# Molecules

> Interactive 3D molecular viewer with touch controls and data import. (iPhone/iPad app by Sunset Lake Software.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093)
- Category: Education, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.60/5 from 166 App Store ratings · 388 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 3 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2019-01-31
- Data updated: 2026-08-05
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews.md

## What is Molecules?

Molecules is an application for viewing three-dimensional renderings of molecules and manipulating them using your fingers.  You can rotate the molecules by moving your finger across the display, zoom in or out by using two-finger pinch gestures, or pan the molecule by moving two fingers across the screen at once.  These structures can be viewed in both ball-and-stick and spacefilling visualization modes.

Molecules can be stored on your handheld device for later viewing and are loaded via a standard document-based file browser.

Custom molecular structures can be downloaded to the application via file sharing or iCloud, and obtained via sources like the RCSB Protein Data Bank (http://www.rcsb.org/pdb), an international repository of biological molecules and their 3-D structures, or NCBI's PubChem (http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), a public database of compounds.  For more details, please visit our website.

Molecules is a BSD-licensed open source project.

## Key features

- 3D molecule rendering
- Finger-based manipulation (rotate, zoom, pan)
- Ball-and-stick visualization
- Spacefilling visualization
- Load custom molecular structures
- File sharing and iCloud import

## What do users think of Molecules?

Overall sentiment: neutral

**Pros**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Useful for visualizing molecules
- 👍 Great for teaching chemistry
- 👍 Excellent for biochemistry students

**Cons**

- 🐛 Crashes when downloading new molecules
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices
- 🐛 Limited functionality, missing key features
- 🔍 Difficult to find common molecules
- 💡 Needs more view options (ribbon, surface, etc.)

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes when switching between views
- Molecules disappear after reopening the app
- Search function is unreliable and limited
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Most requested features**

- Add ability to build and edit molecules
- Implement a color key for atom types
- Include more basic molecules (H2O, CO2, etc.)
- Allow sorting/organizing downloaded molecules
- Integrate with databases like PubChem and RCSB

## Recent user reviews (10 of 388)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Çalışmıyor!

*2025-08-25, version 3.0*

İndirdiğim (SDF olarak indirdim) hiç bir dosyayı açmadı

### 1/5 — Pointless

*2025-05-20, version 3.0*

This is the worst app I’ve ever tried
I can’t even do anything on there

### 1/5 — No longer works

*2024-10-05, version 3.0*

Can’t connect to any server, says url is not supported. No molecules pre loaded on app. If I have to download everything manually it’s not worth much, I can just use Google and look at stuff on a browser.

### 1/5 — Unable to do anything with this

*2024-05-31, version 3.0*

There seems to be no documentation.

I’d like to be able to build a simple molecule, find its shape and judge its polarity. No way to do any of this that I can find. Perhaps it’s intended for something else, but no way to know.

Another take-it-as-is-or- leave-it item on the App Store.

### 1/5 — What the heck?

*2024-03-22, version 3.0*

This used to be such an easy app to use with fabulous results.  Now I can't figure out how to use it.  Why do I have to download data into my phone, search for it, and hope the app doesn't crash when I try to open said data?  I'm sorry I updated this app.

### 2/5 — Back to the future

*2023-11-26, version 3.0*

Why not add direct download from the app?

### 1/5 — Build a feature to access databases?

*2023-08-22, version 3.0*

Hi, I just re-downloaded after not using this for years. I want to show my primary school students some molecules in class.

Can you add a feature to the app that allows me to go directly to the RCSB and PubChem databases within the app and download files?

I have not attempted to download them outside the app yet, but I’m anticipating it’s going to be fiddly and frustrating 😕

### 1/5 — What molecules?

*2023-08-11, version 3.0*

I downloaded the app to use it with my students (I’m a high school science teacher). Where are the molecules? Do I have to hunt around and find them myself? I had an old version of this app that included lots of molecular models. It no longer works with the current iOS. Your new app is useless to me as is.

### 1/5 — No instructions or sample files

*2023-08-02, version 3.0*

The app opens directly to an empty iCloud folder without any instructions as to how to get molecular models.

### 4/5 — ICE

*2022-11-11, version 2.1*

Can't load on verification support, from Apple himself. Grrrrrr.... I don't know, maybe kopftuch disaster. (To young for experience)

## Frequently asked questions about Molecules

### What does the Molecules app do?

This application allows you to view and interact with three-dimensional renderings of molecules. You can manipulate these structures using touch gestures like rotating, zooming, and panning to explore them from all angles.

### How can I view different molecular structures?

You can load custom molecular structures into the app via file sharing or iCloud. These structures can be obtained from public databases like the RCSB Protein Data Bank or NCBI's PubChem.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the application is a BSD-licensed open source project and is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned.

### What are the visualization modes available?

The app supports two primary visualization modes for molecular structures: ball-and-stick, which clearly shows bonds and atoms, and spacefilling, which represents the van der Waals radii of atoms.

### Who is the target audience for this app?

This app is designed for students, researchers, educators, and anyone with an interest in chemistry, biochemistry, or structural biology who needs a tool to visualize and interact with 3D molecular models.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.0 — 2023-08-02

We're back! Molecules has been rewritten in Swift and Metal for modern iOS versions and devices. It now uses a standard file browser and can access molecular model files on your local device, iCloud, and other sources.

### 2.1 — 2012-04-05

- Added support for the new Retina iPad to the rendering engine and artwork.
- Added a color key for elements to iPad interface.
- Slightly improved rendering fidelity on iPhone 4S and iPad 2.
- Fixed a few minor rendering glitches.

### 2.02 — 2011-06-02

- Rendering performance in the new engine has been dramatically improved, 3-6 times what it was in the previous version.

### 2.01 — 2011-05-17

- Reenabled two finger panning of models in the new rendering engine, while still allowing zooming and rotation from the center of the screen at all times.
- Fixed a rendering glitch where sometimes the shadowing would appear too dark for a model.
- Fixed occasional rendering glitches with pinch zooming.

### 2.0 — 2011-05-09

- An all-new rendering engine provides realistic renderings of molecules, drawing true spheres and cylinders using ambient occlusion shadowing.  This engine works on newer iOS devices, but older devices can still use the original renderer.
- NCBI's PubChem has been added as a retrieval source for smaller molecules.
- The user interface has been streamlined and enhanced.
- More elements are now supported in downloaded structures.
- A few incorrect bonds in nucleotides and amino acid residues have been fixed.

## Apps similar to Molecules

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [3D Chemistry Molecule View](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-chemistry-molecule-view/id946647409) | 2.6 (10) | Free | Education |
| [BioViewer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bioviewer/id1593006498) | 1.0 (1) | Free | Education |
| [MolAR Augmented Reality](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molar-augmented-reality/id1559504847) | 5.0 (8) | Free | Education |
| [WebMO Molecule Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/webmo-molecule-editor/id797898095) | 4.0 (40) | Free | Education |
| [Chemy: Chemistry Companion](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chemy-chemistry-companion/id1542390153) | 5.0 (6) | Free | Education |
| [Search PubChem](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/search-pubchem/id1369742632) | 5.0 (5) | Free | Education |

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-05.*