitoring essentials, and a dysrhythmias reference (including etiology, criteria, significance, and management), so you can quickly reference important information when studying for the PCCN examination., are geared towards progressive care nurses and offer valuable test-taking experience. Content licensed from printed edition ISBN 10: 0323077277 Content licensed from printed edition ISBN 13: 9780323077279 SUBSCRIPTION : Please purchase a yearly auto-renewing subscription to receive content access and continuous updates. Your subscription automatically renews every year, so you always have the latest content. Yearly auto-renewing payments- $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. 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 Authors: Robin Donohoe Dennison, DNP, APRN, CCNS, CEN, CNE and Kathleen Farrell, DNSc, APRN, ACNP, CCNS, CCRN Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences Company

Screenshots

Pocket ICU4 screens
PASS PCCN®!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pocket ICU at none against PASS PCCN®!'s shown. Pocket ICU also leads on ratings volume (317 vs 10). PASS PCCN®!'s advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pocket ICU sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and PASS PCCN®! sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $44.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pocket ICU against 4.6 for PASS PCCN®!. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket ICU has 317 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket ICU ships an update every 9 months, PASS PCCN®! every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pocket ICU versus PASS PCCN®!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket ICUPASS PCCN®!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (317 ratings) — better4.6 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings317 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 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 MB147 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 PCCN®!

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

Pocket ICU

Reported bugs

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

PASS PCCN®!

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
5 purchases

PASS PCCN®!

Subscriptions4
  • 25% Off - Limited Period Offer$44.991 Year
  • 20% Off - Limited Period Offer$47.991 Year
  • 15% Off - Limited Period Offer$50.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • PASS PCCN! 1Y Sub.$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pass PCCN!$59.99

Questions

Is Pocket ICU free?
Pocket ICU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PASS PCCN®! free?
PASS PCCN®! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket ICU or PASS PCCN®!?
Pocket ICU is rated higher. Pocket ICU averages 4.6 out of 5 from 317 ratings, while PASS PCCN®! averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.
Do Pocket ICU or PASS PCCN®! have ads?
PASS PCCN®! shows ads; Pocket ICU does not.
Which is updated more often, Pocket ICU or PASS PCCN®!?
Pocket ICU ships an update every 9 months, and PASS PCCN®! every 3 months. Most recently, Pocket ICU was updated on October 29, 2026 and PASS PCCN®! on October 24, 2026.

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