Head-to-head
epocrates vs Max
epocrates
55
Winner
Max
Max
75
Max is the better choice for personal medication reminders due to its consistent free functionality and innovative reminder system, while epocrates has alienated many long-term users by moving core features behind a paywall.
epocrates, a long-standing medical reference app, is facing significant backlash for suddenly limiting free access to core drug information, pushing many users to seek alternatives. Max, a medication reminder app, offers a highly praised, free, and engaging reminder system, though it struggles with occasional bugs and syncing issues.
Head to head
epocrates epocrates is highly valued for its comprehensive drug reference, including dosing, side effects, interactions, and pill identification, which users have relied on for years in various medical professions R5R9R11R17. However, recent updates have removed features like drug pricing and package sizing, frustrating long-term users .
Max Max excels at medication reminders, particularly with its unique 'phone call' and animal sound notifications, which many users find highly effective and engaging for staying on track with their meds . It allows for detailed medication scheduling and rescheduling R83.
epocrates Historically, epocrates was praised for its ease of use and quick answers, making it a go-to tool for medical professionals R41. However, recent changes have made the app cluttered with ads and news articles, and some users report difficulty navigating R8R16R27.
Max Max is generally considered simple and straightforward for setting up and tracking medications . However, recent updates have made the interface confusing for some users, particularly regarding setting up new medications, understanding the calendar, and tracking daily progress .
epocrates epocrates has been a trusted and reliable tool for many users for decades R9. However, recent reviews highlight significant reliability issues, including the app not opening, crashing, or failing to update on newer iOS versions R5R18R24R30. Some users also report issues with certain functionalities no longer working, like the pregnancy wheel .
Max Max users report several reliability issues, including the app freezing, glitches, and losing progress or deleting logs . Notifications sometimes fail to work unless the app is left open in the background . There are also reports of data not syncing across devices and issues with transferring data to new phones R69R97R114.
epocrates epocrates has historically been a free resource for basic drug information, which was highly valued by users R1R6R9. However, the recent shift to a paywall for previously free features, with limited free lookups per week, has been met with widespread disappointment and anger, with many users feeling betrayed and seeking alternatives R1R3R4R6. The subscription cost is perceived as exorbitant by some R16R56.
Max Max is a free app that provides effective medication reminders, which users highly appreciate . The main complaint regarding value is the presence of frequent and intrusive ads, which can backlog the app and disrupt the user experience R67R72R83R94. Users express a willingness to pay a small fee for an ad-free or faster version .
epocrates Users report issues with epocrates' support, including lack of interest in keeping promises of free access and no notification about significant changes to the app's pricing model R22R56. There are also complaints about the inability to transfer paid subscriptions to new phones and lack of reimbursement for users outside the US R40R54.
Max Max users have reported issues with support, particularly regarding the inability to transfer data to new phones R97R114 and a lack of options to delete personal information or silence notifications after uninstalling the app . However, some users have had positive experiences with support, noting that issues like the call feature not working were fixed after an email .
Pick epocrates if
you are a medical professional who needs a comprehensive drug reference and are willing to pay for a subscription, especially if your institution covers the cost .
Pick Max if
you need a free, engaging, and effective medication reminder app with unique notification features like 'phone calls' and animal sounds .
Evidence note: The reviews for epocrates are heavily skewed by recent negative feedback regarding its change from a free to a paid model for core features, which impacts its lifetime rating. Max's reviews show a consistent pattern of appreciation for its core functionality despite recurring technical glitches and ads.
Frequently asked
Is epocrates still free?
Does Max have ads?
Can Max sync data across devices?
What reviewers actually said
Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.
- [R5] epocrates Love: Most used app still to date! A lot of the newer staff haven’t heard of epocrates, and that is just mind blowing for me. I would much rather use than up-to-date. Up-to-date is a great reference, but it’s too busy for me. However, epocrates is no longer supported with the new iPhone Update 26.2.1, please update your version :/
- [R9] epocrates $$$$: I’ve been using this since residency - great app when it first came out then got on palm pilot - saved a few lives with it The free features were the drug parts which I use to look up side effects - doses and cr cl adjustments Recently starting charging even for that with a few free views a week - so switching to something else Don’t really need all the other features. It’s still a sol
- [R11] epocrates Great app: Use everyday. The pill ID is excellent.
- [R17] epocrates Lifesaver: I love epocrates and have been using since residency.
- [R8] epocrates Medical News For You: Medical News For You articles keep expanding in numbers. There appears to be no way of deleting them. Most of the articles are of no use to me. Also, I do not need adds in my paid version. Otherwise, over the past 20+ years, Epocrates has been a stragic tool in the practice of family medicine.
- [R16] epocrates Used to be good, but now requires paid subscription: I’ve had an Epocrates account since 2007. This used to be the best app for basic drug reference. However, they have slowly added “Medical News” and CME and pop ups, and the app has become cluttered and difficult to navigate. And now, if you try doing more than about 5 queries in a week, it requires you to sign up for a horribly over priced subsc
- [R27] epocrates Med ads?!: The last thing any clinician wants when trying to access information, especially for which we are paying, is to have to dismiss an ad that covers half the page, or pop-up link to an article about a medication. If the goal is to reduce the number of epocrates subscribers, showing ads is guaranteed to work.
- [R41] epocrates Great app and easy to use.: I have been using this app for years and I love its ease of use and quick answers.
- [R18] epocrates Update: Ever since my iPhone updated to IOS 26.3.1 the app will not open and I already checked to see if the app needs to be updated. It does not. It opens and then crashes/closes right away
- [R24] epocrates This app was great: The app no longer opens for me. Fix this.
- [R1] epocrates Not Free Anymore: Used Epocrates for years and always thought it was a great resource. Perfect while I was in pharmacy school and now as a pharmacist. I am extremely disappointed, but frankly not surprised, they now have it behind a paywall. I only looked up a few medications (maybe like 4) and get the pop up that I “reached my free amount of look ups for the week.” For the week? It’s literally th
- [R3] epocrates Was great: This has been a trusted resource for years, including dosing and interaction checking. The decision to hide it behind a paywall was unfortunate. Will use a different resource going forward.
- [R4] epocrates Are You Kidding Me!?: I have used epocrates for years, so imagine my surprise when I go to calculate a dose for a pediatric patient and get a notification I have exceeded my free views! What the actual heck are you guys thinking!?
- [R6] epocrates Shame: Had my account since 2015 as Paramedic to be able to find out what medications people were on when found at home and for the purposes of being prescribed. It was free and now, it isnt. Lame
- [R22] epocrates Promise not kept: 20 years ago was promised free access to app; now limited with new restricted queries and support not interested in keeping promise
- [R40] epocrates Scam: If you live outside de US even if you pay with an account created and paid thru the US the App has been shut down for your use. Epocrates do not reimburse you. Be careful. I had been customer for years and now they wash their hands.
- [R54] epocrates Unable to Transfer App to New Phone: There is no option to restore purchase within the app. After paying $180 for plus, you’d think you can transfer your app to your new phone seamlessly. Canceling and going with Up to Date
- [R56] epocrates No notification: I am trying to access information and suddenly I have to pay $15 per month! There was no announcement, no notification. It comes up while I am with a patient trying to look up how to dose a drug. At the very least let us know!!! How many free views does one get per week or per month? $15 per month is too much. Very disappointed. Will find something else. There should have been
- [R12] epocrates Not working like it used to: This has been a wonderful app. However, I have the free version, and all of a sudden, it is limiting the amount of views I get in a week. I have used the same free version for 5 years with no issues and now I’m incredibly frustrated that I can’t access the content like I used to.
- [R67] Max Cute characters but the ADS!!: The ads backlog the checking off of each medication, and almost every time I have to restart the app to check off the next one. My dog takes multiple medications daily, so it’s important that I can check off these things with ease, without the ad just freezing the page where Max is “cheering”. Too bad because I love how customizable this is.
- [R72] Max Ads: How nice it would be if google lead services would stop. Would have given app 5 stars. Don’t see a way to stop the ads
- [R83] Max Good Simple Dose Tracker: Using this for my doses. While bare bones it does everything you need. My favorite feature is the ease of rescheduling if I extend the time between doses. Many other apps make you start from scratch. This is just a simple point and click. The ads, which I appreciate making money, are just annoying.
- [R94] Max Get rid of the ads!: I liked the app but in between checking off the prescription as you’re taking them you get bombarded with ads! I hate that!
- [R69] Max Almost a perfect all: I have this app on two devices. When I click the done button it shows it as checked on one device and not the other. Seems like it’s not syncing.
- [R97] Max Phone transfer: I see I am not the only user with this problem. I recently got a new phone and this app has no way to transfer the current data over. Thankfully, I kept it on my old phone I still have and I mark my cat’s meds on that one but still. I love this app so much, I recommend to every vet/provider I see every chance I get. Please fix this.
- [R114] Max Doesn’t sync across all your devices! Forces you to start from scratch: I initially liked this app, because it was so nice and simple but after having to transfer to a new phone, I found out the app doesn’t sync or back up data. Everything I entered is gone. Now I would have to rewrite everything from scratch, and worse, I don’t even know which days I was taking which meds anymore, I track sever
- [R30] epocrates Not updatable?: It won’t update. Was a very nice app when it worked.
Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store