Comparison

Tap OChem vs WebMO Molecule Editor

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Animated organic chemistry reactions
  • Detailed concept explanations
  • Electron pushing diagrams
  • Full-color text descriptions
  • MCAT, PCAT, OAT, DAT prep
  • Regular content updates
Features
Read full description

"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.

About

WebMO Molecule Editor

Create and explore 3D molecular structures, visualize chemical properties, and access extensive chemical databases. This tool is ideal for students and educators needing on-the-go access to molecular information and computational chemistry resources.

Highlights
  • 3D molecular editor
  • Structure optimization
  • Orbital and symmetry visualization
  • Chemical database lookup
  • Spectra visualization
  • High-resolution image capture
  • Computational chemistry program integration
Features
Read full description

WebMO allows users to build and view molecules in 3-D, visualize orbitals and symmetry elements, lookup chemical information and properties from external databases, and access state-of-the-art computational chemistry programs. WebMO is recommended for students and faculty in high school, college, and graduate school who desire mobile access to molecular structures, information, and calculations. WebMO capabilities include: - Build molecules by drawing atoms and bonds in a 3-D molecular editor, or by speaking the name (e.g., “aspirin”) - Optimize structures using VSEPR theory or molecular mechanics - View Huckel molecular orbitals, electron density, and electrostatic potential - View molecular vibrations - View point group and symmetry elements of molecules - Lookup basic molecular information, including IUPAC and common names, stoichiometry, molar mass - Lookup chemical data from PubChem and ChemSpider - Lookup experimental and predicted molecular properties from external databases (NIST, Sigma-Aldrich) - Lookup IR, UV-VIS, NMR, and mass spectra from external databases (NIST, SDBS) - Capture high-resolution molecular images - Save and recall molecular structures locally - Export and import structures via email WebMO is also a front-end to WebMO servers (version 14 and higher): - Supports Gaussian, GAMESS, Molpro, MOPAC, NWChem, ORCA, PQS, PSI, Quantum Espresso, VASP, Q-Chem, and Tinker computational chemistry programs - Submit, monitor, and view calculations - View formatted tabular data extracted from output files, as well as raw output - Visualize geometry, partial charges, dipole moment, normal vibrational modes, molecular orbitals, and NMR/IR/UV-VIS spectra

Screenshots

Tap OChem4 screens
WebMO Molecule Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: WebMO Molecule Editor at Free against Tap OChem's $4.99. Tap OChem's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

WebMO Molecule Editor is free to download; Tap OChem costs $4.99 up front. WebMO Molecule Editor sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Tap OChem asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tap OChem holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 40 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Tap OChem's written reviews are positive against 60% of WebMO Molecule Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Tap OChem versus WebMO Molecule Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTap OChemWebMO Molecule Editor
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (39 ratings) — better4.0 (40 ratings)
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews — better60.4% of reviews
Number of ratings3940 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.212.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3.5 GB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTap OChem, LLCWebMO, LLC

Customer experience

Tap OChem

All ratings39 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

WebMO Molecule Editor

All ratings40 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral9.4%
Negative30.2%

In-app purchases

None

Tap OChem

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

WebMO Molecule Editor

One-time2
  • WebMO Premium for paid usersFree
  • WebMO Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Tap OChem free?
Tap OChem costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is WebMO Molecule Editor free?
WebMO Molecule Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tap OChem or WebMO Molecule Editor?
Tap OChem is rated higher. Tap OChem averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while WebMO Molecule Editor averages 4.0 from 40 ratings.
Do Tap OChem or WebMO Molecule Editor have ads?
Neither Tap OChem nor WebMO Molecule Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tap OChem or WebMO Molecule Editor?
Tap OChem ships an update every 3 months, and WebMO Molecule Editor every 3 months. Most recently, Tap OChem was updated on September 23, 2026 and WebMO Molecule Editor on October 7, 2026.

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