iMolview Lite vs Search PubChem
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 3D protein and DNA structure viewing
- Drug molecule visualization
- Customizable molecular representations
- Individual atom/residue selection and coloring
- Interaction analysis
- Import custom structure files
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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!
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Search PubChem at 5.0 against iMolview Lite's 4.0. iMolview Lite's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Search PubChem holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of iMolview Lite'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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iMolview Lite | Search PubChem |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Molsoft | Jae-Seung Lee |
Customer experience
iMolview Lite
Search PubChem
In-app purchases
iMolview Lite
No in-app purchases
Search PubChem
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is iMolview Lite free?
Is Search PubChem free?
Which has better reviews, iMolview Lite or Search PubChem?
Do iMolview Lite or Search PubChem have ads?
Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or Search PubChem?
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