# Crys vs cella

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.

Both are free to download. cella sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Crys asks for nothing beyond the download.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crys | cella |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crys-cast/id6784123301/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cella-crystal-viewer/id6790140743/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 8 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [子铭 叶](https://appshunter.io/developer/6784052907) | [武汉回到未来科技有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891400712) |

## What reviewers say

### Crys

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crys-cast/id6784123301)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### cella

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cella-crystal-viewer/id6790140743)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| cella Pro | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*