ReactionFlash vs Backside Attack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ReactionFlash
This app serves as a comprehensive flashcard-style learning tool for named chemical reactions. It provides detailed information on reaction mechanisms and examples from scientific literature, with a quiz mode to test user knowledge.
- Learn named chemical reactions
- Understand reaction mechanisms
- View literature examples
- Quiz mode for knowledge testing
- Flashcard interface
Read full descriptionHide full description
Want to refresh your memory on named chemical reactions before an exam or a group meeting? Get all the details with ReactionFlash(R) as a great way to learn named reactions, understand their mechanisms and view examples published in peer-reviewed literature. Designed and developed in consultation with Professor Dr. Erick M. Carreira of ETH Zürich, the app covers 1'266 named chemical reactions, by far the largest collection of Named Reactions. Professor Carreira has helped ensure that we have all the fundamental reactions that should be part of every chemist’s toolkit: from the best-known ones to the ones only Nobel Prize winners remember! The app is designed like a set of flash cards so it can be used as a learning tool as well as a reference. Each ‘card’ shows the reaction, its mechanism and examples from peer-reviewed, published literature. It also has a quiz mode that lets you test your knowledge. Linking into Reaxys enables you to find the most recent examples of each reaction, many with experimental details. Reaxys delivers experimental facts from the literature, enabling researchers to find the best synthetic routes and conditions. Find out more at https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/reaxys Download the app now and see if you know all the named reactions! Summary: - Learn named reactions - Review and understand mechanisms - Explore examples published in peer-reviewed literature - Take the ReactionFlash quiz and see how much you know If you need support, please contact us at reactionflash@elsevier.com. Reaxys and ReactionFlash are trade marks of Elsevier Limited, used under license.
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
Read full descriptionHide 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!
Screenshots
Verdict
ReactionFlash and Backside Attack both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Backside Attack's written reviews are positive against 81% of ReactionFlash's. Backside Attack also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 — 4.8 for ReactionFlash against 4.9 for Backside Attack. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 74 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of ReactionFlash's written reviews are positive against 95% of Backside Attack's.
ReactionFlash ships an update every 4 months, Backside Attack every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and July 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ReactionFlash | Backside Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (41 ratings) | 4.9 (74 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.6% of reviews | 95.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 41 | 74 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 178 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Elsevier Limited | Element26, Inc. |
Customer experience
ReactionFlash
Backside Attack
In-app purchases
ReactionFlash
No in-app purchases
Backside Attack
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ReactionFlash free?
Is Backside Attack free?
Which has better reviews, ReactionFlash or Backside Attack?
Do ReactionFlash or Backside Attack have ads?
Which is updated more often, ReactionFlash or Backside Attack?
Other comparisons















