Comparison

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.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

*** 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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Atom Builder
  • SmashBond game
  • Interactive Periodic Table
  • STARS Challenge quiz
  • 3D atom construction
  • Bohr's model visualization
Features
Read full description

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

Nuclear4 screens
U.S. Army STARS Elements4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Nuclear sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. U.S. Army STARS Elements asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Nuclear versus U.S. Army STARS Elements: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNuclearU.S. Army STARS Elements
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (302 ratings)4.7 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings302 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB213 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperESCAPE VELOCITY LIMITEDArmy Game Studio

Customer experience

Nuclear

All ratings302 ratings
Positive79.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative14.2%
Written reviews239 reviews
Positive69.5%
Neutral14.6%
Negative15.9%

U.S. Army STARS Elements

All ratings18 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.6%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

3 purchases

Nuclear

One-time3
  • Build All Elements$2.99
  • Discover Your Table$2.99
  • Discover All$4.99
None

U.S. Army STARS Elements

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nuclear free?
Nuclear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is U.S. Army STARS Elements free?
U.S. Army STARS Elements is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nuclear or U.S. Army STARS Elements?
U.S. Army STARS Elements is rated higher. Nuclear averages 4.2 out of 5 from 302 ratings, while U.S. Army STARS Elements averages 4.7 from 18 ratings.
Do Nuclear or U.S. Army STARS Elements have ads?
Neither Nuclear nor U.S. Army STARS Elements shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nuclear or U.S. Army STARS Elements?
Nuclear ships an update every 3 months, and U.S. Army STARS Elements every 8 months. Most recently, Nuclear was updated on October 12, 2026 and U.S. Army STARS Elements on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons