Comparison

ProteoAR vs PDB Viewer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ProteoAR

Features
Read full description

La aplicación "ProteoAR" es una innovadora herramienta educativa interactiva desarrollada en el marco del proyecto "ProteinAR". Este proyecto es una iniciativa de docencia de la Universidad de Concepción, financiada a través de un fondo concursable. Su objetivo general es facilitar el aprendizaje tridimensional y la visualización de la estructura de proteínas, abordando una dificultad común en los cursos de Bioquímica donde la información en libros de texto y presentaciones suele ser bidimensional, lo que dificulta la construcción mental de la especialidad de las moléculas. "ProteoAR" es un complemento esencial al libro físico y digital del mismo nombre. La conceptualización y el material inicial del libro que la aplicación complementa, provienen del docente responsable del proyecto, Dr. José Antonio Martínez Oyanedel. Al integrar la tecnología de realidad aumentada (AR), la aplicación permite a los usuarios, principalmente estudiantes de Bioquímica, escanear marcadores específicos impresos en las páginas del libro. con la cámara de sus teléfonos móviles. Esto permite superponer modelos 3D interactivos y dinámicos de estructuras de proteínas directamente sobre el entorno físico, transformando la experiencia de aprendizaje. Esta solución, de uso público y gratuito, está diseñada para poner a disposición de los estudiantes un material que facilita la comprensión de conceptos abstractos, puede utilizarse masivamente, y tiene el potencial de mejorar el ambiente educativo y la motivación académica. El desarrollo y despliegue de la aplicación ha sido realizado en colaboración con el Centro de Formación y Recursos Didácticos (CFRD) de la Universidad de Concepción. La aplicación requiere únicamente el permiso de acceso a la cámara para funcionar

About

PDB Viewer

Features
Read full description

PDB Viewer turns your phone into a molecular microscope. Search the entire Protein Data Bank and over 200 million AlphaFold predictions, then explore any protein, virus, drug, or DNA structure in interactive 3D — free, with no account, no ads, and no sign-up. WHERE THE MOLECULES COME FROM • RCSB Protein Data Bank — 200,000+ experimentally determined structures • AlphaFold — 200M+ AI-predicted protein models • SWISS-MODEL — template-based homology models • PubChem and ChEMBL — millions of drugs and compounds • Crystallography Open Database — small-molecule crystals • NCI/CADD resolver — type a chemical name and get a 3D model Every source is free and needs no API key. You can also open your own .pdb and .cif files. WAYS TO SEE IT • Five representations: wireframe, ball-and-stick, space-filling (CPK), cartoon/ribbon, and a smooth molecular surface • Color by element, chain, secondary structure, rainbow, or AlphaFold confidence (pLDDT) • Biological assemblies: rebuild an entire icosahedral virus capsid from a few deposited chains • NMR ensembles: overlay every model in the bundle to watch a protein flex • Automatic secondary-structure detection MADE FOR TOUCH • Rotate, pinch-zoom, and pan with smooth native rendering • Tap any atom to see its element, residue, and chain • Recently viewed structures are cached, so they reopen instantly and work offline For students, researchers, teachers, and the simply curious. PDB Viewer makes structural biology beautiful and accessible. Structures are provided by their respective databases. PDB Viewer is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCSB PDB, EMBL-EBI, or AlphaFold.

Screenshots

ProteoAR4 screens
PDB Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ProteoAR at none against PDB Viewer's 1. ProteoAR also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, 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. PDB Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ProteoAR asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
ProteoAR versus PDB Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProteoARPDB Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size346 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCorporacion Universidad de ConcepcionQvyshift LLC

In-app purchases

None

ProteoAR

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PDB Viewer

One-time1
  • PDB Viewer Pro$9.99

Questions

Is ProteoAR free?
ProteoAR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PDB Viewer free?
PDB Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ProteoAR or PDB Viewer have ads?
Neither ProteoAR nor PDB Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ProteoAR or PDB Viewer?
ProteoAR ships an update monthly, and PDB Viewer monthly. Most recently, ProteoAR was updated on September 30, 2026 and PDB Viewer on October 16, 2026.

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