Comparison

Pocket ICU vs Quick Reference Critical Care

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

Quick Reference Critical Care

This app provides immediate, on-the-job answers for critical care professionals. It offers updated, evidence-based procedures and stabilization practices in a quick-read outline format, covering a broad range of patient topics by body system.

Highlights
  • Updated critical care content
  • Full-color images
  • Extensive abbreviations list
  • Bulleted outline format
  • Over 350 illustrations
  • Body system chapters
  • SmartSearch technology
Features
Read full description

"Try before you buy" - Download the FREE App, which includes sample content. An in-App purchase is required to unlock all content.   Need to brush up on your ICU skills? New to ICU, or a veteran? Get immediate on-the-job answers, with the popular and fully updated Quick Reference to Critical Care, 6th Edition. This indispensable pocket guide addresses a broad range of critical care patient topics, divided by body system and organized alphabetically within each chapter for quick access. Disease processes, disorders, medications, and titration, tests, lab results, formulas, ICU equipment and treatment strategies and goals are discussed. Each well-illustrated entry explains the latest evidence-based procedures and stabilization practices in a convenient, quick-read outline, making it the ideal quick reference for following proven protocols. Up-level your critical care expertise and confidence, with: * NEW and completely updated content that offers current information on cutting edge critical care topics * NEW full-color images throughout * NEW extensive abbreviations list that explains unfamiliar abbreviations found in progress notes, surgical reports and other medical documents * Ideal on-the-spot quick reference – Read-at-a-glance bulleted outline format that helps you grasp ideas quickly and take immediate action * More than 350 illustrations – figures, algorithms, photos, drawings and tables that outline core terms and concepts, with easy-to-retain definitions of key terms * Chapters for each body system – expert nursing guidance on evaluating and treating the neurologic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal and urinary, renal, endocrine, hematologic and immune systems * Each chapter offers an alpha-organized list of disorders and injuries pertaining to that topic or body system * Vital direction for on-the-unit action – includes sections on labs, imaging and miscellaneous items not covered in other sections * Expert direction on areas such as body system structures and functions, anatomy, diagnostic tools, surgical methods, signs and symptoms, treatments, monitoring, drug administration, catheters and electrode procedures, waveforms and more The quick-reference format offers: * Extensive cross-referencing – leads to related information * Tables and charts – vital info on medication, dosing, conversions, compatibilities, and more * “Troubleshooting” feature – practical guidance for solving technical problems or complications   No internet connection is required to access the content after the initial download. Find information quickly using powerful SmartSearch technology. Search part of term for those hard to spell medical terms. Content licensed from printed ISBN 10: 1975136837 Content licensed from printed ISBN 13: 9781975136833 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 payments - $59.99 Six-month subscription - $39.99   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 & 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 508-299-30000   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): Nancy H. Diepenbrock Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Screenshots

Pocket ICU4 screens
Quick Reference Critical Care4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pocket ICU at none against Quick Reference Critical Care's shown. Pocket ICU also leads on ratings volume (316 vs 10). Quick Reference Critical Care's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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 Quick Reference Critical Care sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Quick Reference Critical Care holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket ICU has 316 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, Quick Reference Critical Care every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pocket ICU versus Quick Reference Critical Care: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket ICUQuick Reference Critical Care
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (316 ratings)4.9 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings316 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB46 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperUnbound Medicine, Inc.Skyscape Medpresso Inc

Customer experience

Pocket ICU

All ratings316 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative35.7%

Quick Reference Critical Care

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pocket ICU

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

Quick Reference Critical Care

Subscriptions2
  • Quick Ref-Critical Care 6M Sub$39.996 Months
  • Quick Ref-Critical Care 1Y Sub$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Pocket ICU free?
Pocket ICU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Quick Reference Critical Care free?
Quick Reference Critical Care is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket ICU or Quick Reference Critical Care?
Quick Reference Critical Care is rated higher. Pocket ICU averages 4.6 out of 5 from 316 ratings, while Quick Reference Critical Care averages 4.9 from 10 ratings.
Do Pocket ICU or Quick Reference Critical Care have ads?
Quick Reference Critical Care shows ads; Pocket ICU does not.
Which is updated more often, Pocket ICU or Quick Reference Critical Care?
Pocket ICU ships an update every 9 months, and Quick Reference Critical Care every 6 months. Most recently, Pocket ICU was updated on September 24, 2026 and Quick Reference Critical Care on September 10, 2026.

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