iMolview vs BioViewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 3D molecular visualization
- Browse PDB, DrugBank, Pubchem
- Customizable representations
- Individual element coloring
- Neighbor analysis
- Electron density map contouring
- Scene saving and management
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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
BioViewer
Visualize 3D molecular structures from .pdb files on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Features smooth rendering, drag-and-drop support, and publication-quality photo exports for detailed analysis.
- 3D molecular structure visualization
- Supports .pdb and .xyz files
- Drag and drop functionality
- Photo Mode with high-quality exports
- Multi-model PDB support
- Optimized for ProMotion displays
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A .pdb protein visualizer for iOS, iPadOS and macOS. View the 3D representation of any molecular structure from a .pdb file, using our custom Metal-based rendering engine based to allow for a smooth experience even in the biggest proteins. - Full drag and drop support for .pdb and .xyz files. - Photo Mode with publication-quality exports. - Support for multi-model PDBs. - Support for high refresh rate ProMotion displays.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: BioViewer at Free against iMolview's $0.99. BioViewer also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). iMolview's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 33%) and rating (3.6 vs 1.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
BioViewer is free to download; iMolview costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
iMolview holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iMolview has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of iMolview's written reviews are positive against 33% of BioViewer's.
iMolview ships an update every 2 months, BioViewer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iMolview | BioViewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.6 (13 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.1% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Molsoft | Raul Monton Pinillos |
Customer experience
iMolview
BioViewer
In-app purchases
iMolview
No in-app purchases
BioViewer
No in-app purchases









