# Chemistry By Design vs SynStrategy

The clearest difference is update cadence: SynStrategy at every 3 months against Chemistry By Design's every 16 months. SynStrategy also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Chemistry By Design's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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 — 5.0 for Chemistry By Design against 5.0 for SynStrategy. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 10 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Chemistry By Design's written reviews are positive against 100% of SynStrategy's.

Chemistry By Design ships an update every 16 months, SynStrategy every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chemistry By Design | SynStrategy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chemistry-by-design-target-synthesis-database/id451791347/reviews) | [5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synstrategy/id6755611244/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 80.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 23 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [University of Arizona](https://appshunter.io/developer/437682109) | [Willi M. Amberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854863487) |

## What reviewers say

### Chemistry By Design

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chemistry-by-design-target-synthesis-database/id451791347)

This interactive virtual flashcard app helps students practice chemistry synthesis skills. It displays reagents, starting materials, and products for each step in constructing natural products or pharmaceuticals. Various browsing options are available for self-testing.

**Highlights:** Interactive virtual flashcards, Practice synthetic sequences, Display reagents, starting materials, and products, Natural product and pharmaceutical synthesis, Multiple browsing options for testing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### SynStrategy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synstrategy/id6755611244)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chemistry By Design free?

Chemistry By Design 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, Chemistry By Design or SynStrategy?

Chemistry By Design and SynStrategy are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 14 and 10 ratings respectively.

### Do Chemistry By Design or SynStrategy have ads?

Neither Chemistry By Design nor SynStrategy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chemistry By Design or SynStrategy?

Chemistry By Design ships an update every 16 months, and SynStrategy every 3 months. Most recently, Chemistry By Design was updated on November 4, 2026 and SynStrategy on November 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*