Comparison

Gene Tutor vs Codon One

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

Head to head
About

Gene Tutor

This educational app serves as a study aid for college-level genetics courses. It offers sample questions, extensive study materials with videos, a glossary, and features like flagging and shuffling questions to enhance learning.

Highlights
  • Sample questions (multiple choice)
  • Extensive study material with figures and videos
  • Glossary of terms
  • Flagging for easy question retrieval
  • Shuffle option for random questions
  • Three question difficulty levels
Read full description

Gene Tutor is an App designed as a Study Aid for students taking a standard College level course in Genetics. Although it was specifically designed for students taking “Molecular and Mendelian Genetics” at Barnard College, Columbia, the material should be relevant to any similar course or advanced Introductory Biology course anywhere. It covers topics such as Mendelian Inheritance, Pedigree Analysis and Sex Linkage in Classical Genetics and DNA structure, Gene Expression and Gene Regulation in Molecular Genetics. The App contains: • Sample Questions for every topic (mainly Multiple Choice format). • Extensive Study Material in the form of web pages specifically designed for a mobile device and containing many figures and embedded videos • A Glossary covering the most commonly encountered terms • The ability to Flag questions for easy retrieval • A Shuffle option to get random questions from any topic or from the whole set overall • Three levels of questions with the option of limiting which level you get questions from I hope that this App proves to be a useful tool for students. Please feel free to let me know if you find any problems or if you think of any ways in which I could improve this for students in future classes.

About

Codon One

Master molecular biology, genetics, evolution, and life chemistry through interactive modules and quizzes. Explore essential concepts with clear diagrams and concise explanations. Includes helpful tools for sequence analysis and genetic code reference.

Highlights
  • Interactive learning modules
  • Quick quizzes for comprehension
  • Clear diagrams and plain language
  • Molecule reference guide
  • Sequence analysis tools
  • Genetic code exploration
Features
Read full description

Codon One helps you learn biology step by step, with short lessons, quick quizzes, flashcards, and a searchable glossary. Build a solid foundation in molecular biology, genetics, evolution, cell biology, development, and the history of science. Each section breaks complex ideas into clear explanations, diagrams, and focused checks for understanding. Core course (Modules) Module 1: Chemistry of Life – atoms & elements, bonds, water, pH, biomolecules Module 2: Genetics – chromosomes, replication, transcription, translation, regulation Module 3: Evolution – history of life, phylogeny, selection, drift, speciation, molecular evolution Module 4: History of Science – ideas, methods, and experiments that shaped modern biology Module 5: Cell Biology – membranes & transport, organelles & energy, cytoskeleton, signaling, cell division Module 6: Development – fertilization & body plans, differentiation, pattern formation & morphogenesis, growth & repair, evo-devo Additional topics are planned for future updates, including Animal Physiology, Microbiology & Immunology, Plant Biology, and more. Glossary & Flashcards Look up the essentials in one place - key terms from every module, plus the 20 amino acids and the nucleobases. Turn any topic into a flashcard deck and review with smart, spaced practice that focuses on the cards you find hardest. Quiz & Progress Practice across biochemistry, genetics, evolution, cell biology, development, and science history in a dedicated quiz area. Track improvement with success rates and per-topic stats, and let the app resurface your weak questions for targeted review. Keep a daily streak going to build a steady habit. Got a good question? Submit it directly from the app. Built-in Tools Sequence Operator: paste DNA, reverse or complement it, transcribe to RNA, translate in all six reading frames, and view length, GC content, and melting temperature. Codon Picker: explore the genetic code, see which codons map to each amino acid or stop signal, and tweak bases to see the effect. Triplet Encoder: write a message in amino-acid single-letter code and encode it as a DNA triplet sequence, then decode it by translation. Found a bug or have suggestions? Email info@codon-one.com - we read every message.

Screenshots

Gene Tutor1 screens
Codon One4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Gene Tutor at 5.0 against Codon One's 4.5. Gene Tutor also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 15.6). Codon One's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (24 vs 1). 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. Codon One sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Gene Tutor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gene Tutor holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Codon One has 24 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Gene Tutor's written reviews are positive against 76% of Codon One's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gene Tutor ships an update every 6 months, Codon One every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 10, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Gene Tutor versus Codon One: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGene TutorCodon One
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews76.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings124 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.3 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size557 MB277 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrian MortonDaniel Gebert

Customer experience

Gene Tutor

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Codon One

All ratings24 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative23.5%

In-app purchases

None

Gene Tutor

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Codon One

One-time7
  • Module 1: Chemistry of LifeFree
  • Module 2: Genetics$2.99
  • Module 3: Evolution$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Module 4: Science History$2.99
  • Module 5: Cell Biology$2.99
  • Module 6: Development$2.99
  • Unlock All$8.99

Questions

Is Gene Tutor free?
Gene Tutor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Codon One free?
Codon One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Gene Tutor or Codon One?
Gene Tutor is rated higher. Gene Tutor averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Codon One averages 4.5 from 24 ratings.
Do Gene Tutor or Codon One have ads?
Neither Gene Tutor nor Codon One shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gene Tutor or Codon One?
Gene Tutor ships an update every 6 months, and Codon One every 3 weeks. Most recently, Gene Tutor was updated on October 10, 2026 and Codon One on October 10, 2026.

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