Comparison

Elemental vs ThinkSpace

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

Head to head
About

Elemental

This free utility allows users to easily draw chemical structures and reactions on their mobile devices. It offers features like property calculation, file sharing via email and Dropbox, and a built-in periodic table. Users can also export structures as image files or MOL/RXN formats.

Highlights
  • Draw chemical structures and reactions
  • Calculate cheminformatics properties
  • Tweet chemical structures
  • Dropbox integration
  • Open MOL/RXN files
  • Email structures as files/images
  • Built-in Periodic Table
Features
Read full description

Elemental from Dotmatics the FREE Chemistry Sketch Utility Elemental is now a Universal App that support iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Elemental is the Dotmatics chemistry sketch utility provided at no charge within many Dotmatics products. We are happy to provide this as a FREE app on the iTunes store. - Tap to draw chemical structures - Calculate cheminformatics properties - Tweet a Molecule! - Dropbox upload support & file association back from the Dropbox App - Open MOL/RXN files from E-mails (tap and hold an attachment) - Copy images to camera roll/clipboard - Double tap to undo - Sketch chemical reactions - Built-in Periodic Table - Email your structure as a MOL/RXN file and PNG image - Emails also contain MW, MolFormula and predicted LogP Draw molecules with ease! Suggestions are really welcome at this time. We intend to add a heap of features over the coming months and to keep this app FREE.

About

ThinkSpace

This app is a powerful thinking tool that supports creative workflows with an intuitive interface and various thinking methods. It offers features like handwritten notes, unlimited canvases, idea generation frameworks, and real-time collaboration to aid brainstorming and idea structuring.

Highlights
  • Handwritten sticky notes
  • Unlimited canvas sizes
  • Idea generation frameworks
  • Real-time sharing
  • Mind mapping
  • Diagram creation
  • AI brainstorming
Features
Read full description

Information piles up. AI has all the answers. But a week later, nothing stays in your head. ThinkSpace is a thinking canvas where you turn what you explore with AI into your own map — with your own hands. Only the maps you build yourself stay with you. In ThinkSpace, a map you grow — one that stays with you — is called a design map. It is not a static diagram you draw once. It keeps evolving as you add new information, AI conversations, and results from what you tried — a living model of your own understanding. ■ Great for topics like - Integrating papers and books into an understanding you can explain in your own words - Visualizing nursing pathophysiology diagrams and how what you learn connects - Bringing a story's world, characters, timeline, and ideas into one structure - Writing out tangled feelings and worries to sort out your inner thoughts - Designing your career in the AI era, social media strategy, or product concepts - Connecting visions and goals to concrete actions and reviews - Working through complex problems at work: causes, solutions, validation, results ■ Start from a purpose-built map No need to stare at a blank canvas wondering where to begin. - Concept map - Problem-solving map - Pathophysiology map - Career map for the AI era - Worldbuilding map - Social media strategy map - Habit-building map - Product design map - Vision map and more — start from a foundation that fits your topic. ■ Turn AI chats into a growing map Ask AI from a card and add the answers to your map. Instead of just reading responses, break them down, relate them, and rebuild them as your own understanding. Looking over the map sparks new questions — dig into them with AI again. Your AI inputs are never used for training. ■ Key features - Infinite canvas: place cards anywhere and work with unorganized thoughts as they are. - Handwriting and text: Apple Pencil supported. Write like sticky notes and move them as you think. - Mind maps, flows, groups, relation lines: express radial thinking, procedures, cause and effect. - Ask AI and break answers into cards: turn answers into understanding you can explain. - Extract key-point cards from text: turn long notes and web pages into material for thinking. - AI brainstorming: generate a skeleton that widens your view. You fill in evidence and conclusions. - Capture web pages, images, screenshots: place research inside your own topic. - Search and reuse cards: find past fragments and recombine them in other maps. - Link canvases: connect big themes and subtopics into layers of thought. - Export to image, PDF, and text: output maps for reports, submissions, and sharing. - Local-first: data is saved on your device first. Edit offline, export anytime. - Sync across devices (Pro): grow the same maps on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Turn AI answers into understanding you can explain. Turn scattered information into a map that leads to your next decision and action. Grow your own way of thinking with ThinkSpace. ■ Pro access - Unlimited canvases - Unlimited cards and groups - Expanded AI usage limit - Full feature access ——— Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The renewal fee is charged to your iTunes account within 24 hours before the period ends. You can turn off auto-renewal anytime in your App Store account settings. ——— Terms of Service: https://thinkspace-public.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/terms-en.html Privacy Policy: https://thinkspace-public.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/privacy-policy-en-v2.html

Screenshots

Elemental1 screens
ThinkSpace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ThinkSpace at 4.3 against Elemental's 2.2. ThinkSpace also leads on ratings volume (273 vs 18). Elemental's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (73% vs 54%). On price, update cadence, 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. ThinkSpace sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Elemental asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ThinkSpace holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ThinkSpace has 273 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Elemental's written reviews are positive against 54% of ThinkSpace's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elemental ships an update every 3 weeks, ThinkSpace monthly. The most recent releases landed on July 6, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Elemental versus ThinkSpace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElementalThinkSpace
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (18 ratings)4.3 (273 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.4% of reviews — better53.6% of reviews
Number of ratings18273 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB238 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDotmatics LimitedNaoya Enokida

Customer experience

Elemental

All ratings18 ratings
Positive27.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative72.2%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive73.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative22.8%

ThinkSpace

All ratings273 ratings
Positive82.1%
Neutral5.9%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive53.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative36.8%

Bugs and requests

Elemental

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ThinkSpace

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during use
  • Data disappears after upgrading to paid version
  • Canvas fails to load with many items
  • Text boxes become uneditable
  • Grouped items move unexpectedly when resizing
Show 15 more
  • Eraser tool causes crashes
  • Login freezes and network connection errors
  • Registration and account creation failures
  • Undo function doesn't work properly
  • Cards stick or behave erratically
  • Zoom tool tab not displaying
  • Export function unresponsive on Mac
  • Text wrapping and alignment issues
  • Sticky notes change size unexpectedly
  • Items disappear from canvas
  • Forced quit required to close app
  • Laggy performance with Apple Pencil writing
  • Sync failures between iPad and Mac
  • Auto-organize feature snaps items incorrectly
  • White background export issues

Requested features

19 requests
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Dark mode theme
  • Better palm rejection for Apple Pencil
  • Folder/project organization system
  • Ability to delete canvases easily
Show 14 more
  • Improved text editing within cards
  • Better arrow/connector customization
  • Undo with multi-finger gestures (like Procreate)
  • Export to vector formats (SVG)
  • Zoom controls for Mac version
  • Better grouping and ungrouping functionality
  • Collaborative editing features
  • iCloud sync option
  • Highlighter tool
  • Custom colors and pen sizes
  • Canvas renaming functionality
  • Better keyboard shortcuts for Mac
  • Chromebook support
  • Auto-layout option for mind maps

In-app purchases

None

Elemental

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ThinkSpace

Subscriptions2
  • ThinkSpace Pro Access$2.991 Month
  • ThinkSpace Pro Access$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Elemental free?
Elemental is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ThinkSpace free?
ThinkSpace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Elemental or ThinkSpace?
ThinkSpace is rated higher. Elemental averages 2.2 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while ThinkSpace averages 4.3 from 273 ratings.
Do Elemental or ThinkSpace have ads?
Neither Elemental nor ThinkSpace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Elemental or ThinkSpace?
Elemental ships an update every 3 weeks, and ThinkSpace monthly. Most recently, Elemental was updated on July 6, 2026 and ThinkSpace on September 19, 2026.

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