# Molecules vs 3D Chemistry Molecule View

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Molecules at 65% against 3D Chemistry Molecule View's 18%. Molecules also leads on rating (3.6 vs 2.6) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, update cadence, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 3D Chemistry Molecule View sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Molecules asks for nothing beyond the download.

Molecules holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecules has 166 ratings behind it against 10, 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 18% of 3D Chemistry Molecule View's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and August 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Molecules | 3D Chemistry Molecule View |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.6 (166 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/molecules/id284943090/reviews)** | [2.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-chemistry-molecule-view/id946647409/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **166** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | **65.5% of reviews** | 18.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 3 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sunset Lake Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/284943093) | [Sandeep Bhandari](https://appshunter.io/developer/794284640) |

## 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


### 3D Chemistry Molecule View

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-chemistry-molecule-view/id946647409)

Explore the 3D structures of various molecules with this educational tool. View molecules in different stereoscopic modes and access a built-in database of hundreds of compounds. Understand the spatial arrangement of complex chemical structures.

**Highlights:** 3D molecular structure visualization, Multiple stereoscopic view modes (Anaglyth, Side by Side, Mirror), Standard molecule manipulation (rotation, scaling), Built-in database of 300+ molecules, Detailed information on selected molecules

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription Discount | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription Sale | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription Special | $19.99 | per year |
| Pro Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Forever Pro Discount | $79.99 | one-time |
| Forever Pro | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Molecules free?

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

### Is 3D Chemistry Molecule View free?

3D Chemistry Molecule View is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Molecules or 3D Chemistry Molecule View?

Molecules is rated higher. Molecules averages 3.6 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while 3D Chemistry Molecule View averages 2.6 from 10 ratings.

### Do Molecules or 3D Chemistry Molecule View have ads?

3D Chemistry Molecule View shows ads; Molecules does not.

### Which is updated more often, Molecules or 3D Chemistry Molecule View?

Molecules ships an update every 2 months, and 3D Chemistry Molecule View every 2 months. Most recently, Molecules was updated on August 5, 2026 and 3D Chemistry Molecule View on August 23, 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.*