Gene Tutor vs Codon One
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- Interactive learning modules
- Quick quizzes for comprehension
- Clear diagrams and plain language
- Molecule reference guide
- Sequence analysis tools
- Genetic code exploration
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Codon One sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Gene Tutor asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
Gene Tutor ships an update every 6 months, Codon One every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 10, 2026.
| Parameter | Gene Tutor | Codon One |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.5 (24 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 76.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 24 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 557 MB | 277 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Brian Morton | Daniel Gebert |
Customer experience
Gene Tutor
Codon One
In-app purchases
Gene Tutor
No in-app purchases
Codon One
- Module 1: Chemistry of LifeFree
- Module 2: Genetics$2.99
- Module 3: Evolution$2.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 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?
Is Codon One free?
Which has better reviews, Gene Tutor or Codon One?
Do Gene Tutor or Codon One have ads?
Which is updated more often, Gene Tutor or Codon One?
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