Built at the bench,
for the bench.

The Story

I built BenchCalc because I found myself using the same old mass-to-molarity calculator for my tRNA work, and similar old clunky tools for protein calculations.

After building FeeDings! (an RSS reader) and Influence (AI-powered interactive fiction), I realised I could do the same for science: put the calculations on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows, so people have them when they need them, where they need them, with no ads, no data connection required, at a reasonable price.

How It Grew

BenchCalc started as the app I wished I had had at the bench. Every tool in it exists because I needed it, or because someone in the lab asked me for it. It grew from a few calculators into 55 tools across 9 categories, 13 step-through protocols, and 9 searchable reference tables.

But I kept thinking that calculations alone were not enough. Science education, in my experience, too often skips the fundamentals. People learn techniques without understanding the underlying chemistry. They follow protocols without knowing why each step matters. There is no point where chemistry stops and biology begins, it is all the same probability dance at different scales, and I think understanding that changes how you approach every experiment you run.

So I wrote BenchGuide. A 414-term glossary with molecular structures, 91 educational entries that build from the foundations of science through physical chemistry to scientific writing, 20 lab safety guides with handling, spill response, and first aid, and 45 practical lab tips covering the things you learn from years at the bench that nobody writes down in a protocol. Everything connects, so you can move between a glossary term, the relevant educational content, and the safety information without leaving the app.

This is not generated content. I wrote it, and it reflects how I think about the science.

What Makes It Different

Most lab calculators online are a single tool on a single page. They are often old HTML that breaks on mobile, sometimes they do not calculate correctly, they are hard to find when you need them, and they can disappear overnight when a university reorganises. The ones plastered in ads are often run by people who are not scientists.

BenchCalc is a native app. It runs on your phone, your tablet, your Mac, or your Windows PC. It works fully offline. No loading screens, no spinning icons, no "please check your connection" when you are standing in a cold room with one bar of signal. No ads, no analytics, no account required. Your data stays on your device and nowhere else, unless you choose to share it.

With BenchGuide, it is more than a calculator. It is a bench companion: calculators, protocols, reference tables, a glossary with molecular structures, educational content I wrote myself, and lab safety guides, all in one app, all offline, all for £1.19 per store.

Who Built It

Dr Jason Woodgate
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Newcastle University

My research focuses on the coupling of transcription and translation in bacteria. BenchCalc started because I got frustrated enough with the existing tools to build something better, and BenchGuide exists because I think scientists deserve educational content that actually starts from the underlying chemistry.

Newcastle Profile Personal Website ORCID ResearchGate

BenchCalc is made by Feedings Ltd, a small UK software company I founded. Join the discussion and suggest features on GitHub Reddit Bluesky.

We also make FeeDings! (an RSS reader) and Influence (AI-powered interactive fiction).

Company Details