Comparison

Crys vs cella

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

Head to head
About

Crys

This app allows users to view and analyze crystal structures locally on their mobile devices. It supports various file formats and offers tools for inspecting atoms, bonds, and unit cells, with features for generating simulated PXRD patterns and morphology previews.

Highlights
  • Local structure viewing
  • Supports CIF, XYZ, PDB, MOL, SDF, MOL2, RES files
  • Inspect atoms, bonds, unit cells
  • Display styles and scope control
  • Fullscreen and PXRD presentation modes
  • Simulated PXRD pattern generation
  • BFDH morphology preview
Features
Read full description

Crys-CAST brings crystal and molecular structure viewing, geometry analysis, and presentation tools to iPhone and iPad. OPEN AND EXPLORE Open CIF, XYZ, PDB, MOL, SDF, MOL2, and RES files from Files or other apps. Explore asymmetric units, unit cells, and supercells with ball-and-stick, Spacefill, coordination polyhedra, and thermal ellipsoids when suitable displacement data is available. Rotate, zoom, and view structures along crystallographic directions. MEASURE AND ANALYZE Inspect bond lengths, bond angles, and geometric hydrogen-bond candidates, grouped by type with clear symmetry details. Combine selected length, angle, and hydrogen-bond labels directly on the structure. Distinguish coordinate-calculated values from matching CIF-reported geometry, and export compact bond-length and bond-angle tables as TXT or Excel-compatible CSV. Explore simulated powder X-ray diffraction patterns, BFDH morphology, and geometric pore analysis. Display pore space alone or together with the crystal structure. BUILD YOUR COLLECTION Organize structures in My Database. Add files from History or import structure files and ZIP, RAR, or 7z archives into a chosen collection. Name entries, save viewing states, and export collections for reuse. CREATE PRESENTATION MATERIALS Save structure images and record GIF or MP4 animations with resolution and frame-rate presets and custom duration. Use automatic rotation or adjust the view while recording. Animation exports contain the structure viewer without interface controls or sound. MAKE THE VIEW YOUR OWN Use a consistent interface on iPhone and iPad, choose light or dark appearance, and customize backgrounds, unit-cell lines, axes, and scale bars. SCIENTIFIC SCOPE Calculated geometry, hydrogen-bond candidates, pore results, and other analyses depend on the input data and selected settings. They support visualization and interpretation but do not replace structure refinement or experimental validation. Missing hydrogen positions are not inferred. Actual recording frame rate depends on device performance and structure complexity.

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

Crys4 screens
cella4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Crys at none against cella's 1. Crys also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. cella sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Crys asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Crys against 5.0 for cella. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crys ships an update every 4 days, cella every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Crys versus cella: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCryscella
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer子铭 叶武汉回到未来科技有限公司

Customer experience

Crys

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

cella

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Crys

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

cella

One-time1
  • cella Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Crys free?
Crys is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is cella free?
cella is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Crys or cella?
Crys and cella are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Crys or cella have ads?
Neither Crys nor cella shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crys or cella?
Crys ships an update every 4 days, and cella every 10 days. Most recently, Crys was updated on October 7, 2026 and cella on October 17, 2026.

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