Comparison

Molecules vs MoleculeGo

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

MoleculeGo

Explore the world of molecular biology through an engaging, location-based game. Collect essential building blocks like amino acids and DNA sequences to synthesize proteins and discover their functions. Learn about their roles in disease, research, and cellular processes by visiting real-world hotspots.

Highlights
  • Location-based gameplay
  • Collect molecular building blocks
  • Synthesize proteins
  • Discover genes and their functions
  • Learn about molecular roles in disease and research
  • Visit real-world hotspots for discovery
Features
Read full description

MoleculeGo is a location based app that gamifies the process of learning about molecular biology. In this game, the player collects amino acids, ATP, and DNA sequences, the molecular building blocks used to synthesize proteins. By capturing DNA sequences, the player discovers genes that encode for proteins. These genes provide the user with the necessary "recipe" to synthesize proteins in their own lab, using amino acids and ATP. These proteins can then be combined to construct even larger protein complexes. As the player progresses in the game, new molecules become available and information will become available about each molecule's basic function and how its structure is associated with its molecular role. Players can visit hotspots (schools, parks, hospitals, universities, etc.) to accelerate the discovery of new molecules. While molecules are discovered, players can learn how they are involved in disease, biomedical applications, research, and their function in the cell.

Screenshots

Molecules4 screens
MoleculeGo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MoleculeGo at 4.5 against Molecules's 3.6. MoleculeGo also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). Molecules's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 14 months) and review sentiment (65% vs 50%). 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

MoleculeGo holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecules has 166 ratings behind it against 23, 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 MoleculeGo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, MoleculeGo every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Molecules versus MoleculeGo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoleculesMoleculeGo
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (166 ratings)4.5 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.5% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings166 — better23
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSunset Lake SoftwareAlonso Morcos

Customer experience

Molecules

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

MoleculeGo

All ratings23 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

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

MoleculeGo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Molecules

No in-app purchases

None

MoleculeGo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Molecules free?
Molecules is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MoleculeGo free?
MoleculeGo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Molecules or MoleculeGo?
MoleculeGo is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while MoleculeGo averages 4.5 from 23 ratings.
Do Molecules or MoleculeGo have ads?
Neither Molecules nor MoleculeGo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Molecules or MoleculeGo?
Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and MoleculeGo every 14 months. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and MoleculeGo on July 5, 2026.

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