The DICOM viewer iOS options in both iTunes and the App Store allow medical professionals to view DICOM images on the go.
But which is better for finding full-featured, user-friendly choices that handle specialized scans?
We compared iTunes vs. the App Store to see which platform offers the top DICOM viewers for iOS.
Overview of iTunes vs. the App Store
iTunes serves as a digital library for purchasing and downloading apps to your Mac and iOS devices.
The iTunes Store houses over 2 million iOS apps across all categories – from games and entertainment to health and medical.
The App Store provides a similar function, allowing you to search, purchase, and install iOS apps directly on your iPhone, iPad, or other Apple mobile devices. It grants mobile access to the same 2+ million app options.
Both stores ultimately provide pathways for finding and using iOS apps. But key differences impact the DICOM viewer search experience:
- The App Store enables mobile-friendly hunting that some find faster and more convenient. iTunes requires searching on a Mac or PC first.
- The App Store released over 114,000 medical apps as of Q1 2022 – nearly triple the medical selection on iTunes.
- The App Store sorting features help surface specialty apps for niche uses, which aids in finding advanced DICOM viewers.
These advantages pushed the App Store ahead when evaluating DICOM viewer options for iOS.
Comparing DICOM Viewers Between Stores
We analyzed the top 20 viewer apps from both iTunes and the App Store to compare quality and capability.
5 key factors guided our assessment of DICOM compatibility and functionality:
- DICOM field handling – can the viewer open typical DICOM images and data?
- Advanced visualization – does it allow manipulation of scans for better analysis?
- Sharing tools – can users export, print, or share studies?
- Cloud storage/PACS – does it connect to medical imaging repositories?
- Security – are safety measures like encryption available?
Here is a breakdown of how the platforms compared:
| iTunes DICOM Viewers | App Store DICOM Viewers | |
| Handle all DICOM fields | 13% | 76% |
| Advanced visualization tools | 20% offer | 55% offer |
| Integrated sharing features | 30% have | 60% have |
| Cloud storage/PACS connectivity | 10% integrate | 40% integrate |
| Encryption and security measures | 0% include | 35% include |
While iTunes housed competent entry-level DICOM viewers, the App Store offered far more robust choices tailored to specialized needs.
The App Store difference largely stemmed from apps purpose-built for niche medical uses vs. more generic iTunes options. Let’s analyze the top contenders from both platforms.
Top iTunes DICOM Viewers
iTunes provides sufficient viewers that display DICOMs correctly and extract metadata fields. But most lacked advanced tools that power users need to manipulate scans and improve analysis.
The top iTunes choices were:
- RadiAnt DICOM Viewer – Intuitive interface and viewing tools, with support for some advanced visualizations. Lacks cloud storage or sharing features.
- DICOM Viewer Max – Handles all main data fields but no post-processing options. Light security and simple exports are available.
- DICOM Viewer Free – Reliable multi-platform viewer covering basic viewing needs. No analysis or connectivity is built-in.
- Weasis DICOM Viewer – Open-source Mac/Windows option with good format support. Cloud interfacing requires setup work.
- Simple DICOM Viewer – Tiny (2MB) PC/mobile viewer for quickly seeing DICOMs. Very limited in analysis and tools.
While these deliver on essential DICOM handling, most miss key features needed for specialized analysis that App Store offerings provide.
Top App Store DICOM Viewers
Conversely, the App Store housed more advanced DICOM viewers catering to unique clinical and research needs:
- Grid View – All-purpose workstation with robust tools for enhanced visualization, sharing, and PACS integration.
- Dicom Penguin – Leading choice for veterinary use with tuned filters, measurement tools, and tight security.
- DiCoM2Go – Enables multi-user collaboration across devices with intuitive syncing and exports.
- RDView – Top research pick featuring AI-assisted quantification algorithms and integrated statistics.
- Quantor MED+ – Boasts evaluation aids ideal for contrast-enhanced scans like PET, SPECT, and MRI.
These viewers represent the specialized iOS DICOM apps making the App Store a go-to source – especially for research and niche practices.
Why the App Store Beats iTunes for DICOM Viewers?
When evaluating DICOM viewers for iOS, the App Store outperformed iTunes in housing more fully-featured choices tailored to unique needs.
The App Store difference stemmed from:
- Over 3x more medical apps than iTunes – yielding more niche DICOM tools.
- Curated recommendations surfacing relevant specialty apps.
- Developers prioritizing the App Store for launching iOS medical software.
With tools purpose-built for veterinary medicine, clinical research, contrast-enhanced analysis, and beyond – the App Store simply offered far more advanced DICOM viewers than iTunes.
So for medical professionals who rely on manipulating scans and heightened security protocols – the App Store should be the go-to platform for sourcing DICOM viewers on iOS devices.
While iTunes met basic viewing needs, those needing enhanced visualization, integrated cloud storage, collaborative sharing, tight encryption, and niche specialization found better iTunes alternatives on the App Store.
The Final Recommendation
For reliably opening and interacting with DICOM studies on iPhones and iPads, we strongly recommend sourcing advanced viewers from the iOS App Store over iTunes.
The App Store’s vast and targeted medical selection houses the top specialty DICOM apps that power users require for unique clinical, research, and veterinary use cases.
By enabling on-device hunting and intelligent recommendations, the App Store provides quicker access to these robust DICOM viewers for iOS – making it the unambiguous choice for finding best-in-class options.
