Comparison

iMolview Lite vs WebMO Molecule Editor

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

WebMO Molecule Editor

Create and explore 3D molecular structures, visualize chemical properties, and access extensive chemical databases. This tool is ideal for students and educators needing on-the-go access to molecular information and computational chemistry resources.

Highlights
  • 3D molecular editor
  • Structure optimization
  • Orbital and symmetry visualization
  • Chemical database lookup
  • Spectra visualization
  • High-resolution image capture
  • Computational chemistry program integration
Features
Read full description

WebMO allows users to build and view molecules in 3-D, visualize orbitals and symmetry elements, lookup chemical information and properties from external databases, and access state-of-the-art computational chemistry programs. WebMO is recommended for students and faculty in high school, college, and graduate school who desire mobile access to molecular structures, information, and calculations. WebMO capabilities include: - Build molecules by drawing atoms and bonds in a 3-D molecular editor, or by speaking the name (e.g., “aspirin”) - Optimize structures using VSEPR theory or molecular mechanics - View Huckel molecular orbitals, electron density, and electrostatic potential - View molecular vibrations - View point group and symmetry elements of molecules - Lookup basic molecular information, including IUPAC and common names, stoichiometry, molar mass - Lookup chemical data from PubChem and ChemSpider - Lookup experimental and predicted molecular properties from external databases (NIST, Sigma-Aldrich) - Lookup IR, UV-VIS, NMR, and mass spectra from external databases (NIST, SDBS) - Capture high-resolution molecular images - Save and recall molecular structures locally - Export and import structures via email WebMO is also a front-end to WebMO servers (version 14 and higher): - Supports Gaussian, GAMESS, Molpro, MOPAC, NWChem, ORCA, PQS, PSI, Quantum Espresso, VASP, Q-Chem, and Tinker computational chemistry programs - Submit, monitor, and view calculations - View formatted tabular data extracted from output files, as well as raw output - Visualize geometry, partial charges, dipole moment, normal vibrational modes, molecular orbitals, and NMR/IR/UV-VIS spectra

Screenshots

iMolview Lite1 screens
WebMO Molecule Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

iMolview Lite and WebMO Molecule Editor both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 60% of WebMO Molecule Editor's. iMolview Lite also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). WebMO Molecule Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (40 vs 5). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. WebMO Molecule Editor sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. iMolview Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 WebMO Molecule Editor. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WebMO Molecule Editor has 40 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of iMolview Lite's written reviews are positive against 60% of WebMO Molecule Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, WebMO Molecule Editor every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iMolview Lite versus WebMO Molecule Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMolview LiteWebMO Molecule Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.0 (40 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better60.4% of reviews
Number of ratings540 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMolsoftWebMO, LLC

Customer experience

iMolview Lite

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

WebMO Molecule Editor

All ratings40 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral9.4%
Negative30.2%

In-app purchases

None

iMolview Lite

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

WebMO Molecule Editor

One-time2
  • WebMO Premium for paid usersFree
  • WebMO Premium$4.99

Questions

Is iMolview Lite free?
iMolview Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WebMO Molecule Editor free?
WebMO Molecule Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iMolview Lite or WebMO Molecule Editor?
WebMO Molecule Editor is rated higher. iMolview Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while WebMO Molecule Editor averages 4.0 from 40 ratings.
Do iMolview Lite or WebMO Molecule Editor have ads?
Neither iMolview Lite nor WebMO Molecule Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iMolview Lite or WebMO Molecule Editor?
iMolview Lite ships an update every 9 months, and WebMO Molecule Editor every 3 months. Most recently, iMolview Lite was updated on September 22, 2026 and WebMO Molecule Editor on October 7, 2026.

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