# Molecules vs Elementium

The clearest difference is rating: Elementium at 4.6 against Molecules's 3.6. Elementium also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (75% vs 65%). Molecules's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Elementium sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Molecules asks for nothing beyond the download.

Elementium holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 166 and 576 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Molecules's written reviews are positive against 75% of Elementium's.

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, Elementium every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Molecules | Elementium |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews) | **[4.6 (576 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elementium/id892123825/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 166 | **576** |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 3 MB | 752 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093) | [Samuel Spencer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1128165856) |

## 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


### Elementium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elementium/id892123825)

Access comprehensive information on every element of the periodic table. Explore detailed data, visualize trends, and utilize a built-in solubility calculator. Perfect for students and professionals needing quick, accurate chemical data.

**Highlights:** Detailed element information, Interactive periodic table, Dynamic filtering and trend visualization, Solubility calculator, Element image library, Bohr model visualizations, Home screen widgets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ION, 1 month | $1.99 | per month |
| ION, 3 Months | $3.99 | per 3 months |
| ION, 6 months | $5.99 | per 6 months |
| ION, 1 year | $9.99 | per year |
| Export Data | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bohr Models | $1.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Sorting | $2.99 | one-time |
| Visual Elements | $3.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Tools | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 📚 Comprehensive element information and data
- 🎨 Beautiful, clean, and visually appealing design
- 🔗 Helpful Wikipedia and external resource links
- 📖 Excellent for educational purposes and studying

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model for premium features
- 🔐 Paywall blocking key features and element images
- 📺 Intrusive ads and purchase prompts on startup
- 🎨 Poor color contrast on metalloid background text
- 📱 Crashes on older devices (iPhone 6G iPod Touch, iPhone XS Max)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup and when tapping elements
- Crashes on older iOS devices and iPod Touch
- Molar mass not visible in iPhone landscape orientation
- Intrusive purchase prompt that's difficult to dismiss
- Rating request spam appearing too early in user experience

**Requested features**

- Element images and visual representations
- One-time purchase option instead of subscription
- Zoom out to view entire periodic table at once
- Better display of molar mass on iPhone in landscape mode
- More detailed information and content


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Molecules free?

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

### Is Elementium free?

Elementium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

Elementium is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Elementium averages 4.6 from 576 ratings.

### Do Molecules or Elementium have ads?

Neither Molecules nor Elementium shows ads.

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

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and Elementium every 3 weeks. Most recently, Molecules was updated on September 29, 2026 and Elementium on October 12, 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.*