Diagnosica vs Sketchy Cases: which should you use?
Updated 20 October 2026
Sketchy Cases is the better fit if you're a US student working toward shelf exams and you want a virtual attending coaching you through every step of a case. Diagnosica is the better fit if you want a patient on video, a free tier you can keep using, an Android app or pricing outside the US. On annual price they're level: Sketchy's Cases-only plan is $119.99 for 12 months, the same as Diagnosica's annual plan (as of 20 October 2026).
We make Diagnosica, so weigh this page with that in mind. Every Sketchy Cases fact here comes from its own site, read on 20 October 2026; if something has changed since, their site wins.
Diagnosica is an AI clinical simulator for medical students and junior doctors. You take a history from an AI patient on video, by voice or text, order labs and real imaging, commit to a diagnosis and management plan, and get a competency scorecard.
Sketchy Cases and Diagnosica side by side
| Sketchy Cases | Diagnosica | |
|---|---|---|
| The patient | You type, or talk using speech to text, to a virtual patient | A patient on video who answers by voice or text |
| Steps in a case | History and physical, differential, orders and results, management, feedback | History, investigations (labs and real imaging), diagnosis and plan, scorecard |
| Teaching during the case | A virtual attending corrects your reasoning in real time, with teaching points and built-in MCQs | None during the case; teaching points come on the scorecard |
| Feedback | A step-by-step review of your reasoning, compared with peers, linked to Sketchy lessons | A score out of 100 across four areas of 25 points |
| Library | "405+ cases" across core rotations, including 150+ in internal medicine and 75+ in emergency medicine | Cases across acute medicine, surgery, neurology, paediatrics, cardiology, psychiatry and more |
| Exams it names | Shelf exams, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, COMLEX, OSCEs | Scorecard mapped to UKMLA CPSA, MRCP PACES and USMLE Step 2 CK criteria |
| Platforms | Web, plus an iPhone app linked from its page; Android isn't mentioned | Web, iPhone and Android |
| Free option | A free trial; the page doesn't give its length | 5 cases in your first week, then 3 cases a week, plus unlimited 2-minute quick cases, with every case in the library open; no card |
| Price | Cases only: $19.99 a month, or $119.99 for 12 months. All Access: $349.99 for 6 months, $449.99 for 12, $649.99 for 24 | $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year (UK: £15 a month or £129 a year) |
Sketchy Cases facts from its cases page, as of 20 October 2026. Diagnosica prices as of 20 October 2026.
Where is Sketchy Cases the better choice?
Sketchy Cases does more teaching inside the case. After the history, its virtual attending stays with you through every step: it asks questions the way a senior would on rounds, corrects your reasoning as you go and checks your management plan, with multiple-choice questions built in. Its case also has a physical exam step, which Diagnosica doesn't. The library is bigger and weighted toward US rotations (150+ internal medicine cases, 75+ in emergency medicine), and if you already use Sketchy's videos the feedback links straight back to them.
Where is Diagnosica the better choice?
Diagnosica puts the weight on the encounter itself. Four things hold together: the patient is on video; the free tier is a real allowance, with no card; it has native Android and iPhone apps as well as the web; and it is used well outside the US, in the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia, with UK cards paying in pounds. On monthly billing it's $14.99 rather than $19.99 for Sketchy's Cases-only plan. And the scorecard is mapped to UK criteria (UKMLA CPSA and MRCP PACES) as well as USMLE Step 2 CK, so a UK foundation doctor gets as much from it as a US third-year.
Which should you pick?
- US MS3 grinding shelves, already on Sketchy for Step 1? Sketchy Cases will slot in.
- Outside the US, on Android, or not ready to pay yet? Diagnosica.
- Want to hear and see the patient while you take the history? Diagnosica.
Common questions
Does Sketchy Cases have a free version?
It has a free trial. As of 20 October 2026, its cases page doesn't say how long the trial lasts. Diagnosica has a free account with no card instead of a trial: 5 full cases in your first week, then 3 a week, plus 2-minute quick cases with no limit and the full scorecard after every case.
Can I talk to the patient in Sketchy Cases?
Yes. Sketchy says you can type or talk to the virtual patient using speech to text, and present your SOAP note out loud. Its page doesn't mention video. In Diagnosica the patient is on video and answers by voice or text, and voice gets 30 minutes a month on a free account.
Is Sketchy Cases on Android?
Its cases page links an iPhone app and doesn't mention Android, as of 20 October 2026, so check the Play Store before you buy. Diagnosica has native apps on Google Play and the App Store and runs in any browser, with one account across all three.
How much does Diagnosica cost?
Diagnosica is free to start, with no card. A free account gets 5 cases in your first week, then 3 cases a week, plus unlimited 2-minute quick cases, with every case in the library open. Standard is $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year (UK: £15 a month or £129 a year) and allows 50 cases a month. Prices as of 19 October 2026.
Is Diagnosica legit, and who makes it?
Diagnosica is a small, independent company operated by CC Global Group LLC, live on the web, the App Store and Google Play. Cases are written for teaching and clinically reviewed before they go live. It is a learning tool, not a medical device, and it is not affiliated with any exam board.