Comparison

ReactionFlash vs SynStrategy

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Learn named chemical reactions
  • Understand reaction mechanisms
  • View literature examples
  • Quiz mode for knowledge testing
  • Flashcard interface
Features
Read 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.

About

SynStrategy

This app categorizes organic reactions by the functional groups they form, aiding chemists in synthetic analysis. It offers over 500 transformations and 400 synthesis examples, with detailed subdivisions for clarity.

Highlights
  • Reactions categorized by functional group
  • 27 main functional group categories
  • Over 500 transformations
  • Over 400 total synthesis examples
  • Subdivided functional group categories
  • Highlights synthetic use cases
Features
Read full description

SynStrategy is an organic chemistry app for anyone studying or working in organic synthesis. Its key feature is the categorization of named reactions and unnamed chemical reactions by the functional groups they form, helping students and practitioners navigate the vast landscape of organic transformations. The app features 27 main functional group categories, each further subdivided (for example, Alcohols include primary, secondary, tertiary, allylic, and homoallylic alcohols, and more). This structured organization gives chemists a clearer view of available transformations during synthetic and retrosynthetic analysis. SynStrategy currently includes over 500 organic chemistry reactions, with their synthetic use cases highlighted in more than 400 total synthesis examples. NEW: We've added the mechanisms for a collection of classic named oxidation reactions, with more to come. Each mechanism includes literature references you can look up for further detail. The first set covers the Albright-Goldman, Anelli, Babler-Dauben, Baeyer-Villiger, Ball-Goodwin-Morton, Collins, Corey-Gilman-Ganem, Corey-Kim, Corey-Schmidt, Corey-Suggs, Criegee, Dakin, Davis, Davis Asymmetric, and TEMPO oxidations. Beyond the reference library, SynStrategy includes interactive tools to help you study organic chemistry and organize these transformations. Save specific reactions into custom datasets that can be exported and shared with colleagues. Test your knowledge with the app's study modes: a Quiz system featuring three formats with multiple-choice and advanced questions on chemical reactions and total synthesis steps, plus a traditional Flashcard mode. Both modes include session analytics so you can track your progress. NEW: A Statistics dashboard now lets you review your quiz and flashcard results, see what you've studied, and get an overview of your activity in the app over time (More → Statistics). Whether you're preparing for an organic chemistry (orgo) exam, reviewing named reactions and mechanisms, or planning a synthesis in the lab, SynStrategy aims to be a useful organic chemistry companion. There are countless exceptional total syntheses and synthetically relevant methodologies in the literature, and we aim to grow the selection over time. Have a particular organic reaction or total synthesis example you'd like to see added? E-mail us: serviceofsynthesis@gmail.com Summary of Features: - Named and unnamed reactions, categorized by functional group - Over 500 organic chemistry transformations - Mechanisms for selected reactions (more to come) - Over 400 total synthesis examples - Create, export, and import custom reaction datasets - Multi-format Quiz system with session analytics - Dedicated Flashcard mode for systematic review - Statistics to review your results and activity in the app over time If you need support, please contact serviceofsynthesis@gmail.com

Screenshots

ReactionFlash4 screens
SynStrategy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SynStrategy at 100% against ReactionFlash's 81%. SynStrategy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). ReactionFlash's advantage is ratings volume (41 vs 9) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

SynStrategy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of ReactionFlash's written reviews are positive against 100% of SynStrategy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ReactionFlash ships an update every 4 months, SynStrategy every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ReactionFlash versus SynStrategy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReactionFlashSynStrategy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (41 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElsevier LimitedWilli M. Amberg

Customer experience

ReactionFlash

All ratings41 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral6.5%
Negative12.9%

SynStrategy

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ReactionFlash

No in-app purchases

None

SynStrategy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ReactionFlash free?
ReactionFlash is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SynStrategy free?
SynStrategy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ReactionFlash or SynStrategy?
SynStrategy is rated higher. ReactionFlash averages 4.8 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while SynStrategy averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.
Do ReactionFlash or SynStrategy have ads?
Neither ReactionFlash nor SynStrategy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ReactionFlash or SynStrategy?
ReactionFlash ships an update every 4 months, and SynStrategy every 3 months. Most recently, ReactionFlash was updated on September 21, 2026 and SynStrategy on September 11, 2026.

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