Protein Guide vs PDB Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Protein Guide
Explore the intricate stages of protein structure with detailed diagrams, explanations, and animations. This app serves as a valuable reference for both beginners and experienced individuals, offering insights into unique properties and biological functions.
- Detailed diagrams of protein structure
- Explanations of protein stages
- Animations of protein structures
- Information on unique properties and functions
- Example proteins demonstrating structural aspects
- ClassKit integration for teachers
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Learn about each stage of a proteins structure with detailed diagrams and explanations. This is a great experience if you are just starting out and need to learn about proteins, or if you have lots of experience and want a handy reference with you wherever you go. Protein Guide has a great selection of example proteins to look at, with each demonstrating an aspect of protein structure. There is also more detailed info about the protein, describing unique properties, as well as its function in biological systems. There is also an animation of the proteins' itself to highlight its unique structure. Protein Guide takes advantage of the full iPad canvas. It also supports multitasking, with slide-over and split-view (requires iPad Air 2 and later). This means you can have your protein examples up, while reading or taking notes. Teachers can assign things to read for students in Protein Guide easily with ClassKit.
PDB Viewer
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PDB Viewer turns your phone into a molecular microscope. Search the entire Protein Data Bank and over 200 million AlphaFold predictions, then explore any protein, virus, drug, or DNA structure in interactive 3D — free, with no account, no ads, and no sign-up. WHERE THE MOLECULES COME FROM • RCSB Protein Data Bank — 200,000+ experimentally determined structures • AlphaFold — 200M+ AI-predicted protein models • SWISS-MODEL — template-based homology models • PubChem and ChEMBL — millions of drugs and compounds • Crystallography Open Database — small-molecule crystals • NCI/CADD resolver — type a chemical name and get a 3D model Every source is free and needs no API key. You can also open your own .pdb and .cif files. WAYS TO SEE IT • Five representations: wireframe, ball-and-stick, space-filling (CPK), cartoon/ribbon, and a smooth molecular surface • Color by element, chain, secondary structure, rainbow, or AlphaFold confidence (pLDDT) • Biological assemblies: rebuild an entire icosahedral virus capsid from a few deposited chains • NMR ensembles: overlay every model in the bundle to watch a protein flex • Automatic secondary-structure detection MADE FOR TOUCH • Rotate, pinch-zoom, and pan with smooth native rendering • Tap any atom to see its element, residue, and chain • Recently viewed structures are cached, so they reopen instantly and work offline For students, researchers, teachers, and the simply curious. PDB Viewer makes structural biology beautiful and accessible. Structures are provided by their respective databases. PDB Viewer is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCSB PDB, EMBL-EBI, or AlphaFold.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Protein Guide at none against PDB Viewer's 1. Protein Guide also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). PDB Viewer's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. PDB Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Protein Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.
Protein Guide ships an update every 9 months, PDB Viewer monthly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | Protein Guide | PDB Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (36 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 36 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 224 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Axton Pitt | Qvyshift LLC |
In-app purchases
Protein Guide
No in-app purchases
PDB Viewer
- PDB Viewer Pro$9.99









