Comparison

Turtle Universe vs Molecule Simulator

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

Head to head
About

Turtle Universe

Explore and learn about scientific phenomena through interactive microworlds. Create your own simulations using text or blocks, and engage with a global community of young learners. Discover over 100 scientific models and create computational art and games.

Highlights
  • Explore 100+ scientific models
  • Create custom microworlds
  • Code with text or blocks
  • Investigate phenomena
  • Engage in global discussions
  • Create computational art and games
Features
Read full description

Dive into the mesmerizing world of Turtle Universe, where you can explore and learn about various social and scientific phenomena through captivating microworlds. Unleash your creativity by coding your own microworlds with text or blocks, and join lively discussions with young learners across the globe! 1) Discover over 100 intriguing scientific models from diverse fields – with even more on the way! 2) Investigate phenomena such as traffic jams, predator-prey interactions, and the blooming of flowers. 3) Immerse yourself in enthralling storylines within the microworlds. 4) Create and play with stunning computational art and addictive games just for fun! Inspired by NetLogo, the leading multi-agent programmable modeling environment, Turtle Universe brings the limitless power of computational modeling to smartphones and tablets of young students and educators like you! Experience genuine scientific modeling shared by countless researchers and students worldwide. Turtle Universe supports most NetLogo, NetLogo Web, and NetTango models right from the start. From the creators of Physics Lab, a physics experiment simulation app loved by over 3 million learners and teachers. =========================== Term of Use: https://static.turtlesim.com/products/Term-Of-Use.txt Privacy Policy: https://static.turtlesim.com/products/Privacy-Policy.txt =========================== Copyright 2021 John Chen & Uri Wilensky. All rights reserved. Turtle Universe is authored by John Chen & Uri Wilensky and maintained by CCL at Northwestern University. If you mention the software in a publication, please include the citation below: * Chen, J. & Wilensky, U. (2021). Turtle Universe. Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

About

Molecule Simulator

Visualize the 3D structures of molecules using data from PubChem and Protein Data Bank. Explore molecules in various viewing modes and download an extensive library of compounds.

Highlights
  • 3D molecular visualization
  • Space filling mode
  • Ball-and-stick mode
  • Data from PubChem
  • Data from Protein Data Bank
  • Downloadable molecule library
Features
Read full description

This app is a molecular viewer. With the data on PubChem and Protein Data Bank, it can show us 3D structure of molecules. Both space filling mode and ball-and-stick mode. --------------------------------------------- Contains some pre-installed modes. And you can download all kinds of molecules from PubChem or Protein Data Bank.

Screenshots

Turtle Universe4 screens
Molecule Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Molecule Simulator at 100% against Turtle Universe's 67%. Turtle Universe's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 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

Turtle Universe holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45 and 24 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Turtle Universe's written reviews are positive against 100% of Molecule Simulator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Turtle Universe ships an update every 6 weeks, Molecule Simulator every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on July 29, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Turtle Universe versus Molecule Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTurtle UniverseMolecule Simulator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (45 ratings) — better4.3 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings45 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size120 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTurtle Sim LLC仕清 刘

Customer experience

Turtle Universe

All ratings45 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative8.9%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Molecule Simulator

All ratings22 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Turtle Universe

No in-app purchases

None

Molecule Simulator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Turtle Universe free?
Turtle Universe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Molecule Simulator free?
Molecule Simulator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Turtle Universe or Molecule Simulator?
Turtle Universe is rated higher. Turtle Universe averages 4.6 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Molecule Simulator averages 4.3 from 24 ratings.
Do Turtle Universe or Molecule Simulator have ads?
Neither Turtle Universe nor Molecule Simulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Turtle Universe or Molecule Simulator?
Turtle Universe ships an update every 6 weeks, and Molecule Simulator every 4 months. Most recently, Turtle Universe was updated on July 29, 2026 and Molecule Simulator on September 21, 2026.

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