Comparison

Molecules vs Atomizer AR

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

Atomizer AR

Explore the quantum world with interactive 3D models of atoms and molecules in augmented reality. Visualize atomic and molecular orbitals, and sketch organic compounds to instantly generate their nomenclature.

Highlights
  • 3D atomic and molecular orbital visualization
  • Augmented reality integration
  • Hartree-Fock computational method for MOs
  • Sketch organic compounds
  • Automatic SMILES and IUPAC nomenclature generation
Features
Read full description

Atomizer AR turns your iPhone or iPad into a portable quantum chemistry lab. Visualize atomic and molecular orbitals in 3D, render electron density clouds, and step into immersive WebXR augmented reality where molecules sit on your desk at real-world scale. — WHAT YOU CAN DO — • Explore atomic orbitals computed from real hydrogenic wavefunctions: 1s, 2p, 3d, 4f and beyond, with adjustable shell glow and Bohmian trajectory animation. • View any molecule's molecular orbitals (HOMO, LUMO, intermediates) computed via PySCF on the cloud, then rendered as interactive isosurfaces. • See ball-and-stick models in WebXR augmented reality. Tap "View in AR", point at a flat surface, place the molecule on a table, then pinch to scale and drag to rotate. • Pair your phone with the desktop using Atomizer Remote: enter a 4-letter code, then tilt your phone to control the on-screen molecule with your gyroscope. Live preview streams back to your phone in real time. • Browse 40+ molecules — water, glucose, caffeine, benzene, ammonia, ethanol, methane, sulfuric acid and more — with energy diagrams, dipole arrows, lone pairs (VSEPR) and MO correlation diagrams. • Calculate molar mass live from any chemical formula, including parenthesised groups like Ca(OH)₂ and (NH₄)₂SO₄, with per-element breakdown. • Balance equations, run stoichiometry, sketch molecules in 2D, and explore reaction pathways. — SUBSCRIPTIONS — Free: 5 molecule renders per period. All calculator tools and full periodic table. Californium Pass — $2.99/month. 50 renders monthly, priority compute queue. Einsteinium Pass — $6.99/month. Unlimited renders, GLTF export for AR/3D printing, protein visualization, priority support. Auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Subscriptions sync across iPhone, iPad, and electronvisual.org. Privacy: https://electronvisual.org/privacy Terms: https://electronvisual.org/terms

Screenshots

Molecules4 screens
Atomizer AR4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Molecules at none against Atomizer AR's 4. Molecules also leads on ratings volume (166 vs 3). Atomizer AR's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 65%) and rating (4.0 vs 3.6). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Atomizer AR sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Molecules asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Atomizer AR 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 3, 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 100% of Atomizer AR's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, Atomizer AR every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Molecules versus Atomizer AR: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoleculesAtomizer AR
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (166 ratings)4.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings166 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.015.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB132 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSunset Lake SoftwareWonmo Seong

Customer experience

Molecules

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

Atomizer AR

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Atomizer AR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Molecules

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Atomizer AR

Subscriptions4
  • Californium Pass$1.991 Month
  • Californium Pass$2.991 Month
  • Einsteinium Pass$3.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Einsteinium Pass$6.991 Month

Questions

Is Molecules free?
Molecules is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Atomizer AR free?
Atomizer AR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Molecules or Atomizer AR?
Atomizer AR is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Atomizer AR averages 4.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Molecules or Atomizer AR have ads?
Neither Molecules nor Atomizer AR shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Molecules or Atomizer AR?
Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and Atomizer AR every 4 weeks. Most recently, Molecules was updated on September 29, 2026 and Atomizer AR on September 24, 2026.

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