Comparison

WebMO Molecule Editor vs Molecule Lab

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

Head to head
About

WebMO Molecule Editor

Create and explore 3D molecular structures, visualize chemical properties, and access extensive chemical databases. This tool is ideal for students and educators needing on-the-go access to molecular information and computational chemistry resources.

Highlights
  • 3D molecular editor
  • Structure optimization
  • Orbital and symmetry visualization
  • Chemical database lookup
  • Spectra visualization
  • High-resolution image capture
  • Computational chemistry program integration
Features
Read full description

WebMO allows users to build and view molecules in 3-D, visualize orbitals and symmetry elements, lookup chemical information and properties from external databases, and access state-of-the-art computational chemistry programs. WebMO is recommended for students and faculty in high school, college, and graduate school who desire mobile access to molecular structures, information, and calculations. WebMO capabilities include: - Build molecules by drawing atoms and bonds in a 3-D molecular editor, or by speaking the name (e.g., “aspirin”) - Optimize structures using VSEPR theory or molecular mechanics - View Huckel molecular orbitals, electron density, and electrostatic potential - View molecular vibrations - View point group and symmetry elements of molecules - Lookup basic molecular information, including IUPAC and common names, stoichiometry, molar mass - Lookup chemical data from PubChem and ChemSpider - Lookup experimental and predicted molecular properties from external databases (NIST, Sigma-Aldrich) - Lookup IR, UV-VIS, NMR, and mass spectra from external databases (NIST, SDBS) - Capture high-resolution molecular images - Save and recall molecular structures locally - Export and import structures via email WebMO is also a front-end to WebMO servers (version 14 and higher): - Supports Gaussian, GAMESS, Molpro, MOPAC, NWChem, ORCA, PQS, PSI, Quantum Espresso, VASP, Q-Chem, and Tinker computational chemistry programs - Submit, monitor, and view calculations - View formatted tabular data extracted from output files, as well as raw output - Visualize geometry, partial charges, dipole moment, normal vibrational modes, molecular orbitals, and NMR/IR/UV-VIS spectra

About

Molecule Lab

Create and view 3D molecular models with an intuitive editor. Supports various elements, bond types, and conformations, with undo/redo functionality. Share your creations easily via messaging and email.

Highlights
  • Build molecules in 3D
  • Supports oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, carbon, hydrogen
  • Double and triple bond creation
  • Branching and rotation conformations
  • Undo, redo, and delete controls
  • Save and edit molecules
  • Share via text, email, and other services
Features
Read full description

Molecule Lab is a simple yet powerful editor allowing users to build and visualize molecules in 3D. Our molecule editor can build more molecules than before, as it now supports three new elements—oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine—in addition to carbon and hydrogen, double bonds, triple bonds, branches, and different rotation conformations. These incredible new features are enhanced by the flexibility of our molecule editor, which we further upgraded with undo, redo, and delete controls. Molecules can be saved and edited in the future. Additionally, we introduced the capability to share molecules via text message, email, and other third-party services for notetaking and document sharing. This seamless integration with different apps makes Molecule Lab more powerful for sharing and referencing molecules in the future. With all these exciting features, we are thrilled to debut a new look and feel for Molecule Lab. We hope the beautiful modern design will enrich each user’s experience with Molecule Lab.

Screenshots

WebMO Molecule Editor4 screens
Molecule Lab1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Molecule Lab at none against WebMO Molecule Editor's 2. WebMO Molecule Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 24 months) and review sentiment (60% vs 50%). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. WebMO Molecule Editor sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Molecule Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for WebMO Molecule Editor against 4.0 for Molecule Lab. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of WebMO Molecule Editor's written reviews are positive against 50% of Molecule Lab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WebMO Molecule Editor ships an update every 3 months, Molecule Lab every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on September 3, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
WebMO Molecule Editor versus Molecule Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWebMO Molecule EditorMolecule Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (40 ratings) — better4.0 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews60.4% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings40 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 24 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.2
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWebMO, LLCMaxamix

Customer experience

WebMO Molecule Editor

All ratings40 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral9.4%
Negative30.2%

Molecule Lab

All ratings18 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral22.2%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

WebMO Molecule Editor

One-time2
  • WebMO Premium for paid usersFree
  • WebMO Premium$4.99
None

Molecule Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WebMO Molecule Editor free?
WebMO Molecule Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Molecule Lab free?
Molecule Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WebMO Molecule Editor or Molecule Lab?
WebMO Molecule Editor is rated higher. WebMO Molecule Editor averages 4.0 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Molecule Lab averages 4.0 from 18 ratings.
Do WebMO Molecule Editor or Molecule Lab have ads?
Neither WebMO Molecule Editor nor Molecule Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WebMO Molecule Editor or Molecule Lab?
WebMO Molecule Editor ships an update every 3 months, and Molecule Lab every 24 months. Most recently, WebMO Molecule Editor was updated on September 3, 2026 and Molecule Lab on August 25, 2026.

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