Comparison

Backside Attack vs Search PubChem

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Backside Attack

This educational game helps students grasp fundamental organic chemistry concepts, specifically focusing on the SN2 reaction. It explores key variables like leaving group ability, nucleophilicity, steric factors, and solvent effects to build a strong foundation in chemistry.

Highlights
  • Learn SN2 reaction mechanics
  • Explore leaving group ability
  • Understand nucleophilicity
  • Analyze steric factors
  • Study solvent effects
  • Earn points with Check Yourself +50
  • Unlock Chem Yourself feature
Read full description

Backside Attack is an educational app targeting students learning organic chemistry for the first time. The game focuses on the SN2 reaction, which is often one of the first reactions students learn when studying organic chemistry. The SN2 reaction is great for educational purposes, as it provides a forum for students to learn about many common variables associated with chemical reactions, such as leaving group ability, nucleophilicity, steric factors, and solvent effects. The Backside Attack project is led by Dr. Neil Garg, an organic chemistry Professor at UCLA. He and six UCLA students (now alumni) devoted countless hours to creating the game flow and all content. The heroic students are: Tara Kappel, Preeya Mehta, William Parsons Stefan Prisacaru, Ernst Schmid, and Justin Soffer. Backside Attack is powered by Element26, Inc., thanks to Dr. Daniel D. Caspi. Students, be sure to: Learn even more and earn points by using the Check Yourself +50 feature on the scoring screen! Unlock the Chem Yourself feature by completing each topic!

About

Search PubChem

Access and manage chemical compound data from the PubChem database. Search for over 111 million compounds, view molecular formulas, weights, and structures, and create and track custom solutions with detailed composition information.

Highlights
  • Search PubChem database
  • View molecular formula, weight, and structure
  • Store compound information
  • Create and manage custom solutions
  • Track solution composition in grams and moles
  • Display 3D compound structures
  • Share solution data via CSV
Read full description

The app allows to search compounds through PubChem and helps to keep information on solutions made of those compounds. I. Compounds Tab Search the open chemistry database 'PubChem' at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for chemical compounds. The app helps to find a compound by name from the collection of more than 111 million compounds. It downloads and stores the molecular formula, weight, and structure. Compounds 1. Selecting the "Compounds" tab will present a list of compounds. - If there are any solutions made of a compound, a droplet will appear next to the compound's name. 2. When a compound is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a compound". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Search for a compound". Details for a compound 1. Click "Compounds" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the magnifier icon to open the compound's PubChem page in the user's default web browser. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the compound. This function may not be available if there is a solution made of the compound. 4. Click one of the solutions made of the compound to display the information. See "Details for a solution" below. 5. Click "3D" to display a 3D structure. Use pan and pinch gestures to rotate and zoom the scene. Search for a compound 1. Select "Compound Name" ("CID") and type a compound name (PubChem CID). 2. Click "Search" to connect to PubChem. An activity indicator will appear until the search is finished. - If the search succeeds, the downloaded information will appear. - If the search fails, an alert will appear. 3. Click "Save" to store the information about a compound. 4. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. II. Solutions Tab Choose compounds downloaded from PubChem and make a solution. The app allows to record a list of compounds with amounts dissolved in a solution. For the saved solutions, the app displays their compositions in gram and mol. Solutions 1. Selecting the "Solutions" tab will present a list of solutions. 2. When a solution is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a solution". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Making a solution". Details for a solution 1. Click "Solutions" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the 'action' icon to share a csv file containig the information about the solution. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the solution. 5. Choose the unit among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 6. Select one of compounds to display its structure and formula. See "Mini details for a compound" below. Making a solution 1. Click "Add Compounds" to bring a collection of compounds. See "Compounds collection" below. 2. The names of the compounds selected from "Compounds collection" will be displayed as “Solution Label”. A user can edit “Solution Label”. 3. The unit for the amount can be chosen among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 4. The amount may be entered. 5. Click "Save" to create and add a new solution. 6. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. Compounds collection 1. Select or deselect compounds by clicking the images of compounds. 2. Selected compounds will be displayed. 3. Click "Done" to return back to "Making a solution". 5. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene.

Screenshots

Backside Attack4 screens
Search PubChem4 screens

Verdict

The call

Backside Attack and Search PubChem both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Backside Attack's written reviews are positive against 75% of Search PubChem's. Backside Attack also leads on ratings volume (74 vs 5) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Backside Attack against 5.0 for Search PubChem. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backside Attack has 74 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Backside Attack's written reviews are positive against 75% of Search PubChem's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backside Attack ships an update every 8 months, Search PubChem every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Backside Attack versus Search PubChem: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackside AttackSearch PubChem
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (74 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews95.5% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings74 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 8 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro
Requires iOS9.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size178 MB9 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperElement26, Inc.Jae-Seung Lee

Customer experience

Backside Attack

All ratings74 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive95.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.5%

Search PubChem

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

Backside Attack

No in-app purchases

None

Search PubChem

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backside Attack free?
Backside Attack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Search PubChem free?
Search PubChem is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backside Attack or Search PubChem?
Search PubChem is rated higher. Backside Attack averages 4.9 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Search PubChem averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Backside Attack or Search PubChem have ads?
Neither Backside Attack nor Search PubChem shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Backside Attack or Search PubChem?
Backside Attack ships an update every 8 months, and Search PubChem every 9 months. Most recently, Backside Attack was updated on July 4, 2026 and Search PubChem on June 1, 2026.

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