Comparison

Protein Guide vs PDB Viewer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

PDB Viewer

Features
Read full description

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

Protein Guide4 screens
PDB Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PDB Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Protein Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Protein Guide ships an update every 9 months, PDB Viewer monthly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Protein Guide versus PDB Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProtein GuidePDB Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (36 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings36 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size224 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAxton PittQvyshift LLC

In-app purchases

None

Protein Guide

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PDB Viewer

One-time1
  • PDB Viewer Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Protein Guide free?
Protein Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDB Viewer free?
PDB Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Protein Guide or PDB Viewer have ads?
Neither Protein Guide nor PDB Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Protein Guide or PDB Viewer?
Protein Guide ships an update every 9 months, and PDB Viewer monthly. Most recently, Protein Guide was updated on October 16, 2026 and PDB Viewer on October 16, 2026.

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