Molecule vs Search PubChem
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Molecule
This app allows users to create and share chemical structures with ease. It calculates molecular formula, weight, and elemental composition in real-time as you draw. Ideal for students and researchers needing a simple tool for molecular visualization.
- Draw chemical structures
- Share structures
- Calculate MF, MW, Monoisotopic Mass
- Calculate Elemental Composition
- Interactive calculations
- Modern interface
Read full descriptionHide full description
Simple modern chemical structure editor. Allow to draw and share chemical structure. MF, MW, Monoisotopic Mass and Elemental Composition calculated interactively during drawing.
Search PubChem
Access and manage chemical compound data from the PubChem database. Search for over 111 million compounds, view molecular formulas, weights, and structures, and create and track custom solutions with detailed composition information.
- Search PubChem database
- View molecular formula, weight, and structure
- Store compound information
- Create and manage custom solutions
- Track solution composition in grams and moles
- Display 3D compound structures
- Share solution data via CSV
Read full descriptionHide full description
The app allows to search compounds through PubChem and helps to keep information on solutions made of those compounds. I. Compounds Tab Search the open chemistry database 'PubChem' at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for chemical compounds. The app helps to find a compound by name from the collection of more than 111 million compounds. It downloads and stores the molecular formula, weight, and structure. Compounds 1. Selecting the "Compounds" tab will present a list of compounds. - If there are any solutions made of a compound, a droplet will appear next to the compound's name. 2. When a compound is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a compound". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Search for a compound". Details for a compound 1. Click "Compounds" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the magnifier icon to open the compound's PubChem page in the user's default web browser. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the compound. This function may not be available if there is a solution made of the compound. 4. Click one of the solutions made of the compound to display the information. See "Details for a solution" below. 5. Click "3D" to display a 3D structure. Use pan and pinch gestures to rotate and zoom the scene. Search for a compound 1. Select "Compound Name" ("CID") and type a compound name (PubChem CID). 2. Click "Search" to connect to PubChem. An activity indicator will appear until the search is finished. - If the search succeeds, the downloaded information will appear. - If the search fails, an alert will appear. 3. Click "Save" to store the information about a compound. 4. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. II. Solutions Tab Choose compounds downloaded from PubChem and make a solution. The app allows to record a list of compounds with amounts dissolved in a solution. For the saved solutions, the app displays their compositions in gram and mol. Solutions 1. Selecting the "Solutions" tab will present a list of solutions. 2. When a solution is selected, a view with the detailed information will appear. Follow the instruction in "Details for a solution". 3. When the "+" button is selected, a view for search will appear. Follow the instruction in "Making a solution". Details for a solution 1. Click "Solutions" to return back to the table of compounds. 2. Click the 'action' icon to share a csv file containig the information about the solution. 3. Click the trashcan icon to delete the solution. 5. Choose the unit among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 6. Select one of compounds to display its structure and formula. See "Mini details for a compound" below. Making a solution 1. Click "Add Compounds" to bring a collection of compounds. See "Compounds collection" below. 2. The names of the compounds selected from "Compounds collection" will be displayed as “Solution Label”. A user can edit “Solution Label”. 3. The unit for the amount can be chosen among gram, mg, mol, and mM. 4. The amount may be entered. 5. Click "Save" to create and add a new solution. 6. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene. Compounds collection 1. Select or deselect compounds by clicking the images of compounds. 2. Selected compounds will be displayed. 3. Click "Done" to return back to "Making a solution". 5. Click "Cancel" to dismiss the scene.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Search PubChem at 5.0 against Molecule's 4.0. Molecule's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Search PubChem holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Molecule's written reviews are positive against 75% of Search PubChem's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Molecule ships an update every 4 months, Search PubChem every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Molecule | Search PubChem |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (10 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Kirill Blinov | Jae-Seung Lee |
Customer experience
Molecule
Search PubChem
In-app purchases
Molecule
No in-app purchases
Search PubChem
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Molecule free?
Is Search PubChem free?
Which has better reviews, Molecule or Search PubChem?
Do Molecule or Search PubChem have ads?
Which is updated more often, Molecule or Search PubChem?
Other comparisons















