Comparison

PDB Viewer vs Elemlearn

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

Head to head
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 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.

About

Elemlearn

Features
Read full description

Become unbeatable on the entire periodic table! Elemlearn is the perfect app to learn and review all 118 chemical elements - their names, their symbols, and the families they belong to - in a fun, ad-free way. Two game modes Quiz yourself either way: Element โ†’ Symbol or Symbol โ†’ Element. Switch anytime to challenge your memory from both angles. Smart review The app automatically spots the elements you know least and brings them back more often, with tricky look-alike options (like Silicon vs Selenium, or Sodium vs Sulfur) to sharpen your memory and avoid confusion. Bohr diagrams Every answer reveals the element's electron shells, atomic number, atomic mass and family - so you learn the real chemistry, not just the letters. Track your progress Detailed stats, a daily streak, and mastery family by family, so you always know exactly where you stand. Six languages Interface in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and German. All 10 element families, all 118 elements Alkali metals: Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Caesium, Francium Alkaline earth metals: Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium, Radium Transition metals: Scandium, Titanium, Vanadium, Chromium, Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, Zinc, Yttrium, Zirconium, Niobium, Molybdenum, Technetium, Ruthenium, Rhodium, Palladium, Silver, Cadmium, Hafnium, Tantalum, Tungsten, Rhenium, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Gold, Mercury, Rutherfordium, Dubnium, Seaborgium, Bohrium, Hassium, Meitnerium, Darmstadtium, Roentgenium, Copernicium Post-transition metals: Aluminium, Gallium, Indium, Tin, Thallium, Lead, Bismuth, Polonium, Nihonium, Flerovium, Moscovium, Livermorium Metalloids: Boron, Silicon, Germanium, Arsenic, Antimony, Tellurium Reactive nonmetals: Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Selenium Halogens: Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Astatine, Tennessine Noble gases: Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, Radon, Oganesson Lanthanides: Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium Actinides: Actinium, Thorium, Protactinium, Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Americium, Curium, Berkelium, Californium, Einsteinium, Fermium, Mendelevium, Nobelium, Lawrencium 100% free, no account No ads, no account required, no paid features, no in-app purchases forced on you. For chemistry students, trivia lovers, and anyone who wants to finally tell Silicon and Selenium apart.

Screenshots

PDB Viewer4 screens
Elemlearn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Elemlearn at none against PDB Viewer's 1. Elemlearn also leads on update cadence (every 9 days 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. Elemlearn asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PDB Viewer ships an update monthly, Elemlearn every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
PDB Viewer versus Elemlearn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPDB ViewerElemlearn
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS16.015.1 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQvyshift LLCAdrien Soullier

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PDB Viewer

One-time1
  • PDB Viewer Pro$9.99
None

Elemlearn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PDB Viewer free?
PDB Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Elemlearn free?
Elemlearn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PDB Viewer or Elemlearn have ads?
Neither PDB Viewer nor Elemlearn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PDB Viewer or Elemlearn?
PDB Viewer ships an update monthly, and Elemlearn every 9 days. Most recently, PDB Viewer was updated on October 14, 2026 and Elemlearn on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons