10 popular apps for medical professionals in 2025

Medical professionals rely on specialized apps for everything from patient scheduling to clinical decision-making. Based on current market trends and user adoption, here are ten of the most popular apps medical professionals use to streamline their practice and improve patient care.

1. UpToDate

Platform: iOS, Android, Web

Price: Subscription-based

UpToDate is an evidence-based clinical decision support platform used by healthcare professionals worldwide. This platform provides peer-reviewed, continuously updated medical information at the point of care. With over 11,000 topics covering virtually every medical specialty, UpToDate helps clinicians make informed decisions quickly. The app includes drug information, medical calculators, and treatment recommendations, making it an essential reference tool trusted by major healthcare institutions.

According to TrustRadius, UpToDate maintains a user satisfaction rating of 8.5 out of 10. In August 2021, a user gave the platform a perfect 10/10 score in a verified review. The review emphasizes UpToDate's effectiveness in providing "fingertip resource and guides for patient care, teaching in the classroom and experiential training." Key advantages noted included the platform's ability to identify new clinical data for procedures and drug use, detail approved and unapproved medication uses, and provide comprehensive information on new medications and their therapeutic roles. 

2. Zocdoc

Platform: iOS, Android, Web

Price: Free for patients; subscription fees for providers

Zocdoc is a platform that simplifies finding and scheduling medical appointments for patients. Medical professionals use Zocdoc to fill last-minute cancellations, attract new patients, and manage their online presence. The platform integrates with existing practice management systems and provides valuable analytics about patient booking patterns and demographics.

According to Trustpilot, Zocdoc maintains a 4.8 out of 5 rating based on 12,889 reviews, demonstrating strong user satisfaction across its platform. 

3. athenahealth

Platform: iOS, Android, Web

Price: Subscription-based, custom pricing

athenahealth is a cloud-based healthcare technology platform that combines electronic health records, practice management, and revenue cycle management. The platform is popular among practices of all sizes for its intuitive interface, reporting capabilities, and integration of clinical and administrative workflows. athenahealth's mobile app allows providers to access patient information, review schedules, and manage practice operations from anywhere, making it a solution for modern healthcare practices.

According to Business.com, athenahealth receives an 8.9 out of 10 editor's score, making it their pick for "best medical software for customer service." Senior Analyst Leah Zitter notes that athenahealth "stands out for its hands-on guidance and custom insights" with a "consultation-driven approach and detailed reporting tools." The platform demonstrates customer support metrics, with 87% of customer service issues resolved within one business day and a customer satisfaction rating exceeding 95%. 

4. NextGen Healthcare

Platform: iOS, Android, Web

Price: Custom pricing based on practice size

NextGen Healthcare delivers a patient-centric approach to practice management, with solutions encompassing EHR, medical billing, and patient engagement. The platform is popular among medium to large practices seeking integrated solutions that combine electronic health records with practice management tools. Its mobile app allows providers to access patient information and manage appointments.

According to Info-Tech Research Group, NextGen Healthcare receives a composite score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 31 user reviews, with a customer experience score of 7.7 out of 10. Info-Tech's analysis shows that 79% of users hold positive emotional sentiment about the platform, with key strengths identified as being "trustworthy," "respectful," having "client friendly policies," and offering a "continually improving product."

5. Practice Fusion

Platform: Web-based with mobile access

Price: Free basic version with premium features available

Practice Fusion is a cloud-based practice management system that offers a free EHR system, making it an attractive option for small practices focused on simplifying administrative tasks and improving patient care coordination. Despite recent ownership changes, it remains popular among cost-conscious practices looking for essential EHR and practice management functionality.

According to G2, Practice Fusion maintains a 3.8 out of 5 rating based on 61 user reviews. A sales manager reviewed the platform in July 2025, giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars and praising its patient chart search functionality, noting that "searching a patient's chart is easy with several alternatives for searching" and that "the tools panel, located in one place, makes navigating easy." The reviewer also highlighted that the platform "does not require heavy use of data to use, making it fast with minimal lag." However, they noted challenges with calendar navigation and rescheduling functions, as well as issues with ads and constant notifications. G2's analysis shows the platform's key strengths include ease of use and centralization, while common concerns involve billing issues and cost increases.

6. PubMed

Platform: iOS, Android, Web

Price: Free

PubMed provides free access to MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's database of life science and biomedical information. The mobile app allows healthcare professionals to search through millions of peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and citations from medical journals worldwide. With advanced search filters, saved searches, and offline reading capabilities, PubMed is essential for evidence-based medicine, research, and staying current with the latest medical publications and clinical studies.

7. Read by QxMD

Platform: iOS, Android

Price: Free

Read by QxMD personalizes medical literature based on your interests and specialty, delivering relevant articles from thousands of medical journals. The app's recommendation engine learns from your reading habits and research interests, ensuring you receive the most pertinent peer-reviewed research updates in your field. Users can save articles, take notes, sync across devices, and access full-text articles when available through institutional subscriptions, making it an invaluable tool for staying current with medical literature.

According to the Apple App Store, Read by QxMD maintains a 4.8 out of 5 rating based on 6,000 user ratings. 

8. Epocrates

Platform: iOS, Android

Price: Free with premium options

Epocrates has been a trusted companion for healthcare providers for over two decades. This drug reference app provides medication information including dosing, contraindications, drug interactions, and pricing. The free version offers essential drug reference features, while the premium version includes additional clinical tools, disease information, and medical calculators. Its offline capability ensures information access even without internet connectivity.

According to G2, Epocrates maintains a 4.5 out of 5 rating based on 18 user reviews. The platform demonstrates user satisfaction, with 12 five-star reviews and 6 four-star reviews, while receiving no ratings below 4 stars. 

9. Medscape

Platform: iOS, Android

Price: Free

Medscape offers medical information completely free of charge. The app provides access to medical news, drug information, disease references, and medical calculators. It features specialty-specific content, continuing medical education (CME) courses, and case studies. The app's clean interface and search functionality make it easy to find relevant information quickly, whether researching rare conditions or staying current with medical developments.

10. QxMD Calculate

Platform: iOS, Android

Price: Free

QxMD Calculate provides access to over 600 medical formulas, scores, and classification criteria used in clinical practice. From BMI calculations to complex scoring systems like the APACHE II or Glasgow Coma Scale, the app ensures accuracy in clinical assessments. The intuitive interface and database make it an essential tool for healthcare providers across all specialties, eliminating calculation errors and saving valuable time during patient care.

Features medical professionals should look for

Integration capabilities

Integrations with popular mobile calendar applications like Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook allow providers to sync patient scheduling software with other calendars in their practice. Seamless integration with existing EHR systems is crucial for workflow efficiency. According to C Lee Ventola, "There is also a need to develop standards for mobile apps so that they can integrate seamlessly with HIS capabilities, such as EMRs and patient monitoring systems." This integration challenge remains a factor in app selection, as healthcare systems require tools that work with their existing infrastructure.

Artificial intelligence in healthcare: transforming the practice of medicine notes that "by contextualising algorithms in an existing workflow, AI systems would operate within existing norms and practices to ensure adoption, providing appropriate solutions to existing problems for the end user." However, they also highlight a challenge, "healthcare data is highly sensitive, inconsistent, siloed and not optimised for the purposes of machine learning development, evaluation, implementation and adoption."

Patient self-service options

Modern medical apps emphasize patient empowerment, allowing individuals to schedule their own appointments, access test results, and manage their healthcare information independently. This reduces administrative burden on staff while improving patient satisfaction. Ventola notes the emergence of patient-facing tools, referencing "Mobile apps such as ZocDoc, which allow patients to view information about and make appointments with participating doctors, are also available for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry devices."

The evolution toward patient self-service is supported by AI advancements. As noted in Artificial intelligence in healthcare: transforming the practice of medicine, "AI chatbots are being used by patients to identify symptoms and recommend further actions in community and primary care settings." Furthermore, "AI could significantly reduce inefficiency in healthcare, improve patient flow and experience, and enhance caregiver experience and patient safety through the care pathway."

Compliance and security

All popular medical apps must maintain HIPAA compliance and security measures to protect sensitive patient information. This includes encrypted communications, secure data storage, and audit trails for all patient interactions. However, Ventola also warns that "some cloud-based storage services are not compliant, and therefore may not be suitable for storing or exchanging patient information."

Modern medical apps integrate with HIPAA compliant communication platforms like Paubox for secure email functionality, ensuring that patient communications remain encrypted and compliant. 

Mobile accessibility

With healthcare professionals working across multiple locations and needing access to information on the go, mobile accessibility has become non-negotiable for popular medical apps. Ventola emphasizes this necessity, explaining, "Mobile devices satisfy this need by offering multiple means of communication, including: voice and video calling; text, e-mail, and multimedia messaging; and video conferencing."

The future of mobile accessibility is expanding with AI capabilities. Artificial intelligence in healthcare: transforming the practice of medicine, describes how "AI could be applied to the remote monitoring of patients (eg intelligent telehealth through wearables/sensors) to identify and provide timely care of patients at risk of deterioration."

Market trends in 2025

The medical app market in 2025 is characterized by several trends:

Artificial intelligence integration

Platforms are integrating AI tools into their systems, enhancing diagnostic capabilities and streamlining administrative tasks. This trend was anticipated by Ventola, who predicted that "Various other types of mobile apps will continue to evolve and transform into CDSS apps that incorporate artificial intelligence–oriented algorithms."

Current AI adoption patterns show that "AI systems today are beginning to be adopted by healthcare organisations to automate time-consuming, high volume repetitive tasks," according to Artificial intelligence in healthcare: transforming the practice of medicine. The research emphasizes that "AI amplifies and augments, rather than replaces, human intelligence."

The long-term vision suggests that "healthcare will shift from the traditional one-size-fits-all form of medicine to a preventative, personalised, data-driven disease management model" as described by the artificial intelligence article.

Telehealth integration

Post-pandemic, telehealth capabilities have become standard features in most popular medical apps, allowing providers to offer hybrid care models.

Patient engagement focus

Apps that improve patient engagement and reduce no-show rates are seeing increased adoption, as practices focus on improving both patient satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Interoperability

The most successful apps are those that integrate well with existing healthcare infrastructure, allowing for data exchange between different systems.

Choosing the right apps for your practice

When selecting medical apps for your practice, consider:

• Practice size: Small practices may benefit from free or low-cost solutions
• Specialty requirements: Mental health practices might prefer SimplePractice, while general practitioners might opt for more general solutions
• Budget constraints: Pricing can range from free options to $150+ per month depending on features and practice size
• Integration needs: Ensure any new app integrates well with your existing EHR and practice management systems
• Patient demographics: Consider your patient population's technology comfort level when selecting patient-facing features

Evidence-based benefits

According to Ventola's research, mobile devices and apps provide benefits for healthcare professionals, including "allowing them to make more rapid decisions with a lower error rate, increasing the quality of data management and accessibility, and improving practice efficiency and knowledge." Most importantly, "these benefits have been shown to have a positive effect on patient care outcomes, as evidenced by a reduction in adverse events and hospital length of stay."

Future considerations

Ventola emphasizes the need for continued evaluation and standardization: "Rigorous evaluation, validation, and the development of best-practice standards for medical apps are greatly needed to ensure a fundamental level of quality and safety when these tools are used." This ongoing need for validation and standardization continues to influence app development and selection criteria in healthcare settings.

The AI research reinforces this need for ongoing oversight, noting that "even after an AI system has been deployed clinically, it must be continually monitored and maintained to monitor for risks and adverse events using effective post-market surveillance." Looking forward, the AI research suggests that "a key to delivering this vision will be an expansion of translational research in the field of healthcare applications of artificial intelligence."

FAQs

How do medical apps differ from general health and wellness apps?

Medical apps are designed specifically for clinical use by professionals, while wellness apps target general consumers.

Do subscription costs for medical apps vary by specialty?

Yes, pricing often depends on the app’s scope, specialty tools, and whether it serves individuals or entire practices.

Can medical apps be integrated with wearable devices?

Some apps now connect with wearables to support remote monitoring and telehealth features.

How do hospitals evaluate which apps to allow in their systems?

Institutions typically review apps for compliance, security, and integration with existing infrastructure before approval.

What role do app analytics play for providers?

Analytics help providers track patient behavior, appointment patterns, and treatment adherence.