Comparison

iMolview Lite vs Molecule Lab

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

Molecule Lab

Create and view 3D molecular models with an intuitive editor. Supports various elements, bond types, and conformations, with undo/redo functionality. Share your creations easily via messaging and email.

Highlights
  • Build molecules in 3D
  • Supports oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, carbon, hydrogen
  • Double and triple bond creation
  • Branching and rotation conformations
  • Undo, redo, and delete controls
  • Save and edit molecules
  • Share via text, email, and other services
Features
Read full description

Molecule Lab is a simple yet powerful editor allowing users to build and visualize molecules in 3D. Our molecule editor can build more molecules than before, as it now supports three new elements—oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine—in addition to carbon and hydrogen, double bonds, triple bonds, branches, and different rotation conformations. These incredible new features are enhanced by the flexibility of our molecule editor, which we further upgraded with undo, redo, and delete controls. Molecules can be saved and edited in the future. Additionally, we introduced the capability to share molecules via text message, email, and other third-party services for notetaking and document sharing. This seamless integration with different apps makes Molecule Lab more powerful for sharing and referencing molecules in the future. With all these exciting features, we are thrilled to debut a new look and feel for Molecule Lab. We hope the beautiful modern design will enrich each user’s experience with Molecule Lab.

Screenshots

iMolview Lite1 screens
Molecule Lab1 screens

Verdict

The call

iMolview Lite and Molecule Lab both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 50% of Molecule Lab's. iMolview Lite also leads on update cadence (every 9 months vs every 24 months). Molecule Lab's advantage is ratings volume (18 vs 5). On price, rating, 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

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 Molecule Lab. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 50% of Molecule Lab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, Molecule Lab every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iMolview Lite versus Molecule Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolview LiteMolecule Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.0 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings518 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 months — betterEvery 24 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.2
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolsoftMaxamix

Customer experience

iMolview Lite

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

Molecule Lab

All ratings18 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral22.2%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Molecule Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMolview Lite free?
iMolview Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Molecule Lab free?
Molecule Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iMolview Lite or Molecule Lab?
iMolview Lite and Molecule Lab are both rated 4.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 18 ratings respectively.
Do iMolview Lite or Molecule Lab have ads?
Neither iMolview Lite nor Molecule Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or Molecule Lab?
iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, and Molecule Lab every 24 months. Most recently, iMolview Lite was updated on September 22, 2026 and Molecule Lab on August 25, 2026.

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