Nuclear vs U.S. Army STARS Elements
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nuclear
Explore the quantum world and learn about chemical elements by building atoms. This app visually models interactive atoms, allowing you to add or subtract subatomic particles to construct stable elements and unlock them on the periodic table.
- Interactive 3D atom visualization
- Build chemical elements by adding/subtracting particles
- Unlock elements on the periodic table
- Explore atomic decay of isotopes
- Learn about matter at the atomic scale
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*** Brought to you by the team behind the internationally acclaimed educational star gazing app - Star Chart *** Dare you enter the quantum world of Nuclear? Where things are not just stranger than you might imagine, but stranger than you can imagine! Witness the interplay of energies and physics at the tiniest of scales as you learn to play, discover and explore the chemical elements at the atomic level. Nuclear is a high tech educational application that dynamically models an interactive atom in a beautiful and intuitive way. In Nuclear, you get to build all the elements of the periodic table via a simple mechanic of adding and subtracting the atomic building blocks of neutrons, protons and electrons. The goal of the app is to let you learn about each of the elements of the periodic table by constructing a stable version of that element. Once a stable element has been created, it is unlocked in the periodic table. Can you create and unlock them all? This app has been designed for all types of users: from children interested in learning through play about what matter is made of and how it works, to teachers looking for an intuitive and exciting way to help educate others on chemical elements. Nuclear lets you: * Learn about the atom through this stunning 3D visualisation. * Explore the effects of manipulating matter at the atomic level. * Add or subtract protons, electrons or neutrons to create virtually any base chemical element. * Create and watch as unstable isotopes decay into more stable elements. * Through tactile exploration grasp an understanding of what we and everything around us is made of. - Please note the initial app allows you to create and unlock the first 54 elements for free. The remaining elements can be unlocked via a small in-app purchase. Nuclear is continually being developed, so please feel free to let us know your thoughts and feedback. We will endeavour to expand and improve Nuclear, incorporating customer feedback wherever possible. Contact us at: Nuclear@EscapistGames.com Don't forget to check out our other great Educational App - Star Chart.
U.S. Army STARS Elements
Explore the world of chemistry with interactive tools to build atoms, learn chemical bonds, and discover elements. Test your knowledge with engaging challenges designed for students, teachers, and enthusiasts.
- Atom Builder
- SmashBond game
- Interactive Periodic Table
- STARS Challenge quiz
- 3D atom construction
- Bohr's model visualization
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U.S. Army STARS Elements is a fun and exciting way to learn chemistry. Build your own atom, play a game to help you learn about chemical bonds, explore the periodic table, and test your chemistry knowledge. Elements is great for students, teachers, and anyone interested in chemistry. U.S. Army STARS Elements includes... Atom Builder - A simple, powerful tool that let’s you construct and discover atoms. Add and subtract protons, neutrons, and electrons and see, in 3D, what you can create. SmashBond - Use the octet rule to bond elements and score points in SmashBond. Swap elements to make 2, 3, or 4 element bonds, and grab bonuses to get a SMASHBOND. It’s a really fun way to help you become familiar with the octet rule and learn common chemical bonds by their type, symbol, name and Lewis dot diagram. Periodic Table - Use the table to view trends and detailed information about each of the 118 elements. See an interactive Bohr’s model and learn interesting facts about the elements. It’s like a regular periodic table, but interactive and fun. STARS Challenge - When you’re ready to test your knowledge, take the STARS Challenge. You’ll be presented with questions in 3 areas (elements, bonding, and atomic configuration). Can you master them all? No matter what your level of experience with chemistry, U.S. Army STARS Elements makes learning fun. Easy to use lesson plans and teacher guides are available at http://usarmystars.com/lessons to help integrate Elements into the classroom.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: U.S. Army STARS Elements at 4.7 against Nuclear's 4.2. U.S. Army STARS Elements also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (100% vs 69%). Nuclear's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (302 vs 18). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Nuclear sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. U.S. Army STARS Elements asks for nothing beyond the download.
U.S. Army STARS Elements holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nuclear has 302 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Nuclear's written reviews are positive against 100% of U.S. Army STARS Elements's.
Nuclear ships an update every 3 months, U.S. Army STARS Elements every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nuclear | U.S. Army STARS Elements |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (302 ratings) | 4.7 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 302 — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 213 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | ESCAPE VELOCITY LIMITED | Army Game Studio |
Customer experience
Nuclear
U.S. Army STARS Elements
Bugs and requests
Nuclear
Reported bugs
4 issues- Can't exit element discovery screen
- Proton cap prevents reaching higher elements
- Certain elements cannot be created
- Crashes when trying to add particles to Ununoctium
Requested features
4 requests- Expand decay modes (alpha, beta, etc.)
- Add ability to create molecules
- Improve stability/decay simulation
- Add more explanations and tutorials
U.S. Army STARS Elements
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nuclear
- Build All Elements$2.99
- Discover Your Table$2.99
- Discover All$4.99
U.S. Army STARS Elements
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Nuclear free?
Is U.S. Army STARS Elements free?
Which has better reviews, Nuclear or U.S. Army STARS Elements?
Do Nuclear or U.S. Army STARS Elements have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nuclear or U.S. Army STARS Elements?
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