Look around ANU vs PDB Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Look around ANU
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If you study or work at The Australian National University (ANU) you know how fortunate you are to spend your days on Australia's most awesome university campus. Set on 145 hectares of parkland in the middle of Australia's capital city Canberra, our campus is surrounded by natural bushland, complemented by award-winning architecture, and houses state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities. All this is just a short stroll from the heart of a vibrant, cosmopolitan city centre. Use our special "Look Around ANU" technology to pretend you're here with us. Immerse yourself in some of our most beautiful, significant and beloved places and spaces. It's almost as good as being here... but not quite. We'd still love you to come and visit us for real.
PDB Viewer
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PDB Viewer turns your phone into a molecular microscope. Search the entire Protein Data Bank and over 200 million AlphaFold predictions, then explore any protein, virus, drug, or DNA structure in interactive 3D ā free, with no account, no ads, and no sign-up. WHERE THE MOLECULES COME FROM ⢠RCSB Protein Data Bank ā 200,000+ experimentally determined structures ⢠AlphaFold ā 200M+ AI-predicted protein models ⢠SWISS-MODEL ā template-based homology models ⢠PubChem and ChEMBL ā millions of drugs and compounds ⢠Crystallography Open Database ā small-molecule crystals ⢠NCI/CADD resolver ā type a chemical name and get a 3D model Every source is free and needs no API key. You can also open your own .pdb and .cif files. WAYS TO SEE IT ⢠Five representations: wireframe, ball-and-stick, space-filling (CPK), cartoon/ribbon, and a smooth molecular surface ⢠Color by element, chain, secondary structure, rainbow, or AlphaFold confidence (pLDDT) ⢠Biological assemblies: rebuild an entire icosahedral virus capsid from a few deposited chains ⢠NMR ensembles: overlay every model in the bundle to watch a protein flex ⢠Automatic secondary-structure detection MADE FOR TOUCH ⢠Rotate, pinch-zoom, and pan with smooth native rendering ⢠Tap any atom to see its element, residue, and chain ⢠Recently viewed structures are cached, so they reopen instantly and work offline For students, researchers, teachers, and the simply curious. PDB Viewer makes structural biology beautiful and accessible. Structures are provided by their respective databases. PDB Viewer is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCSB PDB, EMBL-EBI, or AlphaFold.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Look around ANU at none against PDB Viewer's 1. Look around ANU also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.0). PDB Viewer's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. PDB Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Look around ANU asks for nothing beyond the download.
Look around ANU ships an update every 9 months, PDB Viewer monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Look around ANU | PDB Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Monthly ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No ā better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod ā better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 ā better | 16.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Australian National University | Qvyshift LLC |
In-app purchases
Look around ANU
No in-app purchases
PDB Viewer
- PDB Viewer Pro$9.99
Questions
Is Look around ANU free?
Is PDB Viewer free?
Do Look around ANU or PDB Viewer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Look around ANU or PDB Viewer?
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