Report updated May 18, 2026
Buffers
For researchers and laboratory professionals in chemical, biochemical, and biological fields requiring portable pH calculation tools.
Buffers is a challenged utilities app that is completely free. Users particularly appreciate the application provides a convenient and accessible interface for basic chemistry training tasks, though limited selection of buffer solutions restricts utility for advanced chemistry research applications remains a common concern.
What is Buffers?
Buffers is a utility app for designing chemical buffer solutions and calculating recipes on iOS.
Researchers hire this tool for portable, accurate pH calculations at the lab bench, but the current implementation fails to replace external references due to limited library scope.
Current Momentum
v1.7
- No updates since late 2022.
- Maintenance-mode status limits user growth.
Active Nemesis
Fragmented niche
No dominant direct rival identified yet — see Other Rivals below.
Other Rivals
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
No rating yet
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Generates chemical recipes based on target pH, volume, temperature, and concentration using a proprietary algorithm
Provides a library of 42 buffering agents with pKa, pH range, temperature dependence, and molecular data
Allows users to email, text, copy, or print generated buffer recipes
How much does it cost?
- Free
The app is distributed as a free utility with no observable in-app purchases or subscription gates.
Who Built It?
Akkyra Systems
Providing specialized mathematical and scientific utility tools for students, researchers, and technical professionals. Enabling precise data analysis and custom formula design through a focused suite of mobile and desktop applications.
Portfolio
3
Apps
Who is Akkyra Systems?
Akkyra Systems maintains a niche focus on high-utility technical tools, distinguishing itself by bridging the gap between general-purpose calculators and specialized scientific software. Their strategy centers on deep-feature sets—such as custom formula design and molecular visualization—that cater to professional workflows rather than mass-market utility. By maintaining a presence on both mobile and macOS platforms, they capture a user base that requires consistent, repeatable calculation accuracy across different computing environments.
Who is Akkyra Systems for?
- Students
- Engineers
- Laboratory researchers requiring specialized mathematical functions
- 3D molecular analysis
Portfolio momentum
Released 1 update across 3 apps in the last 6 months, indicating a maintenance-focused development cycle.
What other apps does Akkyra Systems make?
What do users think recently?
Low confidence · 5 reviews analyzed
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate the application provides a convenient and accessible interface for basic chemistry training tasks, but report limited selection of buffer solutions restricts utility for advanced chemistry research applications and functional failures in printing and email export features prevent effective data sharing.
Limited review volume (5 reviews). Sentiment analysis will deepen as more data lands.
What is the competitive landscape for Buffers?
How's The Utilities Market?
Market outlook for this category
Available very soon
The rivals identified
Peers
Construction Master Pro Calc
★4.9 (37.5K)Calculated Industries
🚀This app serves a specialized professional niche that overlaps with the target's utility-focused chemical research audience.
Provides industry-specific physical hardware emulation for construction professionals rather than general chemical research calculations.
Maintains a high-frequency update cadence with five releases in six months to ensure professional tool accuracy.
Network Analyzer Pro
★4.7 (53.9K)Techet
⚡A high-utility professional tool that shares the target's focus on technical, data-driven research and analysis.
Offers deep-dive diagnostic tools for network infrastructure that mirror the target's technical depth for chemical research.
Targets a professional user base requiring high-precision output for field diagnostics rather than laboratory bench work.
New Kids on the Block
Prioritizes rapid security-focused UI updates to capture the high-churn utility market segment.
Leverages frequent release cycles to maintain visibility in the crowded Utilities category search results.
Utilizes aggressive in-app prompts to drive user engagement and storage cleanup conversion rates.
Focuses on automated maintenance workflows that reduce the manual effort required by the end user.
The outtake for Buffers
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Proprietary algorithm provides superior calculation accuracy
- Portable reference library enables bench-side utility
Critical Frictions
- Non-functional export features prevent data sharing
- Rigid 42-buffer library limits professional research utility
- Lack of support channels prevents bug resolution
Growth Levers
- Custom buffer entry would address primary user complaint
- Molarity and dilution tools would consolidate user workflow
Market Threats
- High-velocity utility apps set maintenance standards
- Lack of updates erodes long-term user trust
What are the next best moves?
Repair export features because they are non-functional → restore basic utility
User complaints identify printing and email export as broken, preventing effective data sharing.
Trade-off: Pause the library expansion sprint; fixing core utility is a prerequisite for user trust.
Add custom buffer entry because it is the #1 user request → increase retention
Sentiment analysis shows the current 42-buffer library is too narrow for professional use.
Trade-off: Deprioritize UI accessibility updates; professional utility is the primary churn driver.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's lack of updates is not a failure of the product but a signal that the developer has abandoned the niche, creating an immediate opportunity for a competitor to capture the professional research segment.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Custom buffer entry (absent here, requested by users)
- Molarity and dilution calculators (absent here, forces reliance on external tools)
Key Takeaways
Buffers provides a technically accurate calculation engine but fails to support professional workflows due to broken export features and a rigid library, so the PM must prioritize core functional repairs to prevent total churn.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
The scientific utility market is shifting toward high-frequency update cycles that maintain professional trust, leaving Buffers exposed. Without a roadmap for library expansion or bug resolution, the app will continue to lose relevance to competitors that offer integrated, multi-tool research environments.
The lack of updates since 2022 indicates the product is in maintenance mode, which prevents it from addressing critical user complaints.
Broken export features force users to rely on external tools, which undermines the app's value proposition as a central lab reference.