Comparison

iMolview Lite vs BioViewer

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

BioViewer

Visualize 3D molecular structures from .pdb files on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Features smooth rendering, drag-and-drop support, and publication-quality photo exports for detailed analysis.

Highlights
  • 3D molecular structure visualization
  • Supports .pdb and .xyz files
  • Drag and drop functionality
  • Photo Mode with high-quality exports
  • Multi-model PDB support
  • Optimized for ProMotion displays
Read full description

A .pdb protein visualizer for iOS, iPadOS and macOS. View the 3D representation of any molecular structure from a .pdb file, using our custom Metal-based rendering engine based to allow for a smooth experience even in the biggest proteins.  - Full drag and drop support for .pdb and .xyz files. - Photo Mode with publication-quality exports. - Support for multi-model PDBs. - Support for high refresh rate ProMotion displays.

Screenshots

iMolview Lite1 screens
BioViewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: iMolview Lite at 100% against BioViewer's 33%. iMolview Lite also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). BioViewer's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 9 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

iMolview Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iMolview Lite has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 33% of BioViewer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, BioViewer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iMolview Lite versus BioViewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolview LiteBioViewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolsoftRaul Monton Pinillos

Customer experience

iMolview Lite

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

BioViewer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview Lite

No in-app purchases

None

BioViewer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iMolview Lite free?
iMolview Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BioViewer free?
BioViewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iMolview Lite or BioViewer?
iMolview Lite is rated higher. iMolview Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while BioViewer averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do iMolview Lite or BioViewer have ads?
Neither iMolview Lite nor BioViewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or BioViewer?
iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, and BioViewer every 9 days. Most recently, iMolview Lite was updated on September 22, 2026 and BioViewer on September 10, 2026.

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