# iMolview Lite vs Search PubChem

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | iMolview Lite | Search PubChem |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imolview-lite/id543731121/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/search-pubchem/id1369742632/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 54 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Molsoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/431002309) | [Jae-Seung Lee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1146296876) |

## What reviewers say

### iMolview Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imolview-lite/id543731121)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Search PubChem

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/search-pubchem/id1369742632)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iMolview Lite free?

iMolview Lite is free to download, 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 Lite or Search PubChem?

Search PubChem is rated higher. iMolview Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Search PubChem averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do iMolview Lite or Search PubChem have ads?

Neither iMolview Lite nor Search PubChem shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or Search PubChem?

iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, and Search PubChem every 9 months. Most recently, iMolview Lite was updated on September 22, 2026 and Search PubChem on June 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*