# Molecules vs WebMO Molecule Editor

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Molecules at none against WebMO Molecule Editor's 2. Molecules also leads on ratings volume (166 vs 40). WebMO Molecule Editor's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.6) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. WebMO Molecule Editor sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Molecules asks for nothing beyond the download.

WebMO Molecule Editor holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 166 and 40 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Molecules's written reviews are positive against 60% of WebMO Molecule Editor'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, WebMO Molecule Editor every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Molecules | WebMO Molecule Editor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews) | **[4.0 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/webmo-molecule-editor/id797898095/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **166** | 40 |
| Positive reviews | **65.5% of reviews** | 60.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093) | [WebMO, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/797898098) |

## 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


### WebMO Molecule Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/webmo-molecule-editor/id797898095)

Create and explore 3D molecular structures, visualize chemical properties, and access extensive chemical databases. This tool is ideal for students and educators needing on-the-go access to molecular information and computational chemistry resources.

**Highlights:** 3D molecular editor, Structure optimization, Orbital and symmetry visualization, Chemical database lookup, Spectra visualization, High-resolution image capture, Computational chemistry program integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WebMO Premium for paid users | Free | one-time |
| WebMO Premium | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Molecules free?

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

### Is WebMO Molecule Editor free?

WebMO Molecule Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Molecules or WebMO Molecule Editor?

WebMO Molecule Editor is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while WebMO Molecule Editor averages 4.0 from 40 ratings.

### Do Molecules or WebMO Molecule Editor have ads?

Neither Molecules nor WebMO Molecule Editor shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Molecules or WebMO Molecule Editor?

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and WebMO Molecule Editor every 3 months. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and WebMO Molecule Editor on September 3, 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.*