# Molecules vs BioViewer

The clearest difference is rating: Molecules at 3.6 against BioViewer's 1.0. Molecules also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 33%) and ratings volume (166 vs 1). BioViewer's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). 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.

Molecules holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecules has 166 ratings behind it against 1, 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 33% of BioViewer's.

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, BioViewer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Molecules | BioViewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.6 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bioviewer/id1593006498/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **166** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **65.5% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093) | [Raul Monton Pinillos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1576884003) |

## 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


### BioViewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bioviewer/id1593006498)

Visualize 3D molecular structures from .pdb files on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Features smooth rendering, drag-and-drop support, and publication-quality photo exports for detailed analysis.

**Highlights:** 3D molecular structure visualization, Supports .pdb and .xyz files, Drag and drop functionality, Photo Mode with high-quality exports, Multi-model PDB support, Optimized for ProMotion displays

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Molecules free?

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

### Is BioViewer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Molecules or BioViewer?

Molecules is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while BioViewer averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Molecules or BioViewer have ads?

Neither Molecules nor BioViewer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Molecules or BioViewer?

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and BioViewer every 9 days. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and BioViewer on September 10, 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.*