Comparison

Protein Viewer Pro vs PDB Viewer

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

Head to head
About

Protein Viewer Pro

Features
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Building on our powerful viewer for RCSB Protein Data Bank structures, this release adds a significant new layer of information by integrating data from UniProt. Our goal is to empower protein specialists to seamlessly capture inspiration and engage in discussions with their peers, providing a handy tool for work in the laboratory or even outdoors. We hope you enjoy your protein research anywhere. We're also excited to announce that a "Protein Music" app is in the works! https://heebok.github.io/protein_viewer_manual.html

About

PDB Viewer

Features
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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 โ€” free, with no account, no ads, and no sign-up. WHERE THE MOLECULES COME FROM โ€ข RCSB Protein Data Bank โ€” 200,000+ experimentally determined structures โ€ข AlphaFold โ€” 200M+ AI-predicted protein models โ€ข SWISS-MODEL โ€” template-based homology models โ€ข PubChem and ChEMBL โ€” millions of drugs and compounds โ€ข Crystallography Open Database โ€” small-molecule crystals โ€ข NCI/CADD resolver โ€” 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 โ€ข Five representations: wireframe, ball-and-stick, space-filling (CPK), cartoon/ribbon, and a smooth molecular surface โ€ข Color by element, chain, secondary structure, rainbow, or AlphaFold confidence (pLDDT) โ€ข Biological assemblies: rebuild an entire icosahedral virus capsid from a few deposited chains โ€ข NMR ensembles: overlay every model in the bundle to watch a protein flex โ€ข Automatic secondary-structure detection MADE FOR TOUCH โ€ข Rotate, pinch-zoom, and pan with smooth native rendering โ€ข Tap any atom to see its element, residue, and chain โ€ข 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

Protein Viewer Pro2 screens
PDB Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Protein Viewer Pro at none against PDB Viewer's 1. Protein Viewer Pro also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. PDB Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Protein Viewer Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Protein Viewer Pro ships an update every 2 weeks, PDB Viewer monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Protein Viewer Pro versus PDB Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProtein Viewer ProPDB Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks โ€” betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 โ€” better16.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size27 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHeebok LeeQvyshift LLC

In-app purchases

None

Protein Viewer Pro

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PDB Viewer

One-time1
  • PDB Viewer Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Protein Viewer Pro free?
Protein Viewer Pro 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 Protein Viewer Pro or PDB Viewer have ads?
Neither Protein Viewer Pro nor PDB Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Protein Viewer Pro or PDB Viewer?
Protein Viewer Pro ships an update every 2 weeks, and PDB Viewer monthly. Most recently, Protein Viewer Pro was updated on November 4, 2026 and PDB Viewer on October 31, 2026.

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