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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Davis's Drug Guide vs epocrates

Davis's Drug Guide 4.9★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Davis's Drug Guide
epocrates 4.4★ · Free to download 60

Davis's Drug Guide is a more reliable choice for consistent access to drug information, despite its pricing and subscription issues, while epocrates has recently alienated many long-term users by moving core features behind a paywall.

Full reviews: Davis's Drug Guide · epocrates

Davis's Drug Guide offers a comprehensive and offline-accessible resource for students and professionals, though users report issues with subscription management and occasional missing drugs. Epocrates, a long-standing favorite, has recently faced significant backlash for limiting free access and introducing mandatory subscriptions for features that were previously free, leading many to seek alternatives.

Head to head

Features & Content Depth edge: Davis's Drug GuideR2R3R8R9
Davis's Drug Guide Davis's Drug Guide is praised for its comprehensive explanations, including reconstitution and dilution instructions, IV compatibility, and a pronunciation guide R2. It's considered a good resource for nursing students and professionals, offering detailed information and the ability to make notes R11R25. However, some users report that it lacks depth in pharmacology and occasionally misses newer medications or specific lab sections R8R3R9.
epocrates Epocrates is valued for its pill identification, drug interaction checker, and pediatric dosing capabilities . Many long-term users appreciate its historical utility for looking up side effects, doses, and creatinine clearance adjustments . However, recent updates have removed features like drug pricing and package sizing, which were highly valued by clinicians .
Ease of Use & Reliability tieR1R11R14R16
Davis's Drug Guide Users find Davis's Drug Guide easy to use, navigable, and fast, with many appreciating its offline functionality R11R14R25. It's considered a handy, quick reference for nurses and students . However, a significant number of recent reviews report critical app functionality issues, such as not working after payment, being stuck on loading screens, or failing to pull up drug information R1R16.
epocrates Epocrates has historically been praised for its ease of use and quick answers, serving as a daily go-to for many medical professionals . However, recent updates have introduced stability issues, with the app failing to open or crashing on newer iOS versions . Users also complain about frequent, lengthy updates and intrusive ads even in paid versions .
Price & Value tieR1R4R6R10
Davis's Drug Guide Davis's Drug Guide is criticized for its high annual subscription cost, often around $40, which many feel is too expensive, especially for students R6R50. Users are frustrated by being charged yearly, the need to repurchase for cross-platform access, and issues with subscription cancellation and auto-renewal R4R10. Some also report paying for the app but still being unable to access content R1R16R32.
epocrates Epocrates has generated significant negative feedback due to its recent shift from a largely free service to a paid subscription model, with many core features now behind a paywall R61R64. Users feel betrayed by the sudden change and the high cost of the premium subscription .
Support & Updates tieR3R5R9R12
Davis's Drug Guide Davis's Drug Guide receives mixed reviews regarding updates, with some users praising them R5 while others complain about infrequent updates leading to missing medications R3R9R12. Support is criticized for issues like inability to log in after a new phone, lack of multi-device downloads, and poor handling of older versions .
epocrates Epocrates users report issues with app updates causing functionality problems on newer iOS versions . There are also complaints about the lack of notification regarding the shift to a paid model and poor customer support for subscription issues, especially for users outside the US .
Pick Davis's Drug Guide if

you are a nursing student or professional who needs a comprehensive, offline-accessible drug guide with features like pronunciation, reconstitution instructions, and IV compatibility, and are willing to navigate potential subscription and technical glitches R2R25.

Pick epocrates if

you are a long-term user who has institutional access to the paid version, or if you primarily need basic drug lookups and pill identification and are comfortable with a limited number of free searches per week .

Evidence note: The reviews for epocrates are heavily skewed negative due to the recent change from a free to a paid model, which has significantly impacted its lifetime rating. Many positive reviews for epocrates are from long-term users who are now expressing disappointment with the new pricing structure, or from those who received free premium access as students. Davis's Drug Guide also has a notable number of recent negative reviews regarding app functionality and subscription issues, despite its higher lifetime rating.

Frequently asked

Is Davis's Drug Guide truly free?
No, Davis's Drug Guide is free to download but requires an in-app purchase or yearly subscription, often around $40, to access its full content, and many users report issues with the free trial not working R1R16R32R50.
What happened to the free version of epocrates?
Epocrates has significantly limited its free version, now imposing a weekly cap on drug lookups and requiring a paid subscription (often cited as $15/month or $170/year) for features that were previously free, leading to widespread user dissatisfaction R61R64R70R73.
Can I use Davis's Drug Guide offline?
Yes, Davis's Drug Guide is designed to work offline, allowing users to access medication information without an internet or Wi-Fi connection R25.

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.

  1. [R2] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Great Guide!: I remember when these guides were in a ginormous textbook. This guide is convenient and has colorful pix. The best part is the Pronunciation Guide! With the glut of medications, it great to hear the precise pronunciation. The Calculator section is very handy too.
  2. [R3] Davis's Drug Guide 3/5 · US Update Needed: Updates needed more often! Looked up a medication today and it wasn’t listed! Had to use Google instead!
  3. [R8] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US RN: Good resource. However not enough depth on pharmacology
  4. [R9] Davis's Drug Guide 3/5 · US Aggravated: This is the second year that I've purchased this, and I continue to find medication's that this source has no record of. Dissatisfied.
  5. [R1] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US Unable to Use After Paying: I renewed my subscription after the trial and it still won't let me search meds on the app! I need this to work for nursing school.
  6. [R11] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Great Clinical Resource: This is a must have clinical guide. Easy to use and very navigable. Explicit and concise way of understanding pharmacology.
  7. [R14] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Best app ever: Love this app! So easy to use. I use it for everything.
  8. [R16] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US Paid and does not work: Paid subscription and not even Tylenol drug information pulls up.
  9. [R4] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US Poor business practices: This app was useful as a student, but I now get a superior drug guide for free through my workplace. However, there is no way to cancel this subscription. Please beware that if you subscribe to this app you are locked in for life. Better off with the hard copy of the book
  10. [R6] Davis's Drug Guide 3/5 · US Great but tooo expensive: Every can be found on the web. Too expensive for a student trying to get through school
  11. [R10] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US Money, hungry app: You purchase the app and continues to make you purchase more and more.
  12. [R5] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Drug Guide: I have Davis’s Drug Guide for years, student, Paramedic and Hospital as well as family. The updates are good!
  13. [R12] Davis's Drug Guide 3/5 · US Updates: I it
  14. [R32] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US Sucky app: This app does not work unless you pay for it. The free trial is just there to lure you into paying. If you try the free trial, it will not work unless you update your account and then pay. Once you pay it will work. Fake free 30 days trial.
  15. [R50] Davis's Drug Guide 1/5 · US $40 APP!: Did not specify that you have to purchase this app for $40 until you open it. Please list it as a $40 app because that’s what it is.
  16. [R61] epocrates 1/5 · US 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
  17. [R64] epocrates 1/5 · US 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!?
  18. [R70] epocrates 1/5 · US Not free any longer: After about 2 decades of a free subscription, now I’m limited to using this for free which means a usage cap each week! Thanks for your loyalty epocrates!
  19. [R73] epocrates 1/5 · US No longer free: I’ve been using Epocrates in my daily practice for over 10 years without issue, just to discover I now only get so many searches within a 7 day period unless I purchase their Epocrates+ prescription. This is such a disappointment and I will probably no longer be using this app.
  20. [R25] Davis's Drug Guide 5/5 · US Best med app!: This app is incredible! It is designed where you don’t even need Internet or Wi-Fi so if you’re stuck in a med room and have to google something, you can always have your answer at hand. You can make notes which is great. After my shifts, I use the recent search list to review. I’ve looked up to feel more comfortable with them for next shift.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store