Comparison

WEHI AR Molecules vs Magpie

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

Head to head
About

WEHI AR Molecules

Explore animated 3D molecules like ATP Synthase using augmented reality. Point your device's camera at a flat surface, select a molecule, and place it in your environment for interactive viewing.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality molecule viewing
  • Animated 3D molecule simulations
  • ATP Synthase and other molecules
  • Surface detection for placement
  • Interactive molecule placement
Features
Read full description

WEHI's Molecular Augmented Reality allows you to view a range of animated and simulated molecules in 3D such as ATP Synthase. Simply point your devices' camera at any flat surface and wait for it to be detected, select a molecule from the dropdown list and tap on the surface to place a molecule.

About

Magpie

Features
Read full description

Magpie is a free molecular visualisation and scientific post-processing app for iPhone and iPad, designed for computational chemistry research, teaching and learning. KEY FEATURES • Open and inspect computational chemistry outputs, molecular coordinates, trajectories and volumetric data. • Explore interactive 3D structures, vibrational modes, reaction paths, spectra and potential-energy surfaces. • Export high-resolution PNG images with transparent backgrounds in standard mode or black backgrounds in red/blue 3D mode, ready for figures, presentations and teaching materials. • Export molecular structures and surfaces as GLB or USDZ 3D models, and trajectories, molecular vibrations and model rotation as USDZ animations. Save images and models to Files or share them through the system share menu. • Edit atoms, bonds and geometries, then optimise structures with UFF or MMFF94s force fields. • Generate quantum-chemistry input files, including ab initio molecular dynamics workflows, plus XYZ, MOL2, CIF and PDB files. • Play XYZ and DCD trajectories, inspect changing molecular structures and measurements, and visualise dynamic bonds and hydrogen bonds. • Visualise molecular orbitals with fast on-device GPU calculation, and explore signed CUBE scalar fields. Connect to a remote server running Multiwfn for additional wavefunction analysis. • Organise files locally, import from other apps, or connect to your SSH/SFTP server for remote file browsing and terminal work.

Screenshots

WEHI AR Molecules3 screens
Magpie4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Magpie at every 5 days against WEHI AR Molecules's every 10 months. WEHI AR Molecules's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WEHI AR Molecules ships an update every 10 months, Magpie every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
WEHI AR Molecules versus Magpie: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWEHI AR MoleculesMagpie
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size275 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchYuchen Zhou

In-app purchases

None

WEHI AR Molecules

No in-app purchases

None

Magpie

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WEHI AR Molecules free?
WEHI AR Molecules is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Magpie free?
Magpie is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do WEHI AR Molecules or Magpie have ads?
Neither WEHI AR Molecules nor Magpie shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WEHI AR Molecules or Magpie?
WEHI AR Molecules ships an update every 10 months, and Magpie every 5 days. Most recently, WEHI AR Molecules was updated on October 29, 2026 and Magpie on November 5, 2026.

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