Backside Attack vs iORA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!
iORA
Visualize chemical reactions in 3D using quantum-mechanical simulations. This free, interactive application makes complex chemistry concepts accessible and engaging for learners.
- 3D chemical reaction visualization
- Quantum-mechanical simulations
- Interactive learning
- Easy to use interface
- Educational tool
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iORA is a free, easy to use, highly interactive smartphone application that provides 3D visualization of chemical reactions based on quantum-mechanical simulations.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: iORA at every 2 months against Backside Attack's every 8 months. Backside Attack's advantage is ratings volume (74 vs 12) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.3). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Backside Attack against 5.0 for iORA. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Backside Attack has 74 ratings behind it against 12, 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 100% of iORA's.
Backside Attack ships an update every 8 months, iORA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backside Attack | iORA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (74 ratings) | 5.0 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 95.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 74 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 14.3 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 178 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Element26, Inc. | Daniel Ess |
Customer experience
Backside Attack
iORA
In-app purchases
Backside Attack
No in-app purchases
iORA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Backside Attack free?
Is iORA free?
Which has better reviews, Backside Attack or iORA?
Do Backside Attack or iORA have ads?
Which is updated more often, Backside Attack or iORA?
Other comparisons
