Comparison

CrysView vs cella

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

Head to head
About

CrysView

Features
Read full description

CrysView is an interactive 3D unit cell visualization tool designed specifically for chemistry learners. You can start your journey to the world of crystals as soon as you open it. · Full Range of Crystal Models It comes with hundreds of standard unit cells including simple cubic, body-centered cubic, face-centered cubic, hexagonal close-packed, diamond, NaCl, perovskite, rutile, and more. · Free Gesture Interaction Rotate freely, adjust the view precisely with X/Y/Z sliders. · Quick Crystal Search Supports fuzzy searches with chemical formulas, substance names, and lattice types to quickly locate the unit cell you need. · Atom Visualization and Differentiation Atoms of different elements use unique colors, with real-time legends to distinguish cations, anions, metals, and nonmetals clearly.

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

CrysView3 screens
cella4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CrysView at none against cella's 1. cella's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. CrysView asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CrysView ships an update every 2 weeks, cella every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CrysView versus cella: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrysViewcella
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer凌云 马武汉回到未来科技有限公司

In-app purchases

None

CrysView

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

cella

One-time1
  • cella Pro$5.99

Questions

Is CrysView free?
CrysView is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is cella free?
cella is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CrysView or cella have ads?
Neither CrysView nor cella shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CrysView or cella?
CrysView ships an update every 2 weeks, and cella every 10 days. Most recently, CrysView was updated on October 10, 2026 and cella on October 1, 2026.

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