Buffers vs Lab Mate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Buffers
This tool helps design buffer solutions for pH control in research. It offers a calculator for accurate recipes and a reference for common buffering agents, supporting various parameters like pH, concentration, and temperature.
- 42 common buffering agents
- Accurate recipe generation
- Broad pH, concentration, temperature ranges
- Detailed buffer system information
- Shareable recipes (email, text, copy, print)
- Sophisticated calculation algorithm
Read full descriptionHide full description
Buffers is a tool for designing buffer solutions for pH control. Buffers is useful both as a handy reference of available buffering agents and as an accurate, portable buffer calculator for chemical, biochemical and biological research. With Buffers you can: - Select from 42 commonly used buffering agents - Generate accurate recipes covering broad pH, concentration and temperature ranges - Access detailed information about each available buffer system - E-mail, text, copy or print recipes To use Buffers, just choose a buffering agent and target pH along with the desired solution volume, temperature and buffer concentration. The recipe is calculated with the push of a button. Buffers uses a sophisticated algorithm that is more versatile and potentially more accurate than simple calculations based on the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. An information page for each buffering agent lists the pKa, appropriate pH range, and temperature dependence, along with molecular weights and CAS numbers for the acid and base forms and other pertinent information. Bring your buffer calculations into the lab where you need them!
Lab Mate
This application simplifies complex chemistry calculations for molarity, dilutions, and mixtures. It offers a universal purchase for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with features like chemical search, custom chemical saving, and a dedicated numeric keyboard for efficient data entry. Users can also customize decimal places and print their calculation history.
- Molarity, dilution, and mixture calculators
- Percent dilution calculator
- Chemical search and molecular weight lookup
- Custom chemical saving
- Dedicated numeric keyboard
- Printable calculation history
- Light and Dark Mode support
Read full descriptionHide full description
Lab Mate is an intuitive calculator for molarity, dilutions, and mixtures. A universal app—one purchase works on iPhone, iPad, and macOS. Key Features - Multiple calculators for molarity, dilutions, and mixtures - Percent (%) dilution calculator - Search chemicals by name or formula, including molecular weight lookup - Add and save your own custom chemicals - Dedicated numeric keyboard for fast data entry - Simple and flexible unit selection - Instant calculations with live result updates - Choose how many decimal places to display - Print your calculation history - Native support for Light Mode and Dark Mode Localization Now fully localized for: - English - French - German - Spanish - German - Italian - Portugese - Chinese (Simplified) - Chinese (Traditional) - Japanese - Korean - Russian Important note - In no event shall the developers or any third party providers be liable to anyone for any damages as a result of using the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Buffers at Free against Lab Mate's $6.99. Buffers also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 26.0). Lab Mate's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 13 months). On ads, in-app purchases 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
Buffers is free to download; Lab Mate costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Buffers ships an update every 13 months, Lab Mate every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Buffers | Lab Mate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 14.1 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Akkyra Systems | Marcus Griffiths |
Customer experience
Buffers
Lab Mate
In-app purchases
Buffers
No in-app purchases
Lab Mate
No in-app purchases









