# iMolview Lite vs Chem Viewer

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.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | iMolview Lite | Chem Viewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imolview-lite/id543731121/reviews) | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chem-viewer/id1571068897/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 54 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Molsoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/431002309) | [Dylan Riffle](https://appshunter.io/developer/1142744409) |

## 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


### Chem Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chem-viewer/id1571068897)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


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