# Molecules vs MolAR Augmented Reality

The clearest difference is rating: MolAR Augmented Reality at 4.9 against Molecules's 3.6. MolAR Augmented Reality also leads on iOS requirement (14.4 vs 16.0). Molecules's advantage is ratings volume (166 vs 9). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

MolAR Augmented Reality holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecules has 166 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Molecules | MolAR Augmented Reality |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews) | **[4.9 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molar-augmented-reality/id1559504847/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **166** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 3 MB | 179 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **14.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093) | [Sukolsak Sakshuwong](https://appshunter.io/developer/385231776) |

## 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


### MolAR Augmented Reality

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molar-augmented-reality/id1559504847)

Explore molecules and proteins in augmented reality. Visualize structures from online databases or draw your own. Scan real-world objects to see their molecular composition.

**Highlights:** Augmented reality molecule visualization, Visualize PubChem molecules, Visualize Protein Data Bank proteins, Draw and visualize chemical structures, Scan objects to see molecules

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Molecules free?

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

### Is MolAR Augmented Reality free?

MolAR Augmented Reality is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Molecules or MolAR Augmented Reality?

MolAR Augmented Reality is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while MolAR Augmented Reality averages 4.9 from 9 ratings.

### Do Molecules or MolAR Augmented Reality have ads?

Neither Molecules nor MolAR Augmented Reality shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Molecules or MolAR Augmented Reality?

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and MolAR Augmented Reality every 2 months. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and MolAR Augmented Reality on September 15, 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.*