Comparison

iMolview vs MolAR Augmented Reality

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

MolAR Augmented Reality

Explore molecules and proteins in augmented reality. Visualize structures from online databases or draw your own. Scan real-world objects to see their molecular composition.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality molecule visualization
  • Visualize PubChem molecules
  • Visualize Protein Data Bank proteins
  • Draw and visualize chemical structures
  • Scan objects to see molecules
Features
Read full description

MolAR lets you visualize molecules and proteins through augmented reality (AR). - Augmented reality: Place a molecule or a protein in a real-world surrounding. No marker needed. - Visualize any molecule on PubChem - Visualize any protein in the Protein Data Bank - Draw chemical structures and visualize them in AR - Scan objects such as food and see molecules inside them Created by Sukolsak Sakshuwong, Umberto Raucci, and Hayley Weir from the Martinez Group at Stanford University

Screenshots

iMolview1 screens
MolAR Augmented Reality4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MolAR Augmented Reality at Free against iMolview's $0.99. MolAR Augmented Reality also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.6). iMolview's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.4). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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

MolAR Augmented Reality 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

MolAR Augmented Reality holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 9 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iMolview versus MolAR Augmented Reality: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolviewMolAR Augmented Reality
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.6 (13 ratings)4.9 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.4
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB179 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolsoftSukolsak Sakshuwong

Customer experience

iMolview

All ratings13 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative30.8%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive78.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative18.8%

MolAR Augmented Reality

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview

No in-app purchases

None

MolAR Augmented Reality

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMolview free?
iMolview costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MolAR Augmented Reality free?
MolAR Augmented Reality is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iMolview or MolAR Augmented Reality?
MolAR Augmented Reality is rated higher. iMolview averages 3.6 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while MolAR Augmented Reality averages 4.9 from 9 ratings.
Do iMolview or MolAR Augmented Reality have ads?
Neither iMolview nor MolAR Augmented Reality shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMolview or MolAR Augmented Reality?
iMolview ships an update every 2 months, and MolAR Augmented Reality every 2 months. Most recently, iMolview was updated on September 22, 2026 and MolAR Augmented Reality on September 15, 2026.

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