Comparison

iMolview Lite vs MolAR Augmented Reality

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

MolAR Augmented Reality

Explore molecules and proteins in augmented reality. Visualize structures from online databases or draw your own. Scan real-world objects to see their molecular composition.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality molecule visualization
  • Visualize PubChem molecules
  • Visualize Protein Data Bank proteins
  • Draw and visualize chemical structures
  • Scan objects to see molecules
Features
Read full description

MolAR lets you visualize molecules and proteins through augmented reality (AR). - Augmented reality: Place a molecule or a protein in a real-world surrounding. No marker needed. - Visualize any molecule on PubChem - Visualize any protein in the Protein Data Bank - Draw chemical structures and visualize them in AR - Scan objects such as food and see molecules inside them Created by Sukolsak Sakshuwong, Umberto Raucci, and Hayley Weir from the Martinez Group at Stanford University

Screenshots

iMolview Lite1 screens
MolAR Augmented Reality4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MolAR Augmented Reality at 4.9 against iMolview Lite's 4.0. MolAR Augmented Reality also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). iMolview Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.4). On price, ratings volume, 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

MolAR Augmented Reality holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 9 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, MolAR Augmented Reality every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
iMolview Lite versus MolAR Augmented Reality: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolview LiteMolAR Augmented Reality
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.9 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings59 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.4
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB179 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolsoftSukolsak Sakshuwong

Customer experience

iMolview Lite

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

MolAR Augmented Reality

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview Lite

No in-app purchases

None

MolAR Augmented Reality

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMolview Lite free?
iMolview Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MolAR Augmented Reality free?
MolAR Augmented Reality is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iMolview Lite or MolAR Augmented Reality?
MolAR Augmented Reality is rated higher. iMolview Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while MolAR Augmented Reality averages 4.9 from 9 ratings.
Do iMolview Lite or MolAR Augmented Reality have ads?
Neither iMolview Lite nor MolAR Augmented Reality shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or MolAR Augmented Reality?
iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, and MolAR Augmented Reality every 2 months. Most recently, iMolview Lite was updated on September 22, 2026 and MolAR Augmented Reality on October 2, 2026.

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