Comparison

iMolview Lite vs Molecular Constructor

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

Head to head
About

iMolview Lite

Explore 3D models of biological molecules like proteins and DNA from public databases. Visualize and customize molecular structures with various representations and coloring schemes. Analyze interactions and view your own structure files.

Highlights
  • 3D protein and DNA structure viewing
  • Drug molecule visualization
  • Customizable molecular representations
  • Individual atom/residue selection and coloring
  • Interaction analysis
  • Import custom structure files
Features
Read full description

Explore the fascinating world of biological macromolecules: iMolview Lite lets you browse and view in 3D protein and DNA structures from Protein Data Bank, and drug molecules from DrugBank. 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. If you have more than a casual interest in 3D structures, please consider full iMolview version, which adds many features you may find useful: - store your custom molecular visualizations as 'slides' to be instantly displayed later, preserving chosen representations, color schemes, viewpoint etc. - measure distances and angles - instantly e-mail screenshots to colleagues - VGA output support - 3D view mirroring and 'laser pointer' emulation for structural data presentations from your iPhone or iPad - load and display simultaneously multiple structures; superimpose using either residue number correspondence, sequence alignment or structural alignment with sophisticated iterative procedure - auto-assign secondary structure for PDB entries lacking this data - use side-by-side stereo display for even more vivid 3D viewing. - much more to come!

About

Molecular Constructor

Create and optimize 3D molecular models. This free software allows users to design molecules and refine their geometry simultaneously. A more advanced desktop version is also available.

Highlights
  • Build molecules in 3D
  • Design molecular structures
  • Optimize geometry
  • Free software
  • Desktop version available
Features
Read full description

Molecular Constructor is a free 3D modeling software for building molecules. Using this application user can design a molecule and optimize its geometry at the same time. The more advanced desktop version can be found at the project website: http://molconstr.com/

Screenshots

iMolview Lite1 screens
Molecular Constructor3 screens

Verdict

The call

iMolview Lite and Molecular Constructor both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 75% of Molecular Constructor's. Molecular Constructor's advantage is ratings volume (65 vs 5). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for iMolview Lite against 4.0 for Molecular Constructor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Molecular Constructor has 65 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 75% of Molecular Constructor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, Molecular Constructor every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
iMolview Lite versus Molecular Constructor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolview LiteMolecular Constructor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.0 (65 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings565 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 months — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolsoftAlexander Teplukhin

Customer experience

iMolview Lite

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Molecular Constructor

All ratings52 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Molecular Constructor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMolview Lite free?
iMolview Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Molecular Constructor free?
Molecular Constructor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iMolview Lite or Molecular Constructor?
Molecular Constructor is rated higher. iMolview Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Molecular Constructor averages 4.0 from 65 ratings.
Do iMolview Lite or Molecular Constructor have ads?
Neither iMolview Lite nor Molecular Constructor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or Molecular Constructor?
iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, and Molecular Constructor every 12 months. Most recently, iMolview Lite was updated on October 9, 2026 and Molecular Constructor on October 22, 2026.

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