Comparison

iMolview Lite vs Chem Viewer

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

Chem Viewer

Visualize chemical compounds in 2D and 3D with this app. Access over 3 million compounds from the PubChem database and interact with 3D models using touch gestures. Ideal for students, researchers, and educators.

Highlights
  • 2D and 3D chemical views
  • Access to 3+ million compounds
  • PubChem database integration
  • Interactive 3D model manipulation
  • Suitable for students and researchers
Features
Read full description

View molecules on the go with Chem Viewer! Supporting two-dimensional and three-dimensional views Chem Viewer can visualize more than 3 million compounds from the PubChem database. Interact with 3d models using your fingers! Great for students, researchers, and educators.

Screenshots

iMolview Lite1 screens
Chem Viewer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: iMolview Lite at none against Chem Viewer's shown. iMolview Lite also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Chem Viewer's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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 Chem Viewer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 4 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 67% of Chem Viewer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, Chem Viewer every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
iMolview Lite versus Chem Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolview LiteChem Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolsoftDylan Riffle

Customer experience

iMolview Lite

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

Chem Viewer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Chem Viewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMolview Lite free?
iMolview Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chem Viewer free?
Chem Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iMolview Lite or Chem Viewer?
iMolview Lite and Chem Viewer are both rated 4.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do iMolview Lite or Chem Viewer have ads?
Chem Viewer shows ads; iMolview Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or Chem Viewer?
iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, and Chem Viewer every 4 days. Most recently, iMolview Lite was updated on September 22, 2026 and Chem Viewer on September 8, 2026.

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