Comparison

iMolview vs Search PubChem

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

iMolview

Explore biological molecules in 3D. View proteins, DNA, and drug structures from major databases. Customize representations, select specific elements, and analyze molecular interactions. Sync your own files and save scenes for later.

Highlights
  • 3D molecular visualization
  • Browse PDB, DrugBank, Pubchem
  • Customizable representations
  • Individual element coloring
  • Neighbor analysis
  • Electron density map contouring
  • Scene saving and management
Features
Read full description

Explore the fascinating world of biological macromolecules: iMolview lets you browse and view in 3D protein and DNA structures from Protein Data Bank, drug molecules from DrugBank, and small molecules from Pubchem. Search for drug names like 'ibuprofen' or 'gefitinib' in DrugBank, or proteins like 'insulin' or 'thyroid receptor' in PDB. Information associated with each molecule in these databases is also at your fingertips. Sync and view your own structure files via iTunes. Molecular view can be customized with a rich set of molecular representations (wires, balls-and-sticks, space filling, ribbon diagrams, molecular surfaces) and various coloring schemes. Select residues, atoms or chains and color or change their representations individually. Select 'neighbors' of a ligand or any other selection to identify interacting atoms or residues. Set 'inertia' to the maximum and let your molecule spin in 3D indefinitely. Save the current scene (viewpoint + representation) as a slide which can be easily accessed later. Save the whole molecular document with multiple slides. Load and contour electron density map

About

Search PubChem

Access and manage chemical compound data from the PubChem database. Search for over 111 million compounds, view molecular formulas, weights, and structures, and create and track custom solutions with detailed composition information.

Highlights
  • Search PubChem database
  • View molecular formula, weight, and structure
  • Store compound information
  • Create and manage custom solutions
  • Track solution composition in grams and moles
  • Display 3D compound structures
  • Share solution data via CSV
Read full description

The app allows to search compounds through PubChem and helps to keep information on solutions made of those compounds. I. Compounds Tab Search the open chemistry database 'PubChem' at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for chemical compounds. The app helps to find a compound by name from the collection of more than 111 million compounds. It downloads and stores the molecular formula, weight, and structure. Compounds 1. Selecting the "Compounds" tab will present a list of compounds. - If there are any solutions made of a compound, a droplet will appear next to the compound's name. 2. When a compound is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a compound". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Search for a compound". Details for a compound 1. Click "Compounds" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the magnifier icon to open the compound's PubChem page in the user's default web browser. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the compound. This function may not be available if there is a solution made of the compound. 4. Click one of the solutions made of the compound to display the information. See "Details for a solution" below. 5. Click "3D" to display a 3D structure. Use pan and pinch gestures to rotate and zoom the scene. Search for a compound 1. Select "Compound Name" ("CID") and type a compound name (PubChem CID). 2. Click "Search" to connect to PubChem. An activity indicator will appear until the search is finished. - If the search succeeds, the downloaded information will appear. - If the search fails, an alert will appear. 3. Click "Save" to store the information about a compound. 4. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. II. Solutions Tab Choose compounds downloaded from PubChem and make a solution. The app allows to record a list of compounds with amounts dissolved in a solution. For the saved solutions, the app displays their compositions in gram and mol. Solutions 1. Selecting the "Solutions" tab will present a list of solutions. 2. When a solution is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a solution". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Making a solution". Details for a solution 1. Click "Solutions" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the 'action' icon to share a csv file containig the information about the solution. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the solution. 5. Choose the unit among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 6. Select one of compounds to display its structure and formula. See "Mini details for a compound" below. Making a solution 1. Click "Add Compounds" to bring a collection of compounds. See "Compounds collection" below. 2. The names of the compounds selected from "Compounds collection" will be displayed as “Solution Label”. A user can edit “Solution Label”. 3. The unit for the amount can be chosen among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 4. The amount may be entered. 5. Click "Save" to create and add a new solution. 6. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. Compounds collection 1. Select or deselect compounds by clicking the images of compounds. 2. Selected compounds will be displayed. 3. Click "Done" to return back to "Making a solution". 5. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene.

Screenshots

iMolview1 screens
Search PubChem4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Search PubChem at Free against iMolview's $0.99. Search PubChem also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.6). iMolview's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Search PubChem is free to download; iMolview costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Search PubChem holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of iMolview's written reviews are positive against 75% of Search PubChem's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMolview ships an update every 2 months, Search PubChem every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
iMolview versus Search PubChem: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolviewSearch PubChem
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.6 (13 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB9 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMolsoftJae-Seung Lee

Customer experience

iMolview

All ratings13 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative18.4%

Search PubChem

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview

No in-app purchases

None

Search PubChem

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMolview free?
iMolview costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Search PubChem free?
Search PubChem is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iMolview or Search PubChem?
Search PubChem is rated higher. iMolview averages 3.6 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Search PubChem averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do iMolview or Search PubChem have ads?
Neither iMolview nor Search PubChem shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMolview or Search PubChem?
iMolview ships an update every 2 months, and Search PubChem every 9 months. Most recently, iMolview was updated on October 22, 2026 and Search PubChem on October 7, 2026.

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