Hands vs Elementium
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hands
Explore geometric shapes, fractions, and problem-solving with virtual pentomino pieces. This interactive playground supports discovery-based learning and directed teaching strategies for developing mathematical understanding.
- Virtual pentomino playground
- Geometric shape exploration
- Fraction concepts
- Visual problem-solving activities
- Discovery and directed teaching support
- Interactive manipulatives
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Hands-On Math: Pentominoes creates a virtual math playground where students explore, investigate and discover mathematical concepts. Students use the classic 7-piece set of tangram pieces on an interactive playground to discover and explore, visual problem solving, geometry, fractions, angles, shapes, and much more. Using Hands-On Math: Pentominoes students can develop the following important mathematical concepts: • Shapes and Properties • Logical Patterns and Sequences • Meaning of Fractions • Classifying Figures and Measurement • Creativity and Design Features: • Open-ended Pentominoes Playground. • Supports Discovery and Directed Teaching Strategies. • Problem Solving Activities which Can Be Solved Using Virtual Manipulatives. • Helps to Build an Intuitive Understanding of Geometry. • On/Off Options and Controls for Various Features. Pentominoes Playground There are 12 permutations for geometric figures made up of 5 squares. The pieces collectively are known as pentominoes. In this app the pieces are provided for use on the Hands-On Math Playground. The Playground offers a snap-to grid function and pieces can be placed, moved, arranged, rotated and grouped in order to represent mathematical ideas. Topics: • The Properties of Geometric Shapes • Visual Problem Solving • Fractions (Shading Parts of a Whole) • Congruence and Similarity • Symmetry • Rotations and Translation Activities Students use a slider or buttons to select an activity. Here is a sample activity where the object is to move the correct pentomino pieces into the space in order to completely cover the congruent shapes.
Elementium
Access comprehensive information on every element of the periodic table. Explore detailed data, visualize trends, and utilize a built-in solubility calculator. Perfect for students and professionals needing quick, accurate chemical data.
- Detailed element information
- Interactive periodic table
- Dynamic filtering and trend visualization
- Solubility calculator
- Element image library
- Bohr model visualizations
- Home screen widgets
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The premiere periodic table app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Quickly reference any element and all the information you need. Search for elements by on classification, phase, orbital, mass, or number. Dynamic filters help you understand periodic trends, like electronegativity, at a glance. Dive even deeper to get standard, frequently-used data points such as mass, electronegativity, radius, radioactivity, electron configuration, and more. LEARN Each element prominently features: • Symbol, name, and number • Atomic mass • Electronegativity • Electron configuration • Atomic radius • Melting and boiling points • Year of discovery • State at STP • Radioactivity Elements are also accompanied by discussions on its uses, discovery, and more. You can quickly find more information and publications about each element via links to Wikipedia, Science Direct®, and the American Chemical Society®. EXPLORE The periodic table is laid out in a clear, concise manner that adapts to the size of your screen. No more squinting at blurry images of the periodic table from web searches. Beautiful color-coding helps you quickly distinguish element classifications, phases at STP, electronegativity, and atomic radius. Trends and filtering help students who are learning chemistry to visualize patterns. SOLUBILITY CALCUALTOR A built in solubility calculator* answers all your, "is this soluble in that", questions. Just specify a solvent and a solute to check their compatibility. A solubility lookup table is also available for cross-referencing multiple combinations. VISUALIZATIONS See beautiful depictions of elements from raw to processed, and in other forms. The extensive library of images help you understand what your lab samples should look like, or may be helpful to students learning about chemistry.* SEARCH Search for elements by name, symbol, mass, or number from within Elementium™ or via Spotlight. Results are shown directly on the periodic table. Need faster access to element information? Search directly from Spotlight on the lock screen or home screen of your device. BOHR MODELS Animated Bohr models for each element help visualize how electrons are oriented around the nucleus.* WRITE & REPORT Academics and students writing reports and using data frequently in the classroom or the lab can simply tap on an aspect of an element to export its information.* HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add the Periodic Table widget to your home screen for quick and easy reference to the Periodic Table. Or, try out the "random element" widget which is useful for students. ADDITIONAL NICE THINGS • Custom app icons • Set temperature and atomic radius to your preferred units • Search Spotlight for elements • Thoughtfully developed with accessibility in mind • A subscription is totally optional • No account required • Privacy focused (no tracking, no data collection) ------- ION Subscription Notice Subscription prices vary by duration and may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. Manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://spencer-software.com/elementium/privacy Terms of Service: https://spencer-software.com/elementium/tos ------- *Requires in-app purchase. Elementium™ is a trademark of Samuel Spencer.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Elementium at 75% against Hands's 0%. Elementium also leads on price (Free vs $2.99) and rating (4.6 vs 1.0). Hands's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.1). On ads 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
Elementium is free to download; Hands costs $2.99 up front. Elementium sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Hands asks for nothing beyond the download.
Elementium holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elementium has 602 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Hands's written reviews are positive against 75% of Elementium's.
Hands ships an update every 25 months, Elementium every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hands | Elementium |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 4.6 (602 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 602 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 25 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 752 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ventura Educational Systems | Samuel Spencer |
Customer experience
Hands
Elementium
Bugs and requests
Hands
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Elementium
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes on startup and when tapping elements
- Crashes on older iOS devices and iPod Touch
- Molar mass not visible in iPhone landscape orientation
- Intrusive purchase prompt that's difficult to dismiss
- Rating request spam appearing too early in user experience
Requested features
5 requests- Element images and visual representations
- One-time purchase option instead of subscription
- Zoom out to view entire periodic table at once
- Better display of molar mass on iPhone in landscape mode
- More detailed information and content
In-app purchases
Hands
No in-app purchases
Elementium
- ION, 1 month1 Month trial$1.991 Month
- ION, 3 Months3 Days trial$3.993 Months
- ION, 6 months$5.996 Months
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- ION, 1 year$9.991 Year
- Export Data$0.99
- Bohr Models$1.99
- Advanced Sorting$2.99
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- Visual Elements$3.99
- Advanced Tools$4.99









