# Molecules vs Search PubChem

The clearest difference is rating: Search PubChem at 5.0 against Molecules's 3.6. Search PubChem also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 65%) and device support (4 vs 2). Molecules's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (166 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Search PubChem holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecules has 166 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Molecules's written reviews are positive against 75% of Search PubChem's.

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, Search PubChem every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Molecules | Search PubChem |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/search-pubchem/id1369742632/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **166** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093) | [Jae-Seung Lee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1146296876) |

## What reviewers say

### Molecules

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Useful for visualizing molecules
- 👍 Great for teaching chemistry
- 👍 Excellent for biochemistry students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when downloading new molecules
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices
- 🐛 Limited functionality, missing key features
- 🔍 Difficult to find common molecules
- 💡 Needs more view options (ribbon, surface, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Search PubChem

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/search-pubchem/id1369742632)

Access and manage chemical compound data from the PubChem database. Search for over 111 million compounds, view molecular formulas, weights, and structures, and create and track custom solutions with detailed composition information.

**Highlights:** Search PubChem database, View molecular formula, weight, and structure, Store compound information, Create and manage custom solutions, Track solution composition in grams and moles, Display 3D compound structures, Share solution data via CSV

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Molecules free?

Molecules is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Search PubChem free?

Search PubChem is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Molecules or Search PubChem?

Search PubChem is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Search PubChem averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Molecules or Search PubChem have ads?

Neither Molecules nor Search PubChem shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Molecules or Search PubChem?

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and Search PubChem every 9 months. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and Search PubChem on June 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*