CellWalk vs CapWords
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CellWalk
Explore a living cell in 3D, from whole organisms down to atoms. An AI tutor guides your learning with interactive lessons and detailed explanations of molecular structures. Features augmented reality for an immersive educational experience.
- 3D cell exploration
- Molecular-level detail
- AI-powered tutor (Ako)
- Augmented reality visualization
- Interactive learning paths
- Guided tours
- Siri integration
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CellWalk puts a living cell in your hands and on your desk. Zoom from a whole cell down to the atoms in DNA. Explore a cell modeled protein by protein from real structures discovered by scientists. Start your journey with Ako, an AI tutor that helps you understand what you see. Built for students, teachers and anyone curious about how life works at the molecular scale. 2025 Apple Design Award finalist. EXPLORE A REAL CELL Zoom from a whole Mycoplasma cell down to single atoms. Thousands of proteins, DNA and RNA, ribosomes and membranes, rendered from published scientific data. Tap any molecule to learn what it is and what it does. Tap any term for an explanation at your level, written on your device with Apple Intelligence. Place molecular scenes in your space with augmented reality on compatible iPhone and iPad devices. LEARN WITH AKO Ako helps you build understanding through questions. It brings molecular structures into view, invites you to look closer and explain what you notice, then builds on your answers to help you make connections. Socratic learning, one discovery at a time. Type or dictate. Ask anything about what’s on screen or in your space. Your Ako lessons, your progress in them and what Ako has learned about you stay with you: on your device and, if you use iCloud, in your own iCloud. Get more of Ako with CellWalk Pro. GUIDED TOURS Start your journey with The Molecular Design of Life, a complete tour of the Mycoplasma cell made with Dr. David Goodsell. Each tour includes a guided narration, free explore mode and Ako practice lessons to test your understanding. CellWalk Pro adds more guided tours and lessons with an expanded library of cells and organisms. Explore the incredible molecular machines that power neurons and thought, or dive into the architecture of a virus like HIV. LEARN BY DOING Step into the Central Dogma of Biology with a hands-on interactive lesson on the all new Learning Path. Learn how the instructions in DNA are read and translated into the proteins that build and sustain your cells. WHAT’S FREE Explore The Molecular Design of Life tour and its accompanying Ako lesson and explore modes, and try the “What is a Protein?” interactive lesson on the Learning Path. You can also ask Ako in-depth questions with a free daily allowance. CELLWALK PRO Unlock all other guided tours and their accompanying Ako lessons, a larger daily question allowance and longer answers from Ako. Choose a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription. One subscription covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. ASK FROM ANYWHERE Say “Ask CellWalk a biology question” and Siri answers from CellWalk’s own content without opening the app. “Continue my lesson in CellWalk” picks up where you left off. On iPhone and iPad, use Visual Intelligence on a textbook diagram, choose Search CellWalk with an Image, and tap a match to open that tour, lesson or molecule. HOW THE AI WORKS Ako is built with the Foundation Models framework. Where Apple Intelligence is available, it answers on Private Cloud Compute, and the on-device model explains the terms you tap. OpenAI, a third-party AI service, plans lessons and answers when Apple Intelligence isn’t available on your device or in your region. The app asks your permission before sending your first question. You can change that permission under Account → Privacy. CellWalk doesn’t require a separate CellWalk account, and AI requests aren’t tied to your name. Find details under Account → Privacy → About CellWalk & AI. Apple Intelligence features require iPhone 15 Pro or later, an iPad with M1 or A17 Pro or later, or a Mac with Apple silicon. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://cellwalk.ca/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://cellwalk.ca/privacy
CapWords
Capture words from your surroundings using your camera and transform them into smart flashcards. AI provides context-aware definitions and intelligent spaced repetition aids memorization. Perfect for students, travelers, and professionals looking to expand their vocabulary from real-life experiences.
- AI word recognition from photos
- Contextual definitions
- Spaced repetition review
- Photo-linked flashcards
- Progress tracking
- Offline word bank
- Multiple language support
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⊕ Apple Design Awards 2025 Winner ⊕ App Store Awards App of the Year ⊕ App Store APP OF THE DAY ⊕ App Store Editor's Choice Turn the world into your vocabulary book. CapWords is the first app that lets you capture words from real life and instantly turn them into smart flashcards. See an interesting word on a sign, book, or screen? Just snap a photo, and CapWords will recognize the text, provide AI-powered definitions, and add it to your personal vocabulary library. HOW IT WORKS • Point your camera at any text • AI instantly recognizes and extracts words • Get smart definitions with context • Words automatically saved to your vocabulary • Review with intelligent spaced repetition WHY CAPWORDS? Traditional vocabulary apps make you type words manually or browse pre-made lists. CapWords changes that completely. CAPTURE FROM REAL LIFE See a word while reading, traveling, or studying? Snap it. The photo becomes your memory anchor, helping you remember where and when you learned each word. AI-POWERED UNDERSTANDING Our AI doesn't just give you dictionary definitions. It analyzes context from your photo to provide relevant meanings, example sentences, and usage notes. SMART REVIEW SYSTEM Forget about forgetting. CapWords uses spaced repetition algorithms to remind you to review words just before you'd forget them. VISUAL MEMORY BOOST Studies show visual context dramatically improves retention. Each word stays connected to the image where you found it. PERFECT FOR ⊕ Students - Build vocabulary from textbooks and articles ⊕ Travelers - Learn local words from signs and menus ⊕ Readers - Capture unfamiliar words from books ⊕ Professionals - Master industry terminology ⊕ Test Prep - GRE, TOEFL, IELTS vocabulary building FEATURES ⊕ AI recognizes words instantly ⊕ Photo-linked flashcards ⊕ Spaced repetition review ⊕ Progress tracking ⊕ Offline word bank ⊕ Export to other apps ⊕ Multiple language support LEARNING BACKED BY SCIENCE CapWords combines three proven learning techniques: 1. Visual Association - Images boost memory retention by 65% 2. Active Capture - Finding words yourself beats passive lists 3. Spaced Repetition - Review at optimal intervals Stop typing words into apps. Start capturing them from life. Download CapWords and turn every moment into a learning opportunity. FEEDBACK & SUPPORT Questions or ideas? We’d love to hear from you: support@capwords.app LEGAL Privacy Policy: https://capwords.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://capwords.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
CellWalk and CapWords both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of CellWalk's written reviews are positive against 71% of CapWords's. CellWalk also leads on device support (4 vs 2). CapWords's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (673 vs 77). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. CellWalk sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and CapWords sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for CellWalk against 4.7 for CapWords. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CapWords has 673 ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of CellWalk's written reviews are positive against 71% of CapWords's.
CellWalk ships an update every 2 weeks, CapWords every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 14, 2026.
| Parameter | CellWalk | CapWords |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (77 ratings) — better | 4.7 (673 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.7% of reviews — better | 71.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 77 | 673 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 555 MB | 265 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ako Biotica Inc. | HappyPlan Tech |
Customer experience
CellWalk
CapWords
User reviews
CellWalk
From 77 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Stunning visualizations
- 🔬 Incredible detail
- 🧠 Informative content
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth performance
Room to improve
- ⚠️ Misleading information
- 📚 Limited content
- 🖼️ Tiny window view
- 😵 Nauseating renderer
- 🐛 Buggy performance
CapWords
From 673 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Efficient flashcard creation
- 🔊 Helpful audio pronunciations
- 💡 Useful sample sentences
Room to improve
- 🚫 Lack of support for certain languages (e.g., Hebrew, Arabic)
- 💡 Desire for dark mode option
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and Chinese ownership
Bugs and requests
CellWalk
Reported bugs
4 issues- ATP synthase described backwards
- Renderer noise causes nausea
- Buggy and low framerate
- Renderer not responsive to head movements
Requested features
10 requests- More cells to explore (eukaryotic, mammalian, computer cells)
- More content and depth
- Expand on descriptions with an 'expand on' feature
- Add tutorials for new users
- Add color to highlighted text for easy reference
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- Depict a minimal eukaryotic cell
- Depict a cell undergoing mitosis
- Make cell models free-floating instead of behind windows
- Option to purchase additional content
- Update renderer for responsiveness to head movements
CapWords
Reported bugs
1 issue- Some website links not working properly
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to import existing flashcards
- Integrate with other language learning apps
- Provide option to change native language
- Add home screen widgets
- Expand object description capabilities
In-app purchases
CellWalk
- CellWalk Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- CellWalk Pro Annual$79.991 Year
- Pro Lessons$39.99
CapWords
- Premium-Monthly-b$4.991 Month
- Premium-Monthly$5.991 Month
- Premium-Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Premium-Yearly3 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
- Premium-Yearly-Promo1 Year trial$29.991 Year
- Premium-Yearly-Promo-b1 Year trial$29.991 Year









