Visualizing Organic Chemistry vs Functional Groups
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Visualizing Organic Chemistry
This app offers interactive 3D models and animations to help students and instructors visualize complex organic chemistry concepts. Explore orbitals, bonding, physical properties, stereochemistry, and reactions through dynamic visuals.
- Interactive 3D atomic and molecular orbital models
- 3D electrostatic potential maps
- Animated Newman projections and conformational changes
- 3D models for stereochemistry visualization
- Interactive spectroscopy models (IR, NMR)
- Animated reaction pathways with energy changes
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Visualizing Organic Chemistry is a collection of tools that make learning organic chemistry easier. It’s an excellent resource for instructors and students alike! The app contains over 60 visuals, most incorporating 3D interactive models and animations that help students envision key concepts in organic chemistry. Visualizing Organic Chemistry includes: -Orbitals and Bonding- • Interactive 3D models of basic and hybrid atomic orbitals • Molecular orbital diagrams with 3D models showing orbital shape and symmetry • How bond dissociation energy changes with internuclear distance -Physical Properties- • Define the most important functional groups with structural drawings and 3D models • Electronegativity trends and Pauling electronegativities of the elements • 3D electrostatic potential maps demonstrating charge distribution in molecules • 3D molecular models demonstrating how molecular size and shape affect surface area and boiling point -Free Rotation and Conformations- • Interactive Newman projections demonstrating free rotation with conformational changes reflected in 3D models • Interactive Newman projections demonstrating torsional and steric strain energies • 3D models of smaller cycloalkanes with animated changes between important conformations • 3D models of cyclopropane, cyclobutane, and cyclopentane illustrating several important conformations • Animated 3D models of cyclohexanes demonstrating conformational inversions (chair flips) and 1,3-diaxial strain • 3D models illustrating spirocyclic, fused, and bridged bicyclic compounds -Stereochemistry- • 3D models illustrating cis/trans isomers of disubstituted rings and alkenes • 3D models demonstrating chirality and its relation to symmetry • 3D models depicting the spatial relationships of substituents in both dash-wedge and Fischer projections • Interactive dash-wedge and Fischer projections demonstrating 3D rotation of substituents in 2D space • 3D model of a basic polarimeter illustrating the measurement of optical rotation of chiral compounds • 3D models that demonstrate enantiomeric and diastereomeric relationships in compounds with more than one chiral center -Spectroscopy- • Animated, interactive 3D models depicting CH2X2 IR stretching and bending vibrational modes • IR spectra for several compounds depicting the most important functional group absorptions • NMR spectra with accompanying 3D models illustrating chemical equivalency and its relationship to symmetry • Proton and carbon-13 NMR spectra for several compounds depicting several important chemical shift ranges -Reactions- • Interactive 3D animation of HX addition showing free energy changes during the reaction • Interactive 3D animations demonstrating syn/anti stereoselectivity in various electrophilic additions • Interactive 3D animation of nucleophilic substitutions showing free energy changes during the reaction • Interactive 3D animations demonstrating inversion and retention of stereochemistry in nucleophilic substitutions • Interactive 3D animations demonstrating syn/anti stereoselectivity in E1 and E2 eliminations
Functional Groups
Master organic chemistry functional groups through an engaging and interactive learning experience. Ideal for students in introductory or advanced courses, MCAT prep, and A-Level chemistry, this app covers dozens of essential groups with practice modes and progress tracking.
- 25+ basic and advanced functional groups
- 300+ organic compounds
- Multiple practice modes
- Customizable study groups
- Personalized review
- Reference table and definitions
- Progress tracking with achievements
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Ready to ace organic chemistry? Learn the functional groups you need to know - all in an engaging and interactive format. The app is ideal for introductory or advanced organic chemistry classes, MCAT prep, A-Level chemistry, and more. You’ll quickly become familiar with alcohols, esters, amides, amines, and dozens of other important functional groups. The app features: • 25+ basic and advanced functional groups • 300+ organic compounds • Multiple practice modes • Customize which groups to study • Personalized review • Reference table and definitions • Achievements to track your progress Along the way, you’ll learn interesting facts about pharmaceuticals, biomolecules, dangerous compounds, unique molecular structures, and more. With the Functional Groups app, learning organic chemistry is easy, straightforward, and, dare we say… fun? Give it a try and let us know what you think!
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Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Functional Groups at 100% against Visualizing Organic Chemistry's 0%. Functional Groups also leads on price (Free vs $7.99) and rating (4.9 vs 1.0). Visualizing Organic Chemistry's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On ads and device support 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
Functional Groups is free to download; Visualizing Organic Chemistry costs $7.99 up front. Functional Groups sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Visualizing Organic Chemistry asks for nothing beyond the download.
Functional Groups holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Groups has 21 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Visualizing Organic Chemistry's written reviews are positive against 100% of Functional Groups's.
Visualizing Organic Chemistry ships an update every 8 months, Functional Groups every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Visualizing Organic Chemistry | Functional Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.9 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 21 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aaron M. Hartel | Clarity Applications |
Customer experience
Visualizing Organic Chemistry
Functional Groups
In-app purchases
Visualizing Organic Chemistry
No in-app purchases
Functional Groups
- Lifetime Access$9.99
Questions
Is Visualizing Organic Chemistry free?
Is Functional Groups free?
Which has better reviews, Visualizing Organic Chemistry or Functional Groups?
Do Visualizing Organic Chemistry or Functional Groups have ads?
Which is updated more often, Visualizing Organic Chemistry or Functional Groups?
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