Comparison

Molecules vs Molecular Constructor

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

Head to head
About

Molecules

Explore and interact with 3D molecular models on your device. Rotate, zoom, and pan structures using intuitive touch gestures. Visualize molecules in different modes and load custom structures from various sources.

Highlights
  • 3D molecule rendering
  • Finger-based manipulation (rotate, zoom, pan)
  • Ball-and-stick visualization
  • Spacefilling visualization
  • Load custom molecular structures
  • File sharing and iCloud import
Features
Read full description

Molecules is an application for viewing three-dimensional renderings of molecules and manipulating them using your fingers. You can rotate the molecules by moving your finger across the display, zoom in or out by using two-finger pinch gestures, or pan the molecule by moving two fingers across the screen at once. These structures can be viewed in both ball-and-stick and spacefilling visualization modes. Molecules can be stored on your handheld device for later viewing and are loaded via a standard document-based file browser. Custom molecular structures can be downloaded to the application via file sharing or iCloud, and obtained via sources like the RCSB Protein Data Bank (http://www.rcsb.org/pdb), an international repository of biological molecules and their 3-D structures, or NCBI's PubChem (http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), a public database of compounds. For more details, please visit our website. Molecules is a BSD-licensed open source project.

About

Molecular Constructor

Create and optimize 3D molecular models. This free software allows users to design molecules and refine their geometry simultaneously. A more advanced desktop version is also available.

Highlights
  • Build molecules in 3D
  • Design molecular structures
  • Optimize geometry
  • Free software
  • Desktop version available
Features
Read full description

Molecular Constructor is a free 3D modeling software for building molecules. Using this application user can design a molecule and optimize its geometry at the same time. The more advanced desktop version can be found at the project website: http://molconstr.com/

Screenshots

Molecules4 screens
Molecular Constructor3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Molecules at every 2 months against Molecular Constructor's every 12 months. Molecules also leads on ratings volume (166 vs 52). Molecular Constructor's advantage is rating (3.9 vs 3.6) and review sentiment (75% vs 65%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Molecular Constructor holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 166 and 52 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Molecules's written reviews are positive against 75% of Molecular Constructor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, Molecular Constructor every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Molecules versus Molecular Constructor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoleculesMolecular Constructor
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (166 ratings)3.9 (52 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.5% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings166 — better52
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSunset Lake SoftwareAlexander Teplukhin

Customer experience

Molecules

All ratings166 ratings
Positive62.7%
Neutral12.0%
Negative25.3%
Written reviews388 reviews
Positive65.5%
Neutral18.6%
Negative16.0%

Molecular Constructor

All ratings52 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative10.0%

Bugs and requests

Molecules

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when switching between views
  • Molecules disappear after reopening the app
  • Search function is unreliable and limited
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to build and edit molecules
  • Implement a color key for atom types
  • Include more basic molecules (H2O, CO2, etc.)
  • Allow sorting/organizing downloaded molecules
  • Integrate with databases like PubChem and RCSB

Molecular Constructor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Molecules

No in-app purchases

None

Molecular Constructor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Molecules free?
Molecules is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Molecular Constructor free?
Molecular Constructor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Molecules or Molecular Constructor?
Molecular Constructor is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Molecular Constructor averages 3.9 from 52 ratings.
Do Molecules or Molecular Constructor have ads?
Neither Molecules nor Molecular Constructor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Molecules or Molecular Constructor?
Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and Molecular Constructor every 12 months. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and Molecular Constructor on August 29, 2026.

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