# Molecules vs Molecule Lab

The clearest difference is update cadence: Molecules at every 2 months against Molecule Lab's every 24 months. Molecules also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 50%) and ratings volume (166 vs 18). Molecule Lab's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.6) and iOS requirement (13.2 vs 16.0). 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.

Molecule Lab holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecules has 166 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Molecules's written reviews are positive against 50% of Molecule Lab's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, Molecule Lab every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Molecules | Molecule Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews) | **[4.0 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecule-lab/id1434237899/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **166** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | **65.5% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 24 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 3 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093) | [Maxamix](https://appshunter.io/developer/667167982) |

## 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


### Molecule Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecule-lab/id1434237899)

Create and view 3D molecular models with an intuitive editor. Supports various elements, bond types, and conformations, with undo/redo functionality. Share your creations easily via messaging and email.

**Highlights:** Build molecules in 3D, Supports oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, carbon, hydrogen, Double and triple bond creation, Branching and rotation conformations, Undo, redo, and delete controls, Save and edit molecules, Share via text, email, and other services

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Molecules free?

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

### Is Molecule Lab free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Molecules or Molecule Lab?

Molecule Lab is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Molecule Lab averages 4.0 from 18 ratings.

### Do Molecules or Molecule Lab have ads?

Neither Molecules nor Molecule Lab shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Molecules or Molecule Lab?

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and Molecule Lab every 24 months. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and Molecule Lab on August 25, 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.*