Comparison

The Elements in Action vs Periodic

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

Head to head
About

The Elements in Action

Explore the fascinating properties of chemical elements through captivating videos. Witness unique demonstrations of their behaviors, from the mundane to the explosive, all presented in an engaging and visually stunning format. This app brings the periodic table to life with scientific curiosity and artistic flair.

Highlights
  • 79 video explorations of element properties
  • Demonstrations of element reactions
  • High-quality filming by Max Whitby
  • Seamless integration with 'The Elements' app
  • Multiple language translations
Features
Read full description

‘One of my favorite science-based apps...The Elements in Action is easy to navigate and attractively designed.’ – The New York Times The periodic table comes to life with 79 video explorations of the weird, wonderful, and sometimes alarming properties of the elements. Filmed by BAFTA award winner Max Whitby in partnership with Theodore Gray, author of the iconic book and app The Elements, and previously available only in a few museum installations, this is the most beautifully filmed collection of videos ever assembled to explore and explain what makes each element unique and fascinating. What happens when highly reactive rubidium is dropped into water? Or when a cannonball is placed in a pool of mercury? The Elements in Action shows you one definitive demonstration for (almost) every element, ranging from the bizarre to the sublime, all assembled in one place for you to view in the comfort and safety of your iPad, with very little danger of death by fire, dismemberment, or poisoning. The Elements in Action works as a stand-alone app, but really shines when combined with the original app, The Elements by Theodore Gray. Installed together, the two apps find each other and link together, allowing you to flip seamlessly between viewing the elements as objects of contemplation in the original, and objects of dynamic action in the second. Now fully translated into: English, Catalan, Croatian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

About

Periodic

Features
Read full description

The PeriodicTableElements is an elegant app that is interactive and fun. Easy to use, easy to understand, simple and effective. It shows the periodic table of elements in variety of ways 1) Classic grid with name that is color coded. You can configure it to look however you like. 2) Visually appealing electron distribution. 3) Visually appealing Lewis dot structure. 4) List that can be sorted based on different element properties like group, period, category etc. These awesome periodic tables can be shared by simple double click anywhere on the table. It is possible to copy the periodic table diagrams as high quality SVG xml. Drag your finger on the periodic table canvas to update elements automatically or tap on an element to see more details. Tap on an element and all the rest of the related elements are highlighted. Details of a selected element is shown in a beautifully drawn animated element. Tap on the animated element and you will see more details that can also be shared. Tapping on the list element will navigate you to a page that shows details of the element. It automatically saves your hard work locally on your device so you can come back and pick up from where you left off as your great effort will not be lost. This is a perfect app if you are a student learning chemistry. This is an app for all student groups. From high school to college to university students. Be creative. Enjoy the app!

Screenshots

The Elements in Action4 screens
Periodic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Periodic at Free against The Elements in Action's $4.99. Periodic also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months). The Elements in Action's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On in-app purchases 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

Periodic is free to download; The Elements in Action costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Elements in Action ships an update every 7 months, Periodic every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and May 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Elements in Action versus Periodic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Elements in ActionPeriodic
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (33 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews59.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size555 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNatureGuides Ltd.Om Prakash Chapagain

In-app purchases

None

The Elements in Action

No in-app purchases

None

Periodic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Elements in Action free?
The Elements in Action costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Periodic free?
Periodic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Elements in Action or Periodic have ads?
Periodic shows ads; The Elements in Action does not.
Which is updated more often, The Elements in Action or Periodic?
The Elements in Action ships an update every 7 months, and Periodic every 5 weeks. Most recently, The Elements in Action was updated on September 24, 2026 and Periodic on May 16, 2026.

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