Tap OChem vs Functional Groups
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tap OChem
Visualize complex organic chemistry reactions and concepts with animated explanations. This app covers a wide range of undergraduate organic chemistry topics, aiding in exam preparation and understanding of molecular behavior.
- Animated organic chemistry reactions
- Detailed concept explanations
- Electron pushing diagrams
- Full-color text descriptions
- MCAT, PCAT, OAT, DAT prep
- Regular content updates
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"Awesome" writes a reviewer! More reviewers comments! "I have used it for all of my exams so far and it is extraordinarily helpful." "This is the best investment that you can make to visualize the reactions. There are a ton of them and they are AWESOME!!!!!" Another reviewer writes “Covers all of the major topics and the videos help me visualize the details of the molecules and reactions”…“Could almost replace a whole textbook.” While we never claim to cover an entire organic chemistry class, with content added in each update (major free updates each year since publishing ten years ago!), Tap OChem is the app that delivers! The reactions and concepts included are many from the one year sequence of undergraduate organic chemistry that is offered at all major colleges and universities. Students have told us that this app was essential in their preparation for the MCAT. Whether you are currently in the one year sequence of classes or reviewing for the MCAT, or PCAT, OAT, and DAT, this app will help! Designed by two award winning chemists with over 48 years of combined experience teaching at major universities, Tap OChem makes organic chemistry reaction come to life for each included reaction or concept. The following animations are currently included: Substitution reactions (20 animations), Elimination reactions (11 animations), Alkene Chemistry (15 animations), Free Radical Chemistry (4 animations), Alkyne Chemistry (7 animations), Epoxide chemistry (4 animations), Benzene chemistry (10 animations), Diene Chemistry (8 animations), Carbonyl Chemistry (8 animations), Major concepts (62+ animations), and Molecules in Motion (35+ animations). The Concepts section includes valence bond theory, molecular orbital theory, electrostatic potential maps, radical spin density maps, alkene stability, dienes and stability, conformational analysis of alkanes and cyclohexane, etc. We've just started adding information on intermolecular interactions and plan on more spectroscopic topics! One animation on dipole/dipole attraction was added. Two animations, one focused on the introduction to IR spectroscopy are included. We are developing and updating more animations for future updates! Each animation has an accompanying text that drills down to the main facts of each reaction or concept. These are in FULL COLOR! They are short, handy, descriptions with important information regarding each reaction or concept. In the case of reaction animations, the concise scrollable text descriptions include electron pushing. We will continue to update the app with future releases. Tap OChem is native to both iPhones and iPads! In addition to the animations being very sharp on your iPhone and iPad, they are of excellent quality when projected (iPhone 4S and iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, X, 11, 12, and later, iPad 2 and later, using appropriate adapters) in a classroom. For the iPhone 6s and later; and iPad Air 1 and 2 and later, an appropriate adapter is needed like Lightning Digital AV Adapter (this is an HDMI adapter), or a USB C to HDMI adapter, or a Lightning to VGA Adapter. Please visit www.tapochem.com for further information.
Functional Groups
Master organic chemistry functional groups through an engaging and interactive learning experience. Ideal for students in introductory or advanced courses, MCAT prep, and A-Level chemistry, this app covers dozens of essential groups with practice modes and progress tracking.
- 25+ basic and advanced functional groups
- 300+ organic compounds
- Multiple practice modes
- Customizable study groups
- Personalized review
- Reference table and definitions
- Progress tracking with achievements
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Ready to ace organic chemistry? Learn the functional groups you need to know - all in an engaging and interactive format. The app is ideal for introductory or advanced organic chemistry classes, MCAT prep, A-Level chemistry, and more. You’ll quickly become familiar with alcohols, esters, amides, amines, and dozens of other important functional groups. The app features: • 25+ basic and advanced functional groups • 300+ organic compounds • Multiple practice modes • Customize which groups to study • Personalized review • Reference table and definitions • Achievements to track your progress Along the way, you’ll learn interesting facts about pharmaceuticals, biomolecules, dangerous compounds, unique molecular structures, and more. With the Functional Groups app, learning organic chemistry is easy, straightforward, and, dare we say… fun? Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Functional Groups at Free against Tap OChem's $4.99. Functional Groups also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 92%). Tap OChem's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.2 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, 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
Functional Groups is free to download; Tap OChem costs $4.99 up front. Functional Groups sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tap OChem asks for nothing beyond the download.
Functional Groups holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Tap OChem's written reviews are positive against 100% of Functional Groups's.
Tap OChem ships an update every 3 months, Functional Groups every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tap OChem | Functional Groups |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (39 ratings) | 4.9 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 91.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 39 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.2 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3.5 GB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tap OChem, LLC | Clarity Applications |
Customer experience
Tap OChem
Functional Groups
In-app purchases
Tap OChem
No in-app purchases
Functional Groups
- Lifetime Access$9.99
Questions
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Is Functional Groups free?
Which has better reviews, Tap OChem or Functional Groups?
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