Comparison

Materials Lab vs cella

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

Head to head
About

Materials Lab

Features
Read full description

ZenSee Materials Lab is an interactive visualization workspace for materials science and engineering. The first release focuses on CrystalLab, a lightweight 3D crystal structure viewer for learning, teaching, and report graphics. Choose common crystal structures, inspect unit cells and atoms, rotate the model smoothly, review key structural parameters, and export clean PNG images for slides or notes. Current features: - Simple cubic, body-centered cubic, face-centered cubic, and hexagonal close-packed structures. - Classic teaching examples including diamond cubic, rock salt, cesium chloride, and perovskite structures. - Point-defect examples for vacancy, substitutional, and interstitial defects. - Interactive 3D viewport with rotation, zoom, pan, and mobile-friendly control locking. - Unit-cell frame, atom spheres, Miller guide lines, and neighbor-bond display options. - XYZ and CIF import for simple structure previews. - PNG export for teaching materials, reports, and classroom notes. - Local-first experience with no account requirement. ZenSee Materials Lab is designed for students, teachers, and engineering learners who need a professional, focused way to understand and communicate crystal structures. It is not a finite-element solver, molecular dynamics engine, molecular dynamics production tool, or certified engineering simulation package. Privacy Policy: http://mindkey.xyz/index.php/zensee-studio/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

cella

Explore crystal structures in interactive 3D. Visualize atomic arrangements, view different molecular models, and access a curated atlas of common materials. Supports CIF file import and export with a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D crystal exploration
  • Fifteen visual Cell Notes
  • Curated structure atlas
  • Multiple view modes (ball-and-stick, space-filling)
  • Unit cell and (hkl) plane visualization
  • CIF file import and export (Pro)
  • No ads, tracking, or analytics
Features
Read full description

Open a supported CIF file and explore its structure in interactive 3D. cella brings crystal data, fifteen visual Cell Notes, and a curated structure atlas into one focused workspace for iPhone and iPad. READ THE STRUCTURE Fifteen Cell Notes connect familiar materials to the lattice beneath them. Follow salts, metals, carbon structures, and semiconductors through concise visual stories, then open the related crystal in 3D to inspect the model yourself. EXPLORE IN 3D • Rotate, zoom, and pan • Tap atoms to read element names, sites, and fractional coordinates • Switch between ball-and-stick, space-filling, and coordination-polyhedra views • Show the unit cell and (hkl) planes • Build a×b×c supercells USE THE BUILT-IN ATLAS Start with 20 free structures. The collection covers rock salt, diamond, graphite, fluorite, perovskites, common metals, and other teaching examples. Pro unlocks all 58 built-in structures. IMPORT AND EXPORT WITH PRO A one-time purchase unlocks supported CIF import, the full atlas, and high-resolution transparent PNG export. There is no subscription. CIF compatibility depends on file content. Unsupported or malformed files are reported in the app. Review labels and geometry before using exported images in research or publication. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, ads, tracking, or analytics. CIF files are processed on your device and never uploaded. Apple StoreKit may use an internet connection to load Pro availability, process purchases, or restore entitlements.

Screenshots

Materials Lab4 screens
cella4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Materials Lab at 4 against cella's 2. Materials Lab also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Materials Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and cella sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Materials Lab versus cella: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaterials Labcella
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer碧珍 刘武汉回到未来科技有限公司

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Materials Lab

One-time1
  • Materials Lab Pro$9.99
1 purchases

cella

One-time1
  • cella Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Materials Lab free?
Materials Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is cella free?
cella is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Materials Lab or cella have ads?
Neither Materials Lab nor cella shows ads.

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