Comparison

Nuclear vs Elementium

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

Elementium

Access comprehensive information on every element of the periodic table. Explore detailed data, visualize trends, and utilize a built-in solubility calculator. Perfect for students and professionals needing quick, accurate chemical data.

Highlights
  • Detailed element information
  • Interactive periodic table
  • Dynamic filtering and trend visualization
  • Solubility calculator
  • Element image library
  • Bohr model visualizations
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

The premiere periodic table app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Quickly reference any element and all the information you need. Search for elements by on classification, phase, orbital, mass, or number. Dynamic filters help you understand periodic trends, like electronegativity, at a glance. Dive even deeper to get standard, frequently-used data points such as mass, electronegativity, radius, radioactivity, electron configuration, and more. LEARN Each element prominently features: • Symbol, name, and number • Atomic mass • Electronegativity • Electron configuration • Atomic radius • Melting and boiling points • Year of discovery • State at STP • Radioactivity Elements are also accompanied by discussions on its uses, discovery, and more. You can quickly find more information and publications about each element via links to Wikipedia, Science Direct®, and the American Chemical Society®. EXPLORE The periodic table is laid out in a clear, concise manner that adapts to the size of your screen. No more squinting at blurry images of the periodic table from web searches. Beautiful color-coding helps you quickly distinguish element classifications, phases at STP, electronegativity, and atomic radius. Trends and filtering help students who are learning chemistry to visualize patterns. SOLUBILITY CALCUALTOR A built in solubility calculator* answers all your, "is this soluble in that", questions. Just specify a solvent and a solute to check their compatibility. A solubility lookup table is also available for cross-referencing multiple combinations. VISUALIZATIONS See beautiful depictions of elements from raw to processed, and in other forms. The extensive library of images help you understand what your lab samples should look like, or may be helpful to students learning about chemistry.* SEARCH Search for elements by name, symbol, mass, or number from within Elementium™ or via Spotlight. Results are shown directly on the periodic table. Need faster access to element information? Search directly from Spotlight on the lock screen or home screen of your device. BOHR MODELS Animated Bohr models for each element help visualize how electrons are oriented around the nucleus.* WRITE & REPORT Academics and students writing reports and using data frequently in the classroom or the lab can simply tap on an aspect of an element to export its information.* HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add the Periodic Table widget to your home screen for quick and easy reference to the Periodic Table. Or, try out the "random element" widget which is useful for students. ADDITIONAL NICE THINGS • Custom app icons • Set temperature and atomic radius to your preferred units • Search Spotlight for elements • Thoughtfully developed with accessibility in mind • A subscription is totally optional • No account required • Privacy focused (no tracking, no data collection) ------- ION Subscription Notice Subscription prices vary by duration and may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. Manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://spencer-software.com/elementium/privacy Terms of Service: https://spencer-software.com/elementium/tos ------- *Requires in-app purchase. Elementium™ is a trademark of Samuel Spencer.

Screenshots

Nuclear4 screens
Elementium4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Elementium at 4.6 against Nuclear's 4.2. Elementium also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Nuclear's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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 and Elementium sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Elementium holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 302 and 576 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Nuclear's written reviews are positive against 75% of Elementium's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nuclear ships an update every 3 months, Elementium every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Nuclear versus Elementium: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNuclearElementium
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (302 ratings)4.6 (576 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.5% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings302576 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS7.0 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB752 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperESCAPE VELOCITY LIMITEDSamuel Spencer

Customer experience

Nuclear

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

Elementium

All ratings576 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative18.8%

User reviews

Nuclear

From 302 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Awesome visuals
  • 🔍 Great learning tool
  • 👍 Fun and interactive
  • 💡 Helpful for understanding atoms

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 💰 Paywall for full access
  • 🔒 Locked features
  • 🤔 Inaccurate decay/reaction modeling

Elementium

From 576 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
  • 📚 Comprehensive element information and data
  • 🎨 Beautiful, clean, and visually appealing design
  • 🔗 Helpful Wikipedia and external resource links
  • 📖 Excellent for educational purposes and studying

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model for premium features
  • 🔐 Paywall blocking key features and element images
  • 📺 Intrusive ads and purchase prompts on startup
  • 🎨 Poor color contrast on metalloid background text
  • 📱 Crashes on older devices (iPhone 6G iPod Touch, iPhone XS Max)

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

Elementium

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes on startup and when tapping elements
  • Crashes on older iOS devices and iPod Touch
  • Molar mass not visible in iPhone landscape orientation
  • Intrusive purchase prompt that's difficult to dismiss
  • Rating request spam appearing too early in user experience

Requested features

5 requests
  • Element images and visual representations
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Zoom out to view entire periodic table at once
  • Better display of molar mass on iPhone in landscape mode
  • More detailed information and content

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Nuclear

One-time3
  • Build All Elements$2.99
  • Discover Your Table$2.99
  • Discover All$4.99
9 purchases

Elementium

Subscriptions4
  • ION, 1 month1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • ION, 3 Months3 Days trial$3.993 Months
  • ION, 6 months$5.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • ION, 1 year$9.991 Year
One-time5
  • Export Data$0.99
  • Bohr Models$1.99
  • Advanced Sorting$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Visual Elements$3.99
  • Advanced Tools$4.99

Questions

Is Nuclear free?
Nuclear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Elementium free?
Elementium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nuclear or Elementium?
Elementium is rated higher. Nuclear averages 4.2 out of 5 from 302 ratings, while Elementium averages 4.6 from 576 ratings.
Do Nuclear or Elementium have ads?
Neither Nuclear nor Elementium shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nuclear or Elementium?
Nuclear ships an update every 3 months, and Elementium every 3 weeks. Most recently, Nuclear was updated on October 12, 2026 and Elementium on October 12, 2026.

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