Comparison

Chemistry By Design vs WebMO Molecule Editor

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

Head to head
About

Chemistry By Design

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
Read full description

Chemistry By Design is an interactive virtual flashcard that allows students to test their skills using known synthetic sequences. The goal is to display the reagents, starting materials and products for every single step used in constructing a natural product or pharmaceutical. Students are provided with different browsing options to test themselves.

About

WebMO Molecule Editor

Create and explore 3D molecular structures, visualize chemical properties, and access extensive chemical databases. This tool is ideal for students and educators needing on-the-go access to molecular information and computational chemistry resources.

Highlights
  • 3D molecular editor
  • Structure optimization
  • Orbital and symmetry visualization
  • Chemical database lookup
  • Spectra visualization
  • High-resolution image capture
  • Computational chemistry program integration
Features
Read full description

WebMO allows users to build and view molecules in 3-D, visualize orbitals and symmetry elements, lookup chemical information and properties from external databases, and access state-of-the-art computational chemistry programs. WebMO is recommended for students and faculty in high school, college, and graduate school who desire mobile access to molecular structures, information, and calculations. WebMO capabilities include: - Build molecules by drawing atoms and bonds in a 3-D molecular editor, or by speaking the name (e.g., “aspirin”) - Optimize structures using VSEPR theory or molecular mechanics - View Huckel molecular orbitals, electron density, and electrostatic potential - View molecular vibrations - View point group and symmetry elements of molecules - Lookup basic molecular information, including IUPAC and common names, stoichiometry, molar mass - Lookup chemical data from PubChem and ChemSpider - Lookup experimental and predicted molecular properties from external databases (NIST, Sigma-Aldrich) - Lookup IR, UV-VIS, NMR, and mass spectra from external databases (NIST, SDBS) - Capture high-resolution molecular images - Save and recall molecular structures locally - Export and import structures via email WebMO is also a front-end to WebMO servers (version 14 and higher): - Supports Gaussian, GAMESS, Molpro, MOPAC, NWChem, ORCA, PQS, PSI, Quantum Espresso, VASP, Q-Chem, and Tinker computational chemistry programs - Submit, monitor, and view calculations - View formatted tabular data extracted from output files, as well as raw output - Visualize geometry, partial charges, dipole moment, normal vibrational modes, molecular orbitals, and NMR/IR/UV-VIS spectra

Screenshots

Chemistry By Design3 screens
WebMO Molecule Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Chemistry By Design at 5.0 against WebMO Molecule Editor's 4.0. Chemistry By Design also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (81% vs 60%). WebMO Molecule Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 16 months). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. WebMO Molecule Editor sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Chemistry By Design asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chemistry By Design holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 40 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Chemistry By Design's written reviews are positive against 60% of WebMO Molecule Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chemistry By Design ships an update every 16 months, WebMO Molecule Editor every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Chemistry By Design versus WebMO Molecule Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChemistry By DesignWebMO Molecule Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (14 ratings) — better4.0 (40 ratings)
Positive reviews80.8% of reviews — better60.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1440 — better
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUniversity of ArizonaWebMO, LLC

Customer experience

Chemistry By Design

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative15.4%

WebMO Molecule Editor

All ratings40 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral9.4%
Negative30.2%

In-app purchases

None

Chemistry By Design

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

WebMO Molecule Editor

One-time2
  • WebMO Premium for paid usersFree
  • WebMO Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Chemistry By Design free?
Chemistry By Design is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WebMO Molecule Editor free?
WebMO Molecule Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chemistry By Design or WebMO Molecule Editor?
Chemistry By Design is rated higher. Chemistry By Design averages 5.0 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while WebMO Molecule Editor averages 4.0 from 40 ratings.
Do Chemistry By Design or WebMO Molecule Editor have ads?
Neither Chemistry By Design nor WebMO Molecule Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chemistry By Design or WebMO Molecule Editor?
Chemistry By Design ships an update every 16 months, and WebMO Molecule Editor every 3 months. Most recently, Chemistry By Design was updated on November 4, 2026 and WebMO Molecule Editor on November 1, 2026.

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