Epocrates vs iatroX (2025): The Pill ID App vs The Clinical Assistant

Last reviewed: 2025-12-19 · Reviewed by Dr Kola Tytler, MBBS CertHE MBA MRCGP

At a Glance

Who is it for?

iatroX:Clinicians making management decisions.

Epocrates:Clinicians checking drug safety/identity.

Why choose iatroX?

  • **Guideline Retrieval**: Tells you *what* to prescribe.
  • **Reasoning**: Helps you work up a diagnosis.
  • **Adaptive Learning**: Turns queries into quizzes.

Why choose Epocrates?

  • **Pill ID**: Unrivalled tool for identifying loose pills by shape/color.
  • **Interaction Checker**: The most widely used checker in the US.
  • **Insurance Formularies**: Shows coverage for US health plans (Premium).

Feature Comparison

CapabilityiatroXEpocrates
Core Task-Reference / Utility
Region-US Only

In-Depth Analysis

Overview

Epocrates is a utility belt. You use it to check if Drug A clashes with Drug B, or to identify a blue oval pill.

iatroX is a co-pilot. You use it to decide which drug to start in the first place, based on national guidelines.

Use-Cases

Unknown Pill found on patient

When to choose iatroX

    When to choose Epocrates

    • **Essential.** Use the Pill ID tool.

    Deciding treatment for COPD

    When to choose iatroX

    • **Recommended.** 'What is the GOLD guideline group B treatment?'

    When to choose Epocrates

    • Not useful for guideline selection.

    FAQs

    Does iatroX have a pill identifier?
    No. For visual pill identification, Epocrates is the correct tool.