Comparison

Molecule Lab vs MolAR Augmented Reality

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

Head to head
About

Molecule Lab

Create and view 3D molecular models with an intuitive editor. Supports various elements, bond types, and conformations, with undo/redo functionality. Share your creations easily via messaging and email.

Highlights
  • Build molecules in 3D
  • Supports oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, carbon, hydrogen
  • Double and triple bond creation
  • Branching and rotation conformations
  • Undo, redo, and delete controls
  • Save and edit molecules
  • Share via text, email, and other services
Features
Read full description

Molecule Lab is a simple yet powerful editor allowing users to build and visualize molecules in 3D. Our molecule editor can build more molecules than before, as it now supports three new elements—oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine—in addition to carbon and hydrogen, double bonds, triple bonds, branches, and different rotation conformations. These incredible new features are enhanced by the flexibility of our molecule editor, which we further upgraded with undo, redo, and delete controls. Molecules can be saved and edited in the future. Additionally, we introduced the capability to share molecules via text message, email, and other third-party services for notetaking and document sharing. This seamless integration with different apps makes Molecule Lab more powerful for sharing and referencing molecules in the future. With all these exciting features, we are thrilled to debut a new look and feel for Molecule Lab. We hope the beautiful modern design will enrich each user’s experience with Molecule Lab.

About

MolAR Augmented Reality

Explore molecules and proteins in augmented reality. Visualize structures from online databases or draw your own. Scan real-world objects to see their molecular composition.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality molecule visualization
  • Visualize PubChem molecules
  • Visualize Protein Data Bank proteins
  • Draw and visualize chemical structures
  • Scan objects to see molecules
Features
Read full description

MolAR lets you visualize molecules and proteins through augmented reality (AR). - Augmented reality: Place a molecule or a protein in a real-world surrounding. No marker needed. - Visualize any molecule on PubChem - Visualize any protein in the Protein Data Bank - Draw chemical structures and visualize them in AR - Scan objects such as food and see molecules inside them Created by Sukolsak Sakshuwong, Umberto Raucci, and Hayley Weir from the Martinez Group at Stanford University

Screenshots

Molecule Lab1 screens
MolAR Augmented Reality4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MolAR Augmented Reality at 4.9 against Molecule Lab's 4.0. MolAR Augmented Reality also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 24 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MolAR Augmented Reality holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 9 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Molecule Lab ships an update every 24 months, MolAR Augmented Reality every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 25, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Molecule Lab versus MolAR Augmented Reality: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMolecule LabMolAR Augmented Reality
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (18 ratings)4.9 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings18 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 24 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.2 — better14.4
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB179 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaxamixSukolsak Sakshuwong

Customer experience

Molecule Lab

All ratings18 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral22.2%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

MolAR Augmented Reality

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Molecule Lab

No in-app purchases

None

MolAR Augmented Reality

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Molecule Lab free?
Molecule Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MolAR Augmented Reality free?
MolAR Augmented Reality is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Molecule Lab or MolAR Augmented Reality?
MolAR Augmented Reality is rated higher. Molecule Lab averages 4.0 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while MolAR Augmented Reality averages 4.9 from 9 ratings.
Do Molecule Lab or MolAR Augmented Reality have ads?
Neither Molecule Lab nor MolAR Augmented Reality shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Molecule Lab or MolAR Augmented Reality?
Molecule Lab ships an update every 24 months, and MolAR Augmented Reality every 2 months. Most recently, Molecule Lab was updated on August 25, 2026 and MolAR Augmented Reality on September 15, 2026.

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