R2R vs SynStrategy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
R2R
Learn and practice organic chemistry functional groups with interactive lessons and timed challenges. This app is designed for A-Level Chemistry students to prepare for exams and competitions.
- Learn functional groups
- Practice with R-Groups
- Timed challenges
- Review different groups
- Prepare for exams
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Put the Fun in Functional Groups with Prof. Rudi Rabbit! Aimed at those studying ALevel Chemistry, this app is designed to help you learn the different functional groups that may come up in your examinations or extension competitions. Use the 'Learn' screen to review the different groups and how you tell them apart, 'Practice' with different R-Groups and then 'Play' and try and beat the professor under timed conditions. Once you have beaten the professor then you are ready for some of Race to Revise's other organic synthesis games.
SynStrategy
This app categorizes organic reactions by the functional groups they form, aiding chemists in synthetic analysis. It offers over 500 transformations and 400 synthesis examples, with detailed subdivisions for clarity.
- Reactions categorized by functional group
- 27 main functional group categories
- Over 500 transformations
- Over 400 total synthesis examples
- Subdivided functional group categories
- Highlights synthetic use cases
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SynStrategy is an organic chemistry app for anyone studying or working in organic synthesis. Its key feature is the categorization of named reactions and unnamed chemical reactions by the functional groups they form, helping students and practitioners navigate the vast landscape of organic transformations. The app features 27 main functional group categories, each further subdivided (for example, Alcohols include primary, secondary, tertiary, allylic, and homoallylic alcohols, and more). This structured organization gives chemists a clearer view of available transformations during synthetic and retrosynthetic analysis. SynStrategy currently includes over 500 organic chemistry reactions, with their synthetic use cases highlighted in more than 400 total synthesis examples. NEW: We've added the mechanisms for a collection of classic named oxidation reactions, with more to come. Each mechanism includes literature references you can look up for further detail. The first set covers the Albright-Goldman, Anelli, Babler-Dauben, Baeyer-Villiger, Ball-Goodwin-Morton, Collins, Corey-Gilman-Ganem, Corey-Kim, Corey-Schmidt, Corey-Suggs, Criegee, Dakin, Davis, Davis Asymmetric, and TEMPO oxidations. Beyond the reference library, SynStrategy includes interactive tools to help you study organic chemistry and organize these transformations. Save specific reactions into custom datasets that can be exported and shared with colleagues. Test your knowledge with the app's study modes: a Quiz system featuring three formats with multiple-choice and advanced questions on chemical reactions and total synthesis steps, plus a traditional Flashcard mode. Both modes include session analytics so you can track your progress. NEW: A Statistics dashboard now lets you review your quiz and flashcard results, see what you've studied, and get an overview of your activity in the app over time (More → Statistics). Whether you're preparing for an organic chemistry (orgo) exam, reviewing named reactions and mechanisms, or planning a synthesis in the lab, SynStrategy aims to be a useful organic chemistry companion. There are countless exceptional total syntheses and synthetically relevant methodologies in the literature, and we aim to grow the selection over time. Have a particular organic reaction or total synthesis example you'd like to see added? E-mail us: serviceofsynthesis@gmail.com Summary of Features: - Named and unnamed reactions, categorized by functional group - Over 500 organic chemistry transformations - Mechanisms for selected reactions (more to come) - Over 400 total synthesis examples - Create, export, and import custom reaction datasets - Multi-format Quiz system with session analytics - Dedicated Flashcard mode for systematic review - Statistics to review your results and activity in the app over time If you need support, please contact serviceofsynthesis@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SynStrategy at 100% against R2R's 75%. SynStrategy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). R2R's advantage is ratings volume (124 vs 9) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SynStrategy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: R2R has 124 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of R2R's written reviews are positive against 100% of SynStrategy's.
R2R ships an update every 5 months, SynStrategy every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | R2R | SynStrategy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (124 ratings) | 5.0 (9 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 124 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | James Styles | Willi M. Amberg |
Customer experience
R2R
SynStrategy
In-app purchases
R2R
No in-app purchases
SynStrategy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is R2R free?
Is SynStrategy free?
Which has better reviews, R2R or SynStrategy?
Do R2R or SynStrategy have ads?
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